I thought that I would start my webmaster lear-ning (learning – bad typography as the 'r' letter connects to the 'n' letter, making it look like a 'm' letter) journey from obtaining some useful information that I have gathered before presenting my learning activities for the course module.
Desirable Qualities for a Junior Web Developer working in a Digital Development Studio would consist of:
As in any other field the first requirement is learning the subject. Whether you self study or learn it under guidance of someone is not the issue. Learning and continued learning is the key to knowledge acquisition. A willingness to put your mind and heart into the knowledge learning is must.
You need to keep your eyes and ears open and use every opportunity to sharpen your knowledge and skill as you go.
Investment
Many people fret at the name of investment but investment is much more than mere monetary investment. There must be the willingness to invest money, time and effort in helping your business grow in spite of what your immediate results are expected. You must be able to foresee what your business is expected to be like in the future and what does it need to succeed. In business, the weeks may pass without hearing good news, but it’s very important to be poised and invest in your growth.
Determination
This is one quality that is key to all others. Zeal to succeed in spite of every hurdle is the force that would keep you moving upward in your business. If you want to make it in the world of affiliate marketing, you must possess to push yourself forward. The ability to push yourself to greater heights will determine what type of future you have.
Discipline
When you are in a job you have an imposed or forced discipline. When you have your own business you need to create and maintain your own discipline. If you teach yourself to work everyday with all of your heart and soul, you’ll be that much closer to reaching your goals and making your dreams come true.
Optimism
Attitude matters and determines the success. Never mind the naysayers around you and work in pursuit of your goals. You are the captain of your ship and you are the one steering it towards destiny.
These qualities come inherently to some people and other people have to learn them. What ever is the case , these qualities become guiding light of your affiliate success journey.
The client’s role is pretty straightforward, really. They need to tell us what we need to know about their business and markets. When we come back with a design spec, they need to tell us where we got it right and where and how we got it wrong, and help clear up any misunderstanding or miscommunication revealed in the spec. Before we can design a logo that represents their company, we all need to feel comfortable that we understand what the logo should communicate. The design spec serves as a "communication blueprint," identifying critical messages and priorities. When we return with logo options, the client uses the design spec as a basis for evaluating them. That nearly always elevates the conversation above the "can you make the font bigger" discussions. If it doesn’t avoid them altogether, it at least gives you something to pull the discussion back to.
The Copywriter
Copywriters are not always included on a design team, but whenever possible, I like to work with a copywriter from the beginning of a design project. We can coordinate written and visual messages better, and it gives me someone to bounce design ideas off. I’ve learned to welcome criticism from writers at this stage, because it often saves me from going down a design path that doesn’t stick to the design spec. As "word people," writers can discuss concepts and represent their perspectives in ways that can give a designer new insight. And when it comes to client presentations, knowing you’ve been held to agreed upon messages is invaluable. If you’re fortunate, you will also (like me) get to work with a writer who can fix any mistakes you make in working with clients.
The Designer
The designer’s role is to take all the words—questions and answers, explanations, conceptualizations, confusion, clarifications, technical info, artsy-fartsy hyperbole and half-baked ideas—and spin them into visual gold. Something from which people in a client’s market can derive some useful information about the company; something that gives them the assurance that this is a company they should get to know more about. I wish I could explain how that happens
Graphic Art Managers
The following are positions or responsibilities and usually titles, held by experienced graphic designers in related management roles:
Creative Director
Art Director
Art directors make sure that illustrators and production artists produce and complete their work on time and to the creative director or client's satisfaction. Art directors also play a major role in the development of a project by making decisions on the visual elements of the project, and by giving the final say on the selection of models, art, props, colors, and other elements. Art directors need advanced training in graphic design as they often do artwork and designing themselves. However, an art director's time may be consumed doing supervisory and administrative work.
Art Production Manager
Art production managers or traffic managers oversee the production aspect of art to improve efficiency and cost effectiveness. Art production managers supervise artists or advise the supervisors of artists. Creative directors and art directors often assume the role of art production managers, especially when production cost is not a critical concern.
Hands-on Graphic Designers
The following are positions or responsibilities, not necessarily titles, held by art directors and graphic designers#$
Brand identity Developer
Brand identity design is concerned with the visual aspects of a company or organization’s brand or identity. A brand identity design is the visual element that represents how a company wants to be seen; it is the company’s visual identity, and is how a company illustrates its ‘image.’ A company’s brand identity can be represented in terms of design through a unique logo, or signage, and is then often integrated throughout all the elements of a company’s materials such as business cards, stationery, packaging, media advertising, promotions, and more. Brand identity may include logo design. Brand identity development is usually a collaborative effort between creative directors, art directors, copywriters, account managers and the client.
Logo Designer
The job of a logo designer is to provide a new and innovative way to express the key message of a company through an image. Logo designers take the information given to them by the client and work, using their own creativity along with marketing strategy to find an appropriate image that their client can use to represent what they are trying to encourage, sell, or what they are. It is not likely that a company will specialize in logo design or have a position for a designated logo designer. Art directors and graphic designers usually perform logo designs.
illustrator
Illustrators conceptualize and create illustrations that represent an idea or a story through two-dimensional or three-dimensional images. Illustrators may do drawings for printed materials such as books, magazines, and other publications, or for commercial products such as textiles, packaging, wrapping paper, greeting cards, calendars, stationery, and more. Illustrators use many different media, from pencil and paint to digital formatting, to prepare and create their illustrations. An illustrator consults with clients in order to determine what illustrations will best meet the story they are trying to tell, or what message they are trying to communicate. Illustrating may be a secondary skill requirement of graphic design or a specialty skill of a freelance artist, usually known for a unique style of illustrating. Illustration may be published separately as in fine art. However, illustrations are usually inserted into page layouts for communication design in the context of graphic design professions.
Visual Image Developer
Similar to illustration are other methods of developing images such as photography, 3D modeling, and image editing. Creative professionals in these positions are not usually called illustrators, but are utilized the same way. Photographers are likely to freelance. 3D modelers are likely to be employed for long-term projects. Image editing is usually a secondary skill to either of the above, but may also be a specialty to aid web development, software development, or multimedia development in a job title known as multimedia specialist. Although these skills may require technical knowledge, graphic design skills may be applied as well.
Multimedia Developer
Multimedia developers may come from a graphic design or illustration background and apply those talents to motion, sound, or interactivity. Motion designers are graphic designers for motion. Animators are illustrators for motion. Videographers are photographers for motion. Multimedia developers may also image edit, sound edit, program, or compose multimedia just as multimedia specialists.
Content Developer
Content developer is a generic term used for describing illustrators, visual image developers, and multimedia developers in software and web development. The term has a broader scope that includes non-graphical content as well. A generic name for content that is used in a digital composition are digital assets.
Visual Journalist
Visual Journalists, also known as Info-graphic Artists create information graphics or Info graphics; visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used anywhere where information needs to be explained quickly or simply, such as in signs, maps, journalism, technical writing, and education. They are also used extensively as tools by computer scientists, mathematicians, and statisticians to ease the process of developing and communicating conceptual information. They are applied in all aspects of scientific visualization.
Layout Artist
A layout artist deals with the structure and layout of images and text in a pleasing format. This can include magazine work, brochures, flyers, books, CD booklets, posters, and similar formats. For magazines and similar productions, color, typeface, text formatting, graphic layout and more must be considered. Is the chosen typeface good for long term reading, or will the eyes get tired? Does that title typeface fit the feel of the rest of the article? Are the photos arranged in such a way that is pleasing to the eye, and directs the reader in the right flow or direction? These are just some of the questions a layout artist must ask themselves. Page layouts are usually done by art directors, graphic designers, production artists or a combination of those positions.
Interface Designer
Interface designers are graphical user interface (GUI) layout artists. They are employed by multimedia, software, and web development companies. Because GUI elements are interactive, interface design often overlaps interaction design. Because interfaces are not usually composed as single computer files, interface design may require technical understanding, including graphical integration with code. Because interfaces may require hundreds of assets, knowledge of how to automate graphic production may be required. An interface designer may hold the job title of web designer in a web development company.
Web Designer
A web designer's work could be viewed by thousands of people every day. Web designers create the pages, layout, and graphics for web pages, and play a key role in the development of a website. Web designers have the task of creating the look and feel of a website by choosing the style, and by designing attractive graphics, images, and other visual elements, and adapting them for the website’s pages. Web designers also design and develop the navigation tools of a site. Web designers may make decisions regarding what content is included on a web page, where things are placed, and how the aesthetic and continuity is maintained from one screen to the next. All of this involves skill and training in computer graphics, graphic design, and in the latest in computer and web technology.
Depending on the scope of the project, web design may involve collaboration between software engineers and graphic designers. The graphic design of a website may be as simple as a page layout sketch or handling just the graphics in an HTML editor, while the advance coding is done separately by programmers. In other cases, graphic designers may be challenged to become both graphic designer and programmer in the process of web design in positions often known as web masters.
Package Designer
A package designer or packaging technician may utilize technical skills aside from graphic design. Knowledge of cuts, crease, folding, nature and behavior of the packaging material such as paper, corrugated sheet, synthetic or other type of materials may also be required. A customer may see the top/outside of a package at first, but may also be drawn to other package design features. A packaging design may require 3D layout skills in addition to visual communication to consider how well a design works at multiple angles. CAD software applications specifically for packaging design may be utilized
Each of the roles above are briefly explained of what their responsibilities are.
Making the choice to go freelance (or independent as I prefer to call it) is a tough choice, I wish I had more knowledge about the pros vs cons when I made the decision to work independently.
Many of us are big fans of top web designers and their work. Throughout the years these guys published many tutorials, websites, and scripts to help designers and developers improve their skills. Today, we will sit down with them and get to know their experience about going freelance.
What is the one thing you like and hate most about working “independently” as opposed to working “in-house”?
The absolute best thing about working independently is that I get to decide how, when, and where to do things. I’ve got to stick to client deadlines, but if I’m sensible about planning, I can swap projects around to suit me, and I can take time out whenever I want if I need to do something non work-related. I can work on the road, which allows me to do a lot of traveling, and I can do a variety of things – designing, illustrating, writing, speaking – all under the umbrella of work. And if I want to take a few weeks off to record a new album or design myself a new personal site, I can. It’s brilliant!
The downside of independent working is that you’re solely responsible for the way a project turns out, and it can often be hard to juggle the actual design work with things like project managing, client lasing, and all of the other stuff that comes with being self-employed. Plus it can sometimes be lonely; I miss the banter I had when I was working in-house with a bunch of other people. But these are small things; for me, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. I can’t see myself going back to full-time employment any time soon.
Liam McKay of We Function
I think the thing that I prefer most, is that I certainly feel more valued, you get a lot more thanks, a lot more feedback and a more direct feel of responsibility for a good project. It’s not to say that there aren’t companies out there that don’t do a good job of making their employer feel valued. It’s just there’s definitely a bigger sense of value & appreciation attached to work when you are working directly for yourself and you have more of an involvement in the project.
What I like least about working independently is definitely the whole organization side of business. Answering emails, sending invoices, keeping track of payments etc isn’t really where I thrive. It’s not that it’s too difficult, there are a lot of tools to help speed up loads of these tasks, it’s just easy to go into freelancing thinking that all you’re going to be doing is designing, and forget about the things that go with it behind the scenes. But having said that I’ve realized now how important that side of work is, and am doing a lot better than I was.
All of my experience in web design has come from learning on my own through books and tutorials, personal projects, work for friends and family, and working independently for clients. I’ve never worked for a design firm so it’s hard for me to compare the two. However, I have had several years of employment in other industries, and I think in many situations the frustrations are similar. I prefer working independently because I can choose what I want to do and who I want to work with (provided I have the right opportunities and the income potential to make it work). If I’m talking to a potential client and I don’t think it is the right fit, I can just be up front and recommend someone else to them. It saves me headaches, allows me to spend time in more efficient ways, and hopefully helps the client too. Likewise, if there is a client that I really want to work with, I have the flexibility to try and make that happen. There’s no boss to tell me what I have to charge and what clients I have to work with.
On the other hand, I’d say the negative is that I’m limited to what I’m able to accomplish on my own. There’s no team of people with different and complementary sets of skills. Outsourcing is always an option, but without the right relationship and organization it’s not really comparable to a strong team of employees from the same company.
I don’t actually work “independently” per Se, but I do work from home. The lifestyle is the best part. Not having a commute saves loads of time, stress, and gas money! I like intertwining the daily chores of life with my workday as a way to take a break and refresh. Office folks need to dedicate so much of their precious spare time to things like laundry and dishes, where I can take care of that stuff while getting up to stretch my legs. The time this saves is amazing and adds up to loads of truly “free” time.
The one thing I like most about working from home has to be the ability to work my own hours. If I want to stay up until 5 in the morning playing Halo 3 online, it’s not a big deal. If I want to leave work in the middle of the day and go work at the coffee shop via laptop, I can do that.
On the flip side, the thing I dislike the most of working from home, is working from home. Sometimes its easy to get cabin fever from working from home all day everyday.
Above are some web design individuals and their outlook on the advantages and disadvantages of going solo in web design and development.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of working within a team in an office environment?
Advantages
1.sharing of ideas
2.motivational - not wanting to let the team down. Shared targets and aims for the team to meet.
3.Employees needs - employees have social needs, go to work not just for the money but for human contact with workmates etc. Employees can therefore be happier in a team.
4. support e.g. more experienced members can help, mentor and develop the less experienced members.
Disadvantages
1. not all work is suited to working in a team - there are some one man tasks.
2. Teams can cause conflicts e.g personality clashes between members.
3. The contribution of quieter members of the team can get crowded out by members with larger personalities. Some good ideas can get lost this way.
4. Team mentality. Workers start to identify just with their own team and this harms relationships between different teams and departments and harms communication in the organization.
Talent can be expressed in many ways and web designing has given a new shift to the artists and animators. The subtle art of creating a web site may seem simple and revolving purely around know-how and technical skills. A good web designer keeps a host of other considerations in mind when designing a site. Some of these defy what might seem like common sense but they are the marks of a good web designer. A mark of some good web designers has been noticeable as they have been able to execute the work to client's satisfaction. Professional web designers have contributed to the success of the company too. The subtle art of creating a web site may seem simple and revolving purely around know-how and technical skills. But a good web designer keeps a host of other considerations in mind when designing a site. Some of these defy what might seem like common sense but they are the marks of a good web designer.
A simple layout ensures that the text simply rolls from the top to the bottom without forcing the reader to move their eyes everywhere.
Doing so also ensures that the content is easy to find instead of having to be found. In the past many web designers tried to go for overly complicated sites that caused key information to be missed by the viewer. A strong web designer should be able to create an aesthetically functional website that can attract visitors on the site. He should keep in mind the important elements, one, the homepage - this is the interface of the site. It creates an immediate impression on visitors. It should be clean, free of clutter, professional and attractive. It should also not be too flashy so as not to scare away visitors. Secondly, the message should give people a reason to stay on the site, be it a business or personal website.
Know that they should be able to offer something, be it information, entertainment, advice and help with a problem, opportunities to contact similar minded people or links to useful sites.
Designing a website is an art in itself. Having an artistic design is not just about putting image and multimedia files. Miami web designers create designs to suit search engine needs, making the site attractive and catchy. A good web designer remembers these points while designing a website in order to make it more striking and attractive.
Australian Interactive Media Industry Association
The Australian Interactive Media Industry Association or AIMIA is the peak Australian body representing the Interactive Media and Digital Content sectors in Australia.
AIMIA membership comprises individuals (more than 3,000) and organizations (more than 300). Members range from Australia's top Interactive Media companies including the ABC, Sensis, Yahoo!7, BigPond, Foxtel, Disney Australia, News Digital Media, ninemsn and Fairfax Digital to the country's best known interactive advertising, mobile content, web development, games design, and special effects companies. Members also include developers, creators, producers, investors, service providers, educational institutions and students.
Project Manager
Sound Effects
Navigation Designer
Video Producer
Picture Editor
Director
Director Of Photography
Technical Director
Editor
Sound Editor
Producer
2D Graphic Production Personnel
Music Composer
Other Technical Staff
Other Specialist Staff
Develop and extend critical and creative thinking skills
Work effectively in the screen and media industries
Participate in OHS processes
Produce and prepare photo images
Create 3D digital models
Produce drawings to represent and communicate the concept
Prepare audio assets
Implement copyright arrangements
Maintain interactive content
Use advanced features of computer applications
Collect and organize content for broadcast or publication
Follow a design process
Create 2D digital animations
Write content for a range of media
Explore and apply the creative design process to 2D forms
Author interactive sequences
Prepare video assets
Create visual design components
These links above have massive resources such as tutorials and other items which are very helpful.
I would keep up to date with industry trends by subscribing to popular Interactive digital media sites, searching the internet for updates and be in tune with Adobe.
Sites of interests:
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Employ-ability Skills
Communication - Having good communications skills and interacting with others.
"[Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, FOCUS i concentrate the mind on the present moment.]" aka L♂VEBANDIT♥
Teamwork - Sharing the workload with others and offering support when required.
Problem Solving - Identifying problem areas and bringing attention to detail.
Initiative and Enterprise- Evaluating, Generating and developing ideas for designs that specifications.
Planning and Organizing- Planning and managing products.
Self-management- Following OHS policy and compliance.
Learning- Keep up to date with industry standards, practices, developments and trends.
Technology- Keep up to date with all graphics and authoring software.
