nca

worse   alias   ever.

I caught that too.

“They don’t want to be in a cookie-cutter type of development..”
Does anyone, really?
 
“Consider designing outdoor spaces as if they were living rooms.”
Mindblowing concept. I sense the ‘S’ word coming…
 
The author makes gen-y’s sound like overgrown children, and maybe there’s some truth to that, but I like taking baths and my dogs sleep on t…[Read more]

After reading through the last three or four pages I can only come to ONE conclusion:
 
I need a raise.
 

I guess the reason you may be sensing frustration from the other members is that a lot of people in the United States and abroad are having a very difficult time finding any employment opportunites or new leads.
 
I went through a similar dilemma as I finished my final year of school in 2009. I was sure I would have my choice of firms to work for…[Read more]

I think there is a strong likelihood that design quality will suffer in this model.
 
I work from home, but my colleagues and I know each other well enough to communicate effectively. I also have a very specific role in the operation at this time, so it works out.
 
You should ask yourself what kind of incentive you offer the potential client w…[Read more]

I’ll go page by page because I need a break from working on a Sunday..
 
Cover–
Black and white is good, the graphic is compelling, what does it mean to you/say about you? Are you creative? A modernist? If you’re just trying to make a portfolio cover, keep it simple and type your name. Otherwise its OK.
 
Pages 1-2
What’s going on here..I di…[Read more]

Yes.
 
I dont really think anyone cares about that besides your mom. I see the logic there, but I think especially now firms want to see what you can do for them right now. Besides, brevity in your portfolio is often key.

I’ll give my answer- Yes.
 
My only point here is that the original poster can be humble and know what he or she is worth. If that means accepting a job that pays lower than what was expected, then so be it, but they still need to weigh costs and incentives.
 
I know that just in the state of colorado, salary and cost of living vary greatly a…[Read more]

I dont think anyone is ‘demanding’ anything here as far as I can see.
 
Aside from owning the company, and being licensed there are many circumstances where employees can and should, in my opinion, request more compensation.
 
You seem to subscribe to the notion that firms hire people out of charity and goodwill. Companies hire people to meet a d…[Read more]

I signed up for elance.com and they spam me constantly now. I’ve never gotten a job through them. You have to take a little exam to ‘qualify’ yourself for work. I tried the photoshop exam and it was actually pretty tough and I’d consider myself an advanced user.

I agree entirely.
 
Contrary to popular belief, graphic design as a profession is more complicated than knowing how to open photoshop. Although, there are a lot of basic tasks that LA’s and architects may be capable of that fall under the umbrella of graphic design.

I just finished a little contract for art for a cad software company. Igot the job through my blog which I haven’t updated in over a year.

I’d say there are definitely opportunities out there but I might go as far to say that graphic design is as or more saturated than LA. Architects are of course all over that too because as we all know they can…[Read more]

Hey Eric,
 
Yes, I hoped the idea of energy and resource savings would be implied as well.
 
I am working for basically a two person office. I think there are several other advantages to working from home, especially in a digital age–Design can be done with digital tools, so there is also limited need for paper consumption, etc. Also, when I w…[Read more]

For what it’s worth…
 
You can make your profile here accessible only to members who add you as a friend so it’s pretty difficult for an employer to see what you’ve been up to…even so..
 
I tend to believe that I would say in person whatever I write here and my activity on Land8 is somewhat of an extension of my professional bio. That said, i…[Read more]

No.
 
I work from home in Aspen, which is pretty nice. Sometimes I wish I were working on cooler projects, but I think things will turn around in time.
 
I understand your concern about sharing infomration online..no worries.

Around here, 65-85 is the going billing rate for junior levels. 85 plus seems high, but if your salary is commensurate then that makes sense.
 
You should feel lucky to get any additional benefits. Here it is not unusal for employers to cut all medical, dental, pto, etc…forget overtime too.
 
Yukonwanderer–could you upload some work samples s…[Read more]

If all the new grads started asking for six figures there might actually be some opportunities.

Large engineering firms typically pay more in my limited experience. The trade off is working for engineers, lol.
 
Probably better to know your potential worth than always stuck with the mindset that you owe someone a favor for your hard work.
 
Just go for what you think you’re worth. I thought, and still do think I am worth a lot more than w…[Read more]

Higher salary expectations are ultimately good for all of us in a sense.
 
It sounds like you have a lot to offer and a good idea of your true value to an employer. I would go with that, even over some published statistics, which are probably outdated anyway.
 
Good Luck.