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Graphic Design? You Don't Need to Be An Artist Anymore....


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Graphic Design? You Don't Need to Be An Artist Anymore....
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2008-03-28, 20:48

My friend Pscates,
I saw a television advertisement this morning for a local community college which made me stop and go "WHUH????"

The girl in the ad said "Not an Artist? It Doesn't Matter Anymore... today's software... blah, blah blah"

So I wrote an article about it... (just posted it).

http://www.drewprops.com/?p=285

The 2nd thing I thought of was "If I hadn't written this, Paul would have." so I popped over to let you and the gang have a read.

Me? I'm going to go drink some beer now... but if anyone is inspired to Dingg it I wish you would... it'd be nice to see how long that ad runs.

Anyway... time for beer!!!!!
(you don't need to be an alcoholic to enjoy a nice Friday beer!!)

Steve Jobs ate my cat's watermelon.
Captain Drew on Twitter
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2008-03-28, 21:23



I came in at a weird time (early 90's), when there seemed to be a lot of manual paste-up/overlay work still being done (my first couple of jobs involved "the old way", with some smattering of these Macs and this QuarkXPress thingie).

I don't miss anything about that, but sometimes I wish I'd been born a decade or two earlier so I could've done more pen/paste-up work. But then I think "I'm an impatient klutz, so it's probably best I didn't...".

But somewhere around 2000-2001, things seemed to change. I started running into more and more people who "knew" (or had) Photoshop. I figure this was around the time broadband was really coming to most markets and, so, a lot of people were simply downloading/pirating these apps, and learning them.

Seems to make sense...how many 14-year-olds have $600-plus to blow on software?

I've seen and read similar types of ads the past few years. And while I'm not such a high-minded, excessively schooled designer that I get upset on a "snob" type of level, it bugs me on a "hey...that's kinda lazy and corner-cutting!" type of way.



10-years-old, if you worked in Photoshop you were something kinda unique, and people would look at you almost as some sort of craftsman or artisan.



Now? Every person on my street has it, and is using (abusing) it to various levels...

Which is why I use Illustrator. It gets 1/10 the attention/notoriety of Photoshop and, I've learned, it actually scares the shit out of some people ("the pen tool, man...it's comin' to eat me in my sleep!").

An interesting world...keeps on spinning, things that were novel and specialized at one point don't always remain so.

But I'd hate to see a marketing campaign be so blatant and "you don't need an eye...it's all sliders and buttons!" about it all.

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veryamusing
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
 
2008-03-28, 22:27

What's worse, there are even "schools" "graduating" "EMTs/paramedics" from courses ranging from two-weeks to just a few months long.



[/derail]
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drewprops
Space Pirate
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Atlanta
 
2008-03-28, 23:15

Not a derailment at all (hint: go read my blog post)... the bigger discussion is the ridiculous faith that some people (and apparently institutions) are willing to put in software instead of true skill and expertise.

Steve Jobs ate my cat's watermelon.
Captain Drew on Twitter
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Jerman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Siloam Springs, AR
 
2008-03-28, 23:25

Quote:
Originally Posted by drewprops View Post
My friend Pscates,
Anyway... time for beer!!!!!
(you don't need to be an alcoholic to enjoy a nice Friday beer!!)
Mmm. Enjoying one myself. Now to read the article.
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Jerman
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Siloam Springs, AR
 
2008-03-28, 23:29

Sorry for the second post already. But I had to say... I SO want the "IE box model button" lol. Good article, really enjoyed it.
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Dave
Ninja Editor
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Bay Area, CA
 
2008-03-29, 10:31

Yeah, that was pretty good, Drew. You should email it to their dean or something.
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2008-03-29, 11:00

Better yet, he needs to make some sort of parody vid. He's already proven he's quite good with a video camera and that whole "being funny" thing...



Do a take-off on this commercial, and just take it to a whole new, nutty level!

Do it. Do it.

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sunrain
Veteran Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Portlandia
 
2008-03-29, 11:48

This reminds me of You Suck at Photoshop. Funny stuff if you haven't seen it.
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veryamusing
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
 
2008-04-10, 11:53

*Bump*

So there I was, in a business statistics class, unintentionally eavesdropping on the conversation of the girls in front of me. I heard one of them say, "I can't wait until I graduate and get that piece of paper so that I can get paid!" Gosh, I had no idea the whole point of going to *college* was to get a piece of paper. Much less, to "get paid" and not to work hard, and *earn* a decent salary.

Sucks that these people are our future, and I'm lumped in with them...
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psmith2.0
Mr. Vieira
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Tennessee
 
2008-04-10, 13:00

I know more dumb-asses with a college degree, it seems.

And I don't mean that as a slam against college, or those who attend. I mean that as a slam against people who are 28-40 (my "peers"), live in a nice home and drive a snazzy car, take awesome vacations, shop and dine where they want, etc. and can't put together a four-sentence paragraph without 35 typos and major grammatical gaffes.

I'll get an e-mail forwarded from a friend of a friend of a friend (someone I kinda know - I know they're well off and "play in the big leagues" as far as local commerce and whatnot), and I'll read it and all I can think is "how did your ignorant-sounding, no-writing ass ever get accepted to a quality school...much less graduate?!? Who were your teachers, and they should be held accountable somehow for this outrage...WTF?!?".



What kind of papers did they turn in? At what point did their teachers and professors just simply go "I don't have time for this shit...it's easier to just pass the fool and let him be someone else's problem."



It happens. Seen it with my own two peepers...

"So I'm all, like, prolly gonna gets a cool job and stuff. You know, sumpin' like 'dat. Fo' shizzle."

I expect a certain level of idiocy from the young, raw and inexperienced (to a point, of course...after you're 11-12, your silly butt had better know some state capitals, a few presidents and some basic math), but when a 30-something co-worker (with a degree from a well-known Southern university) sends me an e-mail and I need a friggin' decoder ring to get through it, I just get really about it all.

There is some sort of weird disconnect because I've always known people who I considered reasonably savvy and able to get by in the world, but never really did well in - or enjoyed - school, at any level (umm, like yours truly for example ). But that emphasis is put on that piece of paper, even if the clown holding it is dumber than a box of hammers. I don't like that so much importance is placed on formal, rote learning or "hunkering down, just to get by" and you wind up with people who are simply "smart on paper" (allegedly), but I have nothing to say and take forever to say it.

I'm serious as a judge when I say that some of the dumbest people I know have a degree hanging on their wall. I often wonder if it's fake (bought-and-paid for through some Internet "buy your degree!" site). I really do. There are some people in my life who are, for lack of a better word, professional dumbasses. That's the only way you can describe them. They don't know anything about anything, and they're in no hurry to change it either. Just dense as can be about most everything. And sometimes, after a particularly goofy afternoon or evening around them, I'll think "I can't imagine that knob sitting in some sort of literature or sociology class, and actually grasping anything being talked about; there's no way. And then he passed the tests too?!?".



It truly boggles my tater.

And to clarify, before someone jumps on me: I know plenty of smart formally-educated folks too, don't get me wrong. I never said "college makes you dumb" or "doesn't help". What I did say is "I know some some real numbnuts with a degree, and I can't figure out how they pulled it off". Some sort of magic trick or something...


Last edited by psmith2.0 : 2008-04-10 at 13:20.
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Yonzie
Mac Mini Maniac
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
 
2008-04-11, 07:48

I think this page speaks for itself regarding their Graphic Designers...
http://www.bauder.edu/bauderPortal/bauderCampuses/
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veryamusing
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
 
2008-04-11, 08:21

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
I mean that as a slam against people who are 28-40 (my "peers"), live in a nice home and drive a snazzy car, take awesome vacations, shop and dine where they want, etc. and can't put together a four-sentence paragraph without 35 typos and major grammatical gaffes.
These are the same people whose savings rate is negative and are drowning in debt. I see it everyday at school, *already* some business major's paying the lease on his Infiniti with his student loans. I'm not jealous, I'm perfectly happy wearing clothes I've had for a while, bringing my lunch to work and driving an old car that creaks. The "college student" image (you know, the bearded guitarist lying under a tree with his girlfriend in cut-off jeans and Converse sneakers) is nowhere to be seen. Our generation sucks.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
I'll get an e-mail forwarded from a friend of a friend of a friend (someone I kinda know - I know they're well off and "play in the big leagues" as far as local commerce and whatnot), and I'll read it and all I can think is "how did your ignorant-sounding, no-writing ass ever get accepted to a quality school...much less graduate?!? Who were your teachers, and they should be held accountable somehow for this outrage...WTF?!?".

That's just it, they aren't held accountable. For example, I'm in a class entitled "Investment Analysis," being taught by a Ph.D. in Finance. Smart guy. Anyway, the average of 102 students' test scores on the first mid-term was 55.3. Yes, 55.3. The following day in class he told us the average and moved on. The other students couldn't let it go, they wanted to know by how much he was going to curve it. He said he wasn't going to, and there would be no opportunities for extra credit. Their faces melted. They could not believe he wasn't going to forgive their failure.

But guess what? A few weeks ago, twelve points had been added to everyone's test grades. Hmm, I wonder why... Did the vocal minority, as always, manage to break him? Surely they did. Thankfully, most of the losers had dropped the class by then knowing they couldn't compete.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
What kind of papers did they turn in? At what point did their teachers and professors just simply go "I don't have time for this shit...it's easier to just pass the fool and let him be someone else's problem."



It happens. Seen it with my own two peepers...

"So I'm all, like, prolly gonna gets a cool job and stuff. You know, sumpin' like 'dat. Fo' shizzle."

I expect a certain level of idiocy from the young, raw and inexperienced (to a point, of course...after you're 11-12, your silly butt had better know some state capitals, a few presidents and some basic math), but when a 30-something co-worker (with a degree from a well-known Southern university) sends me an e-mail and I need a friggin' decoder ring to get through it, I just get really about it all.
Exactly. By the time you enter high school you should have your brain turned on, at least somewhat. Think about it: college is optional. If you don't want to be there, you don't have to be. It's as simple as that, and most professors make this known on the first day of class. "I *have* to be here, but you don't. You paid for the class. I'm not going to make you come." Sadly, most of them think this excuses them somehow and don't come. Then they wonder why they failed.

Quote:
Originally Posted by pscates2.0 View Post
I'm serious as a judge when I say that some of the dumbest people I know have a degree hanging on their wall. I often wonder if it's fake (bought-and-paid for through some Internet "buy your degree!" site). I really do. There are some people in my life who are, for lack of a better word, professional dumbasses. That's the only way you can describe them. They don't know anything about anything, and they're in no hurry to change it either. Just dense as can be about most everything. And sometimes, after a particularly goofy afternoon or evening around them, I'll think "I can't imagine that knob sitting in some sort of literature or sociology class, and actually grasping anything being talked about; there's no way. And then he passed the tests too?!?".



It truly boggles my tater.
(Emphasis mine.) Instead, they'd rather be watching American Idol, Dancing with the Stars or the Today Show.

I'm guilty of it too, watching these mindless shows, and to some degree we need to for entertainment, to keep ourselves sane (at least I do). But in school it's like a game to see who can study the least and pull off a passing grade. Knobs, indeed.
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Moogs
Hates the Infotainment
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
 
2008-04-11, 09:00

Drew: don't forget about that awesome mail-order art school that gives you a chance to "take a free art test FTW!" Why if you can connect the dots or make a colorful panda bear, YOU WIN and are eligible for enrollment!

BTW, Paul... roughly 30% of all kids today drop out of High School and among the remaining 70% you can bet your ass there is a large proportion who should never have graduated 8th grade to begin with. [That is, not hard to understand how there can be jackasses with college degrees who can't write, etc.]

Parents are afraid of their kids, teachers are afraid of the parents and both are afraid to say (to their dumb-ass 7th grade kid who can't: string a sentence together; multiply correctly without a calculator; or tell you even the most basic facts of American history or government....)



followed by



and then

"...starting tomorrow your Xbox goes on eBay, your cell phone in the garbage, and your tutor will be here 4x a week from 4-6pm, until you UN-fail yourself. And oh by the way, you're going to pay for 50% of your tutoring fees with your own allowance, which you will earn washing our dishes and cutting the lawn every week."

We had a teacher on our jury this week... she said she has many, many kids in 7th-8th grade, who [came to her classes] unable to handle multiplication, division, basic writing skills. [Best of all] chances are good (according to her), that they'll ALL be in high school next year.

Hey Parents [of America]



Novan parents: I know you will be different, and tell your kids -if and when they screw up- that they screwed up and need to go back and do it again right... whether it's taking out the garbage or passing a math class. Nova FTW.

...into the light of a dark black night.

Last edited by Moogs : 2008-04-11 at 09:42.
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