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For my assignment I had to take and extract from an article posted in my blog and analyze every part of it. I hope I don't bore you haha. I looked up the bolded words on an online dictionary.

"Of all the professions out there, I think there is no other one that can benefit from “self-branding” as much as a design professional. That is because it is a profession that is almost solely driven by talent. The equation is very simple, in design it’s not about how many certifications or affiliations you have, but what gets you ahead is the quality of your portfolio as well as your plain raw talent."

port·fo·lio \pȯrt-ˈfō-lē-ˌō\ (noun):

a: a hinged cover or flexible case for carrying loose papers, pictures, or pamphlets

b: a set of pictures (as drawings or photographs) usually bound in book form or loose in a folder

Used in a sentence:-For the job interview you'll need to turn in your curricullum and a portfolio with recent work
-I need to update my portfolio as soon as possible
-Digital portfolios are the new way to go

equa·tion \i-ˈkwā-zhən also -shən\ (noun):

a : the act or process of equating

b : an element affecting a process : factor (2) : a complex of variable factors

Used in a sentence: -Sometimes life is the equation of material wealth with happiness
-I couldn't solve that difficult equation
-College is a simple equation between studying and partying

ben·e·fit \ˈbe-nə-ˌfit\ (verb):

archaic : an act of kindness : benefaction a : something that promotes well-being : advantage

b : useful aid : help

Used in a sentence:
-Go to your english class, you could really benefit from it
-Fresh skin is just one of the benefits of milk
-I could really benefit from a good job

Decomposing and analyzing a sentence:
" in design it’s not about how many certifications or affiliations you have, but what gets you ahead is the quality of your portfolio as well as your plain raw talent"

"I think there is no other one that can benefit from “self-branding” as much as a design professional. That is because it is a profession that is almost solely driven by talent."

Nouns     Verbs     Adverbs     Adjectives    Conjuctions

So that's it, hope you had fun...I sure didn't haha.

Article: How to be a design superstar?

-Here's the thing...from the moment we graduate, or not even graduate just step into college all we want is our work to be recognized, so take a look at this rather etertaining article and follow this simple steps that will allow you to organize yourself in search of some recognition and credibility.

"That’s right everyone just wants to be a Design Superstar? Oh really? No the fact of the matter is, when all else is equal, Superstars get hired, and boring designers don’t. The main difference between the two? The Superstar has the ability to sell his/her brand of design and if you want to be a Superstar, correction, a hired designer, you should seriously consider doing the same.

A designer’s guide to self-branding

Of all the professions out there, I think there is no other one that can benefit from “self-branding” as much as a design professional. That is because it is a profession that is almost solely driven by talent. The equation is very simple, in design it’s not about how many certifications or affiliations you have, but what gets you ahead is the quality of your portfolio as well as your plain raw talent.

Before we go on, you might like to take a look at the basics of “self-branding” or what Tom Peters calls “Brand you“. Smart guy that Tom, he has been talking about it since 1997. Briefly, in a world where the consumer product market is so saturated and most products are essentially the same, the only proven way to get ahead is by branding. Not only just about branding of products but a holistic 360 degree effort including everyone else in the process including the design agencies used to create such products.

Drawing similar branding parallels from the consumer product industry, we are our now well past the new millennium and into a knowledge economy driven by talent. Competition within the talents for the top job is very high, and logically the only way ahead is by the talent branding themselves in some way. You see the crux of the matter is, every single positive influence adds up to putting you ahead and a personal brand is one big factor.

1) Do a SWOT analysis on yourself.

Remember the design methods class you fell asleep in? Well its a pity, especially since no one told you that a SWOT analysis could and should be done on yourself. Just like a company and its ability to generate revenue, I encourage designers to see themselves as a “business entity” that can generate income as well.

Therefore you need to identify your own Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities (to apply your strengths) and Threats (to your weakness) as a designer. So that when faced with the question of what are your strengths, you should never have a problem. Finally it is always good to have a short, medium and long term plan for yourself and career. It shows prospective employers what you want to do and that you have a vision for your future.

After you have listed all these points, you now have a list of keywords that can be the bases of creating your own personal brand and brand values.

2) Get a hair cut.

No seriously. I believe you are what you design. Many people get insulted when they are told they need to dress like a “designers” to be taken seriously. They figure that its a rude comment and encroaches in their personal style and space. That is further from the truth. Just like a consumer has only 3 seconds to size up a shelf of products, your prospective employer will size you up in that same amount of time.

In any case its pragmatic. Simply, that first impression is the most important. You will be surprise of the amount of control you have if you understood the stereotypes people associate with designers, and by looking like one you can use that to your advantage. Just don’t turn up for an interview in a beanie.

So carefully use your Strengths you have identified in Point 1 to style your own look. Your hair cut, sense of dressing, your watch (for guys), shoes (guys and gals) are all clues to a picture that you want to paint of yourself. It’s all part of your personal brand and something that should be part of your physical presence when you walk into a room. Remember every single positive point counts.

3) Buy your name as a dot com

I cannot begin to tell you how important this is. Not only for identity protection, but what you want is to turn up at the top of a Google search if a prospective employer or employment agency is doing research on you. As the Internet gets more and more integrated in today’s business world, the chances of you getting Googled is very high. I know I do it all the time.

4) Re-Brand your Portfolio

Now that you have identified your personal brand “keywords” and objectives in your design career, its time to “re-brand” your work. Just like a company’s branding initiative, you need to ensure that the documents you leave behind reflect your personal brand as well. Your portfolio, name card, resume, and perhaps that website design needs to reflect this through and through. This is especially important if you are putting your portfolio online.

On a slightly different but related note, do you then create a personal logo or monogram that reflects this personal brand? Personally, my feeling is don’t do it unless you spend some serious time working on it and that it looks good according to everyone who sees it. Most of the time I find personal logos or monograms very ugly and not well considered. A clear name card with just your name in a suitable font is good enough. But at the end of the day if you decide to create a personal logo, do ensure it reflects your personal brand values.

5) Start a blog

Now that you have a website that show cases your design work why not start a blog? The reaction on this, at this point in time, is mixed. There have been instances that people were fired when employers did not like what was written on their employees blogs. But these cases are rare, and if you keep your blog away from office politics you should be fine.

A great reason for starting a blog is to have your “voice” behind your work. Many times you can’t tell a designer’s personality by just looking at the work. But if you are able to share your thoughts, you will be better positioned as many employers often feel that they just don’t have enough time to determine an employee’s personality during those few interview sessions. Another great reason for a blog, is that it allows you to connect with other designers through the posting of your thoughts and by responding to comments left on your blog.

6) Join design networks

Get out there and market yourself! There are tons of great portfolio networking sites like Behance and Design Related. Just sign up, post your work, make friends, ask and respond to comments. Don’t forget that discussion forums on design are a good way to network with other senior designers as well.

Finally, don’t underestimate traditional non-design social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook as a means to share your work and network with other design professionals.

7) Win design awards

While its not the end of the world if you don’t win any, I always say you have nothing to lose by entering, and winning one gives you eternal fame an glory. Well not entirely eternal, but it is a great marketing tool for yourself and a confidence booster to be able to know that your work has been recognized by your peers.

8) Don’t oversell

At the end of the day, you need to be careful of all your different tools that you can use to sell yourself. The important thing to do is not use the wrong tool for the job and worst still end up by looking like you are overselling yourself. For example, don’t bombard people on your social network with every single job you did in your 15 year history as a designer; leave that for your resume. Don’t stick all your beautiful high resolution images on your portfolio website making it hard to navigate, just leave that to your face to face meeting instead.

9) Do good work!

Always, I say ALWAYS do good design work. Even if you hate your job or your boss or the project, make sure that it is the most beautiful design you can make it be. A good reputation is hard to build, and it is just too easy to lose.

10) A different take?

I like to close this post by getting you to check out a few tips at Fast Company’s 2004 update of Tom’s Brand-you Article as a different, more corporate, but relevant take on this issue of Self-branding.

———-

As you can probably guess becoming a Design Superstar is not easy and requires a lot of hard work. It does not happen overnight nor is it something you become. What it is, is that it requires is time before it can happen. Simply because with time, you will do good work, acquire more knowledge, build an interesting portfolio, rinse and repeat, again and again. Best of luck in your design career!"

So there you go, follow this steps...you're probably not going to become a design god/goddess but you can earn the respect of your peers and clients.

My graphic designer cousin María

Hello there, last week I interviewed my graphic designer cousin María, she told me a little bit about the pros and cons of being a designer and the parts of her career she enjoyed the most.

Name: María Díaz

Date: 19/09/2011

1. Could you please define Graphic Design in your own words?
Graphic Design is the process of solving problems in a visual way.

2. What influenced you to pursue graphic design?
The thing that influeced me the most is that this career offered me a way of expressing my creativity.

3. Could you please describe the educational process required to become an graphic designer?
To become a graphic designer you need to learn first of all about the design elements and composition, it is important to know how to create and armonious and balanced composition. You should also learn about typography, illustration and different techniques used to spice up your designs.

4. What are the skills you need to be a good graphic designer?
To be a graphic designer you have to be creative, you need to be able to solve and synthesize things. It also helps to be skillfull with the computer and design softwares.

5. What job considerations were you looking for after you completed your education?
I was looking for a simple spot in a graphic design studio, a place to get started and develope my working process, with a good office enviorement to learn how to work as a team.

6. What's something of your school life that you enjoy the most?
Being able to share my first design experiences with my friends.

7. from your perspective, what is the most difficult part of being an graphic designer student?
The fact that this career is not very common always affect on what people from other careers think of you or your work, they always assume you just doodle and have a lot of free time.

8. What are your plans for the future?
I'm planning to work in a famous magazine from the city as an editor.

9. Point out your most personally gratifying moment in graphic designer school.
Probably designing my first magazine for the editorial design class.

10. Why would you recommend graphic designer as a career?
It's the best outlet to explore your creativity.

Pretty cool huh?, I agree with most of her answers, graphic design is definitely the BEST outlet for your creativity and innovative ideas.

And this is my friend Jennifer

    Her full name is Jennifer Godoy but everyone calls her "Biko". She's from Maracaibo, Venezuela and she currently lives here too. She's 18 years old (such a baby haha) and she studies in the graphic design school in URBE. Her favorite subjects are photography, packaging and the graphic design workshop.

    She likes listening to music (the really loud kind), drawing, playing guitar, reading (especially Edgar Allan Poe novels), hanging out with her friends and boyfriend, watching movies and eating A LOT of junk food.

    She absolutely loathes birds, rodents and insects. She also hates people who smoke, closeminded, dramatic and disrespectful people.

    Her ultimate dream is to become a successful freelance graphic designer and own an apartment in london. In the future she would also like to get married.

    She learned english from video games, listening to music, watching movies, TV and some of it from school.

Biko's mind map

   She's downright awesome, so meet her!

A little bit about my friend Claret

Dadaism

   My friend's name is Claret Cuberos, she's from Venezuela and she's a student from the graphic design school in URBE just like me. She is 19 years old and she lives here in Maracaibo.

 She likes various art styles like abstract and dadaism. She also likes all things vintage, including classic movies. One of her hobbies is dancing, she loves to dance to any kind of music (well probably not reggaeton). In her free time she likes to learn about new make-up tips and techniques and also new hairstyles. Above all she loves God, her family and friends.

Dancing

 She hates hypocrisy, show-offs and irresponsible people. She loathes hard critiques and racism.
 
Her dream is to get to do what she likes and actually enjoy it in the process. She would also like to meet a lot of people from different cultures.
 
She learned english by watching movies, listening to songs and reading lyrics and quotes on the internet. It was a lot easier for her to learn it because she likes the language but she prefers the Brittish accent. In the future she would like to improve her vocabulary and fluency.

 She's one of my best friends in the whole world and you should meet her too.

Andrea.

Claret's mind map

Hey!

Hello!, my name is Andrea Finol but most people call me anfre. I'm from Maracaibo, Venezuela. I'm 19 years old and I study graphic design in URBE. My favorite subjects are the graphic design workshops and illustration. This trimester I'm taking 6 classes and I'm currently in the seventh trimester.

Amelie 

I love my family, my friends, drawing, listening to music, playing tennis, pretending I know how to play the keyboard (I just actually play any random keys) and going to the movies.
I have a soft spot for french movies, especially romantic ones, my favorite french movie of all times is Amelie.

I hate two-faced people, vallenato and reggaeton, soap operas, violence and bugs.

Paris, France

My dream is to work and be successful doing what I like. I would also love to travel across Europe, especially France, Spain, England and Italy and meet different kinds of people and their culture. In the near future one of my goals is to learn french.

Learning english was very important for me because I believe it has opened a lot of opportunities to learn and understand important things for my future. For me it's very important to keep practicing my english and improve my fluency.

Well this is all I can remember for the moment, leave a comment if you liked it :).
And Remember...If life gives you lemons...make lemon pie. Andrea.