Can you put a butt on it?

I guess a good place to start is a funny story.

I work at a place that has a yearly walkthrough for Boy Scouts. The boys, ages 4 to about 8, come in and learn about my job of setting up a newspaper, creating ads, editing files, editing photos, etc.

So everyone who took a very traditional route of learning Adobe Photoshop, especially out of the tutorial books, knows of the sample Photoshop rubber ducky.

A group of boys came in for the annual tour last year. They were largely quiet and attentive, asking very few questions and being good little students. But then we came to the duck.

The tutorial that I had remembered learning in school was the clone tool with the duck picture. I figured that was a good, fast way to show the boys a very quick edit.

Very easy and simple.

Then one little boy from the back of the group shouts (not says, but fully shouts), "CAN YOU PUT A BUTT ON IT?!"

The parents standing around were horrified, but I kept my cool.

Very calmly, I replied. "No, I don't think I can."

And so concluded the Boy Scout tour.

Stoked to be a designer

Being a graphic designer is a fantastic, rewarding career. You get to make stuff with no manual labor and you have the joy of being creative and gaining respect. I love my job.

However, I'd like to use this blog as a means of enlightenment. Being a graphic designer is not like my college professors made it out to be. Granted, a few classmates (like 4) are living that life, but more on that later.

I've been out of school for 5+ years as of this post. I've had my ups and downs.

I would never want to discourage anyone from the career. Like I said, it's genuinely great! But I want to provide a more realistic look at what graphic design is ACTUALLY LIKE to most people.

I'd also like to offer critiques of graphic design. I would like to examine corporate logos and design packages. I will even make an effort to offer up some of my own work (edited so that I don't have any run-ins). Please feel free to offer feedback and your own opinions! I would love to hear you, too!

So buckle in, hit follow, and enjoy.