Now that I have a bunch of interviews under my belt I’ve noticed something interesting.  There seems to be a spectrum when it comes to design places.  At the begining of this spectrum is the start up company. The people here are usually pretty close knit, and make a point to be edgy and “real”. They always have all these crazy ideas about where technology is going, and are determined to ride that new wave, whatever that may be. One downside to these places is the fact that because they’re so small, there’s really no telling how long they will last before either dying or getting swallowed by a bigger company.  It’s also often hard to see just where this company is going in this experimental phase.

The people here are usually pretty close knit, and make a point to be edgy and “real”. They always have all these crazy ideas about where technology is going, and are determined to ride that new wave, whatever that may be.

Then there’s the established “software” company. This company is way over that optimistic, energetic phase and has settled with a few tried and true methods that seem to work. They use that methodology to get bigger and bigger.  By the end of its lifespan, this company has eaten up countless smaller ones around the globe, slapped its logo on them then outsourced as much as possible to India. While this sort of company might have began years ago as a start up, now its sights have moved from forward thinking design to suits, business models, and cubicles.

If I had to place myself, idealy I guess I fit somewhere between the two ends.  I don’t mind cubicles, but I never want to have to wear khakis and a polo shirt to work, let alone a suit.  I like having a creative freedom when it comes to design, but not so much that I don’t know what to do with myself.  To be honest, though I’d be quite satisfied either way because I really want a job.  I’d love to wake up in the morning knowing that I am officially a “Web Designer”.  Not a freelancer, contracter, or part time artist, but a forty-hour-per-week designer with his own desk, insurance, and company business card. This job search is getting very old.

I’d love to wake up in the morning knowing that I am officially a “Web Designer”. Not a freelancer, contracter, or part time artist, but a forty-hour-per-week designer with his own desk, insurance, and company business card. This job search is getting very old.

Speaking of things getting old, I was up almost all night thinking about this site.  I am very happy with my site as it is, but I have never been the type to leave things alone. In my mind I stripped down my site to the bare bones, and thought about what was working, what wasn’t working, then put it back together again.  By the end, the fundamentals will remain the same (a digital version of myself), but the look and feel will become drastically different and much improved.

I wasn’t sure what I was in for. I made it there early because I didn’t want to miss anything. I was a bit worried because most everyone there had a portfolio, like the ones they used back in the day before the internet. Being the geek I am this printed portfolio thing never crossed my mind. Instead I borrowed my girlfriends laptop and was planning to simply show this website to the creative directors.

So this past Thursday was Portfolio Night in Boston. It was basically a seminar that takes place simultaneously all over the world where designers get to meet with some of the top agencies around the area.

The event itself was much more laid back than I would have ever expected. No khakis to be seen, and free drinks all around. In the beginning everyone kind of stood around. I met up with my friend and a couple other people from our college. After a few minutes they let everyone know how it was going to go. At the time on the back of our name badges, we’d have fifteen minutes to talk with each of the three creative directors listed below our designated time.

My time was 8:00p.m., and the event was running late. That meant I had about three and a half hours to kill. Then I realized that maybe the place did not have a wifi hotspot set up. I spent the next hour trying to track down the owner of the place to get a straight answer. There was wifi, but I had to stand in one small area to use it. About an hour before my time, I decided to download a local version of my site because I wasn’t trusting the spotty connection. I very carefully held up my girlfriends laptop in that one spot and luckily was able to download my work.

As it turned out, the internet at the side of the place with the creative directors was perfectly fine. My three interviewers were Mullen, One to One Interactive, and I forget what the third one was. Evidently the creative director there didn’t like me or my work too much either, so maybe that’s why I can’t remember where he was from.

My three interviewers were Mullen, One to One Interactive, and I forget what the third one was. Evidently the creative director there didn’t like me or my work too much either, so maybe that’s why I can’t remember where he was from.

Internet issues and waiting aside, I’m glad I went. To me it served as kind of practice for going on design interviews. I also met some very interesting people who were obviously passionate about what they do. Portfolio night reassured me that I’m going into the right field.