Portfolio Requirement added

Go to Coroflot.com and set up portfolio page(s) with work from the class and your other art and design course (6-12 items) by 3 weeks before the end of the semester and link from your blog.

This will count as1/3 of your blog grade.

"Branding Research" element added to assignment

Branding Research

Create a 100 word (in total) series of bullet points, listing the results of research you do into the current state of branding. Use the web as your source and do not use any source more than 2 years old. Credit sources and use links and Images.

*This section of the assignment should be completed right after you choose your product, and right before you begin finding images to help develop your logo.

Building Your Network

Read Wide : wether it is reading the New York Times and/or Wall Street Journal, reading creditable blogs on an assortment of topics, or researching the background on someone's latest twitter feed; reading up on a large amount of subjects and current events can help you relate to a larger amount of people/clients.

Write Narrow: Stick to writing about your own experiences and or topics of expertise. This does not mean that you shouldn't incorporate some of the knowledge you learned while reading wide if its applicable, just don't discuss an issue in depth or state an opinion on a topic in which you have a minimal or one sided knowledge on. You run the risk of sounding ignorant and or misinformed by possible clients and those who can help you network.

Attend Conferences: Wether it is related to Design or not, attending conferences or workshops of differing fields can help you to spread your reach across many different professions and trades. You never know what opportunities will come your way, so try not to be to narrow minded when meeting new professionals. Be sure to ARRIVE EARLY and STAY LATE. These are the best times to network. Don't be afraid to spark conversation, because almost everyone there is looking to do the same thing as you.... NETWORK!

Meeting New People is key in a field where exposure is directly linked to obtaining clients.

SUCCESSFUL NETWORKING MEANS BEING PREPARED

- Always have business cards on hand

-Have a short elevator pitch about what you do and who you are (around 30 sec)

-Have a long elevator pitch (around 10 min)

-Have a digital version of your work or portfolio on a smart phone that you can quickly show

-Altruism: don't be selfish or self-seeking, but be willing to help others in their search for clients. They will be sure to return the favor.

The Fractal Professional

Fractal: self-similar, meaning that it can be broken up into parts which are a reduced copy of the whole. Infinite amount of details(parts) within details (parts)

In terms of being a creative it relates to knowing a little about everything. becoming a renaissance man of sorts so that you can relate to a large percentage of individuals (clients) from diverse backgrounds and professional fields.

The Different sectors of Design include Communication, New Media, Graphic, Product, Strategy and Fashion Design, as well as Architecture.

Strategy design is a fairly new sector that helps start-ups define what they want to accomplish as a business as well as helps existing companies reconstruct and focus their goals as a business.

Architecture is the oldest form of design, with its roots dating back to 1st century CE. The earliest surviving written work on the subject was accredited to the Roman Vitruvius (accepted as the first architect)

Graphic design is relatively new in comparison, with its roots being formed amongst the Bauhaus.

The Bauhaus was a school in Weimar, Germany started by Walter Gropius. The school was known for combining craft and fine art, graphic design being born out of this inter-fusion.

The work of a Fractal Professional is never definitive, but must be iterative.

Iterative: always changing/evolving/editing

You must be a controller and a facilitator