Graphic Design Interns From Heaven (and Hell) - 03/07

To every thing there is a season, and now is the time to start thinking about summer interns. If you are like us, you have hosted the intern from hell at one time or another: the lazy, the loud, the inappropriate, the delusional, the ones with strange habits, attitudes and noises who makes you pray for Labor Day to come and end the madness. You may also have had the intern from heaven who brightens and enlightens your life, and who you would instantly make a partner if only he or she were not 17 years old, and even then you try to persuade them to ditch school and stay by asking “What can you learn in college that you can’t learn here?” (In case you are wondering, this line of argument rarely works, though I keep trying.) With the happier experiences in mind, I spoke with Brad Kisner, an accomplished art director/designer and the new Communication Department chair at Harrington College of Design in Chicago, who believes firmly in the benefits of the internship system for everyone involved. “The classroom experience can only go so far,” says Kisner. “Internships offer students the opportunity to gain real world experience, learn the true meaning of deadlines, see the business side of the design industry and work as a team.” For the agency or department, Kisner says, “Interns offer more than low-cost labor. They can also reinvigorate a firm with fresh ideas, youthful energy and a humanistic point of view.” As for the practicalities, he recommends contacting Career Services or the relevant academic department at the school of your choice, hiring students in their junior year of college, conducting interviews as you would for any other employee, and providing a small stipend if no salary is attached to the position. Kisner makes one last and lasting point: “Internships offer employees the opportunity to give back to the design profession.”

Graphic Design Brand Revitalizations - 03/07

“God forbid we should ever be 20 years without such a rebellion.” Thomas Jefferson uttered this famous phrase about Shay’s Rebellion, an uprising against the U.S. government led by disillusioned Massachusetts (where else?) farmers soon after the American Revolution was won. Some prominent marketers executives, it seems, are even more anxious than the third President to shake things up. According to a recent poll by Luth Research and the MiresBall graphic design firm, high-level marketers are acutely aware of the need to keep their brand vital in the face of heated competition, fragmenting media and market demographics, and pricing pressures. Indeed, the survey concludes: (1) brand revitalizations are essential and effective when conducted every three to five years; (2) companies are devoting more attention and money to their brand; and (3) brands must be continually fine-tuned in order to remain relevant. This means opportunity for graphic designers who can convince staid clients to anticipate change rather than wait for the inevitable consumer rebellion. Jefferson, himself, appreciated the need to periodically cleanse and renew, and may well have become a first-rate brand strategist, had he not gotten sidetracked with the whole Declaration of Independence thing.