The Symphony of Science

The Symphony of Science 'A Glorious Dawn'

Today's post will be short and sweet. I just felt that since this blog is about the things I find on the internet and the way I use the internet day to day, I should share one of my favorite web-finds: The Symphony of Science. This is an entire series of remixed interviews with some of the most brilliant minds of our day. Each one is intelligent and catchy. By far my favorite find to date! Enjoy and make sure to check out both the videos on youtube and The Symphony of Science website too!

Job hunting the modern way

As a freelance graphic designer, I'm constantly on the search for new jobs. While I have a handful of clients that return to me regularly with design needs, I'm new to the design world and I've slowly been getting my bearings and one of the first thing I learned is that it's a lot of work.

Sure I check monster. com and other such search engines, but often times I find that these major job search sites are flooded which resumes and applicants. How many times have you responded to a job posting, and received a generic response email, telling you that they are overwhelmed with responses and they will only respond to those they will consider? While I'm sure that in our current economy it's true that these companies are being flooded with applications, these generic responses make you feel like there's no hope.

The bottom line is I'd rather feel like one in a million, than one of a million. It's because of that feeling that I go beyond the craigslist.com job ads and the elance.com bidding process to find my clients. That's not to say that I don't apply for those jobs, in fact I do, but with a high level of unemployment I don't hold my breathe. Instead, I keep on looking, and trying new and different techniques to branch out into new job opportunities.

So far I've explained to you that I don't think these generic large scale resume sites are the answer to my problem, even though I do participate in them. So, what is it I do then? The first thing I do is directly contact the companies I'm interested in working with, even if they do not have any jobs posted. Most importantly, I cater each resume and every cover letter specifically to the company I'm interested in working with. The bottom line is, I want to stand out, and so I strive to be original, and be what the company is looking for, and on occasion it works! When it does, I find that the jobs landed this way are more rewarding then the ones to which 700 other people have applied.

business card comp, Sense Salon. InDesign and hand cut. 

The second thing I do is make comps. There are multiple reasons for making comps, even if the potential client doesn't use them. Of course, the first reason is to get a job. When I see a design need and I have a good idea for it I'll make a comp. I then present it to the potential client and in many cases they are blown away and agree to use the design. Commonly, I find that the client is flattered by your ingenuity and even if the comp is what they had in mind, you've shown that you are a go-getter that works above and beyond and that alone will get you a job. Even if the client doesn't hire you, at least you got some practice and made something. Everything we make as designers is practice, and we get better with each design.

With all of this said, keep in mind that the design world never stops, and even if you don't have a job, neither should you! Happy job hunting!

I think we're all a little creepy...

So, I'm sure we are all guilty of it, I know I am, but I still think it's a bit creepy...what is it? Simply put, it is surfing the internet, but more specifically, it's mining people's photos for interesting images/products. With all of the social networking and photo-sharing sites out there, image availability is overwhelming.

While I think it's creepy how easily we can view images of other people's life, I do admit to taking part in this practice regularly. Be it a personal moment, an everyday situation, or a compromising position, the whole world is privy to your images. Of course, there are ways to protect yourself and your images, but when you are trying (or already have) emerged into the world of photography or design you want to get your images out there.

It was through social network and image mining, that my three new, favorite finds came to my attention. All of this started the other night when my boyfriend called me over to his computer to show me a picture he'd found in a mess of "car shoot weekend" photos on a friend's facebook. Anyway the image is of a young lady in a bikini on a boat, and the reason my boyfriend was showing it too me was because he thought I'd like the bikini– and he's RIGHT! I love the bikini!!!

So, I started looking for it. I started to google every combination of words the I could think of to describe the bikini, but alas I could not find it (if anyone out there happens to know where I can find this bikini, please let me know). While I didn't find the suit, I'm still hopefully that I will, and, along the way, I found two other cool things.

At one point I was searching "pixel bikini" in Google images and I found the most amazing couch. EVER. This couch is serious business.

It is designed by Cristian Zuzunaga, and is a part of a whole series of different pixelated furniture, fabric, and art. I just love it, but then a part of me looks at it and wonders where it will stand ten years from now; classic, almost like Burberry, of tacky, like too much animal print? Anyway, at the moment, I love it. Have I said that?

So, while prowling the internet for the important information about the above mentioned couch,  I kept finding references to The Cool Hunter. After finding the source of the couch, I decided to peruse The Cool Hunter and see what all the fuss is about. It only took seconds for me to understand why so many people love this blog! Amazing site! The Cool Hunter has official become my second followed blog!

Well, that's all for now! More soon. Thanks for reading!