This is a copy of an email I sent to the class this morning. Decided to post it here to help you all along.
----
A lot of you seem to be having some trouble with the home work assignment that is due tomorrow, so I figured I would give you some more direction. In general, I would like to see a higher level a research in your blog posts. When I say "think critically" or "research" something, I don't want you to just make stuff up. You can do a little bit of imagining if it fits the situation, but every thing you write should be informed by SOMETHING.
Tomorrow's assignment asks you to research your audience and write about who this person/people are. For an example, I am researching the audience I would need to speak to if I were interested in a job as an interaction designer (flash).
To start off, I found two companies I think I would like to work with and spent some time on their site. I paid careful attention to the language they used. Please note - their audience IS NOT you! It is their clients! But if you can speak in that language when you contact them in your cover letter or in your portfolio, it'll be easier for them to imagine you as part of their team because you obviously understand the needs of their client base and how to talk to them effectively.
These are are the sites
- http://www.jrvisuals.com/
- http://www.sigmagroup.com (the latter of which we looked at in class).
I have expertise in illustrating and they have a subsection of Services all about Illustration. Awesome! I have a lot to offer this company! Heres what they say about their illustration work: "Our in-house capabilities for digital, traditional, and fine art are second to none and add a classically-trained sensibility to our creative offerings." Well HOT DAMN! So glad I have a BFA, eh? I have to remember to mention my Fine Art training and any exhibits my work was shown in. Directing attention to being more than just an on screen designer here is going to be really helpful because they obviously value traditional training and ability very highly.
In the About the Studio section, I see that they are very proud of having worked with Fortune 500 companies. Lucky me, I've worked with tons of them. Gotta remember to throw that in there - I already know how to talk to these clients and design for their needs. Continuing on, they say that something about each individual being chosen for their team based on their track record, ability to work as a team, and unique skill set. It also says they have a wide network of freelancers... this frustrating. What this really means is you'll be lucky if you get thrown a bone every couple months. So what I need to do is focus on my ability to work in many different media, styles, and aesthetics. Need appear to be someone they can count on ALL the time, not just a niche designer here!
Their goals and values: to create high end multimedia design and development for high profile clients. Make original games, educational and entertain material. Cost adjust their services for non-profits. Okay - so again, here's key things I'll need to focus on: being able to design and develop(code), be able to work with high profile clients, come up with original content, designs and ideas, be able to do EVERYTHING (seriously, they are basically saying "we'll take any job really!!!") from games, to educational software to entertainment, show an interest in non profit work and assisting the community.
Okay - so now we have a pretty good idea of the kind of work they do. Lets figure out how these people actually are.
WOW. so this is ... um.... disappointing. ALL the "key" people at this place are old dudes. Greeeeaat. So does this mean they think women aren't "key" people in their company? Do they just not hire them at all? Do they keep them in the lower ranks? Or maybe there just aren't a lot of women applying for jobs in interactive media and games in Buffalo, NY? I don't know, but this could be interesting, definitely something I'll have to keep in mind.
After reading about the CEO, I see he was traditionally trained in Illustration (ahhh that's where that all bit comes from) and started working digitally in 1992. He's been actively involved in digital media ever since and is well versed in new media and online gaming. The Art Director is also an Illustrator but thought it was important enough to mention he was "self taught" (he likes thinking outside tradition, focusing on the amateurish love of the craft, improvisation that comes from not adhering to the rules all the time). He wants to "bring the web to life." Even though I can code, this is not what I want a job in so I don't think I need to really pay much attention to the Lead Developer. The New Media Director is an interesting character. Another Illustrator/educator. Nicknamed "the finisher" because so much of everything, from code to design to client relations.
So looking over all this, I can learn a lot about THIS company in particular. Their client is HIGH END Fortune 500 Companies for whom they want to create original multimedia pieces that combine a high level of artistry with cutting edge interaction. While they are chasing down the Big Corporations for their rent check, they also maintain an interest in contributing to educational and non profit work, as well as giving back to the artist community. They seem fairly casual, interested in music and other fun creative endeavors, but I'm not sure they are necessarily the "sweatpants and beer" kinda company (I've actually worked for one of those, I know they do exist and can be really successful!). There seems to be a male dominance in their company and it isn't clear whether that is deliberate or something which they are hoping to change.
If I were then to do this kind of analysis for a few more companies, I would start to get a more acurate picture of the people to whom I am speaking, the kind of work they do, and the clients for whom they work. Based on this info, I can develop a profile for my audience which will help me organize my content and copy effectively.
Hope this helps!
Meg
0 comments:
Post a Comment