No Access

Access to social media is largely needed in the field of graphic design. Social media is where businesses, design firms and universities all gain access to a larger audience with a wide range in demographics. Without access to social media it would be difficult to make it in the graphic design world. To be a graphic designer means having access to a computer at the least. So having no access to a computer means no access to social media. 

Lack of access to social media is a huge negative impact for anything graphic design. Yes posters and flyers are still hung up and handed out but the real player is posts to Instagram and shares on Facebook. Social media is a key outlet to get design work out their and let the design influence its target audience. One business with social media most likely has a larger and more active engaged audience than a business with no social media. Graphic design and social media go together like two peas in a pod, without the pod they merely coexist as two separate entities which clearly they are not. 

Social Media and Academic Learning

"The power of social media is it forces necessary change." 

- Erik Qualman

The blog post you are about to read is going to be dedicated to a little opinion rant of mine on my views about social media being a legitimate learned subject. About 10 years ago social media would not have been an aid in class room discussion, projects or even more so something that a class revolves around. Today it is almost second nature to use social media and talk about in classes. I think that there should be a mandatory class freshmen year of college called Social Media. This class should be aimed at teaching students how to use social media to benefit them in the professional world. Subjects that are touched on should be about using social media in a business atmosphere and how it relates to customers. 

As a graphic design major social media is constantly being used. Whether we are creating mood boards, uploading our portfolios, making app prototypes and elements for websites and apps, it is in our blood to gear our creativeness towards social media. It is an outlet for inspiration and to get graphic design work to build up a audience and positive online presence. Having social media as a resource is a smart subject for professors to express and teach it in a way for students to learn its professional capabilities. 

Social Media For Business

“Social media is not just an activity; it is an investment of valuable time and resources. Surround yourself with people who not just support you and stay with you, but inform your thinking about ways to WOW your online presence”

- Sean Gardner


Social media is one of the key tools for any growing business or large business to aid their social network audience and strengthen their relationship with customers. Using social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook can enhance a businesses clientele. I, along with millions of other people, check Facebook and Instagram everyday and scroll across businesses that I follow. I love seeing posts from the brands I follow and enjoy seeing how they display and promote their product, especially being a graphic design major. 

Today I was tweeting about AIGA and Moving Brands and had both companies personally respond to my tweets in genuine ways. This act made me feel connected to these companies and comfortable following them. Promoting giveaways on Instagram holds an audience and keeps them engaged. I believe Instagram is a huge important social media platform for businesses especially small up and coming businesses. 

A couple businesses I believe that are effective at using social media are WOODZEE, a local sunglass company based here in Chico, TheLocalPB, a restaurant and bar in Pacific Beach San Diego, and Almond Surfboards. I follow all of these businesses on Instagram because they post regularly enough to where it is not annoying and once in a while like my personal photos and follow me. They all have clean interesting photos and have an elegant social media presence to pertain to their customers environment.   I encourage all businesses who do not have a social media presence to create one and use it to influence their companies mission and goals. Don't be late to the party, use social media!

TrustTheVote Project

US elections technology—the infrastructure on which democracy depends—is proprietary, locking up public data; unlocking that data is a design challenge on many levels.

— Hugh Dubberly

"A Design Solution to unlock U.s elections data" an article written by Hugh Dubberly, reflects the actions of the TrustTheVote Project whose mission is 

"to develop a set of elections technologies that are trustworthy, up-to-date, and complete, and to make the technologies available on an open- source basis (that is, for free) for adoption or adaptation by any election jurisdiction in the US. The TrustTheVote Project is a not-for-profit effort headquartered in Silicon Valley and staffed by social entrepreneurs and seasoned technologists who are putting local elections officials at the center of their work."

The role in design for this project is all about creating a better experience for voters. VoteStream, the name given to the software is being created to give voters a better voting and more reliable experience. Interfaces and prototyping are the way to help development to clarify all the goals the project is aiming towards. With how much technology is advancing it is shocking that are main methods of voting are walking up to the ballet or sending it in by mail. With design and a solid protected software, voting could be made more accessible and appealing to the modern day person. 

Aside from TrustTheVote Project there is a campaign in the design field that has been going around called Get Out The Vote. Get Out The Vote's main initiative is to use the power of design to motivate the American public to register and get out to vote in the 2016 elections. Designers are encouraged to create and submit posters to the campaign and add to the gallery. This could be a great portfolio piece for any designer and I am excited to start working on one for the campaign my self. 

To read the full article and get a better understanding of the TrustTheVote Project the link is posted below!

http://www.dubberly.com/articles/votestream.html

Google Pencil

For a graphic designer it is important to have fun tools for designing and making more accurate pieces. Today in one of my classes, Inventing the Future, I came across the Apple Pencil. We watched its promotional video and I immediately fell in love. The Apple Pencil is used in part with the iPad Pro and can measure the tilt of the pencil and push weight to create strokes. I can see this product being a great device for graphic designers when it comes to making concept sketches clear for clients with a neater layout then pencil to paper. 

I hope to read more reviews about the pencil once it has been more integrated into work fields before purchasing the product. I think it will be a tool that is in every creative department soon enough along with other competition styluses. To get a better understanding of the Apple Pencil here is a link to the video!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iicnVez5U7M

Crowdsourcing in the Graphic Design World

What is Crowdsourcing?

"the basic idea is to tap into the collective intelligence of the public at large to complete business-related tasks that a company would normally either perform itself or outsource to a third-party provider."

 99Designs.com

 99Designs is an online graphic design marketplace, one of the largest, which allows a contest atmosphere  for companies to get everything from logos, websites and t-shirts designed. 99Designs is a crowdsourcing site powered by a massive community of graphic designers and business owners. Crowdsourcing benefits graphic designers who need to work from home or do freelance work. It can be a side freelance job to get some extra income. To get a better understanding of 99Designs.com and how to use their website whether you are a designer or user, watch this youtube video by Tim Levy!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcfHcKXpc8Q

Behance || Social Media for the Graphic Designer

Social media is a valuable tool and source that graphic designers should be completely aware of and by no means ignore social media. Social media helps build relationships and promotes oneself being in a creative professional field. Learning what platform works best for you and how to leverage that platform to extend all of its capabilities and offers is an important step. 


10 Sites Graphic Designers Should Focus On:

1. Facebook
2. Instagram
3. Google+
4. Tumblr
5. Pinterest
6. LinkedIn
7. Behance
8. Vimeo
9. Twitter
10. YouTube

Out of these ten platforms I want to stress the importance of Bechance.

Behance

Bechance allows its user to set up a proper portfolio which is highly important in the eyes of those viewing it for potential job openings. Behance is not a static gallery yet a social platform in their own right, enabling designers to solicit feedback and comment on others' work. Creating a stand out portfolio is key in any future career!

To get the most out of a Bechance portfolio remember these tips!

• Only post your best work
• Post work in progress so your design process is semi shown (potential employers love to know how you think)
• Include detailed work. Consider cropping images down if you have to resize to Behance's width of 600px.
• Customize you pages appearance.
• Follow other talented creative people.
• Give proper credit when needed
• Keep your profile up to date