Introduce yourself

[Blue Velvet]

Feel free tell us about yourself. Regardless of whether you're a student, someone new to the field or a professional, what kind of design do you do and what kind of design are you interested in?

Look forward to seeing you around. :)

[zelmo]

I'm not a designer so I won't be of much use for helping out with design or application issues. However, I have been in commercial print for 24 years working for a sheetfed and digital printer. I've operated a cutter, folder, stitcher, and letterpress. I've worked in estimating and had long (9 years each) stints in both production planning and prepress management. For the past three years I've run our digital press department where we operate two Kodak NexPress 2500's and a Xerox Nuvera 144. I also manage our mailing, fulfillment, warehouse, and shipping departments. We run 4-up sheetfed presses, employ 100 people, and have annual sales of $20M. If you have a production question, I'll do my best to answer it for you.

[janitorC7]

I'm Cooper or JC7

I'm a student, but have been running freelance under the banner Ceek Designs for 7 years. I am Interested in web design and marketing.

I'm looking to study to be an art director. I am always excited to offer my opinion.

Thanks

JC7

[Blue Fox]

Introduce myself??? I'm currently bored at work, so be prepared for a novel.....

My name is Josh. I'm 25, and I've been a MacRumors visitor for a while now, but finally decided to jump in and join.

I'm a self-declared professional graphic artist. I'm currently working on my Portfolio to finally be able to present it to graphic artistry firms for a "real job" instead of my no nothing, go-nowhere job I currently have now.

I recently burned my bridge with my college (New Mexico State University). Their wanna-be graphic design degree was a joke. It was to the point where I would pour heart and soul into a project, and everyone else in class would use clip-art and the 3D text from Microsoft Word.........yeah..........kind of disheartening. And the worst thing is these people would pass with the same grade as me because they "did the work" instead of the quality of work.

So, after a very heated conversation with the department dean (which actually agreed with me, but her hands were tied), I decided to drop NMSU and work on my portfolio and let that do the talking other than wasting 2 more miserable years "learning" about my profession.

So I'm hoping that the employer will look at the portfolio as my resume rather than a degree (though, I plan on finish my degree at another college with a proven artistry program.)

I currently use the Adobe CS3 apps (waiting on the $$$ for the CS4 stuff). My profession is primarily print design. That's where I feel that I'm best. I can do web artistry fine, but putting together I will save for the coders.

I also dabble in Digital Photography. I currently use a simple Canon S5-IS on custom settings, and some of the pictures I take rival that of my friend, who is a professional photographer using about $10,000 worth of lenses on his Canon 40D. I'm a firm believer in "it's how you use it, not what you use" (to a degree).

Other stuff about me, I'm an avid petrol-head. I love cars, and currently drive an 2004 Subaru Forester XT (turbocharged). I also have a 2007 Honda CBR 600RR sportbike I used to use as my daily driver until I got the Subaru. I off-road religiously with the Subaru (which is why I'm constantly always working on it).....and bought it primarily to take to the mountains to snowboard during the winter months. As for the bike, I now track it on the weekends to push it to its absolute limits. (yes, I'm an adrenaline junkie).

Oh yeah, and I own a Mac or two, along with a couple other Apple products (this is a Mac Forum after all, so a mention of what I have might help :D)

/novel.

[devz3ro]

Hi, I'm Paul - Devz3ro

I'm an intermediate designer / Freelance.
My flavor is graphic design / Typography.
I do this in my spare time and I have studied for 3 years.
I'm hoping to become a graphic designer full-time in the industry.
Oh yeah.. I'm from New Zealand.

[G.Kirby]

Hi,

I'm Gavin and I am a Graphic Design Lecturer based in South Wales. I mainly teach the technology side of things (Illustrator, Photoshop, Quark etc.) enabling the students to realize their creative designs for use in mass production. Other areas I teach are Design for Reproduction and Print, Typography, Graphic Communication and Technical Illustration.

My Teaching philosophy is: To reach the goal of producing employable and productive graduates, Creativity and Technology should be given equal weight.

[Designer Dale]

My name is Dale, and I'm an antique.

I'm 61 and just finishing a design program at a community college. I plan on freelancing after 22 years of teaching public school in Washington State. My instructors have strong backgrounds in the print industry and I have a good knowledge of the nuts and bolts (typography, PostScript, file handling and PreFlight operations). I have been using computers since 1985, beginning with an Apple IIe and continuing through an LC II, PowerMac 8500, PowerBook 190c, PowerMac G3/300, G3 Pismo, G4 TiBook, CRT iMac and my current '08 MacBook Pro with a 23 in Samsung monitor.

My current claim to fame is creating a CD portfolio from a jumbled scrapbook of slides for a local artist/actor. I use the CS3 suite and usually have everything running at the same time. I am an avid film photographer, and have been in shock since the shutter locked up on my Canon in September.

Oh, I have never owned a PC.

*Shock and Awe* I am now a MR member!

[Buckmyah]

Hey im tim, im going to be a graphic design major next year, im buying my first mac this year, i have used macs for the past 4 years but never owned one.

[Blue Fox]

^^ It's nice to own your own Mac. :D

[Intel Inside]

Hey everyone, Im Jethro and a GCSE Graphics student. Im very interested in the graphics field and hoping to have a career in it one day!

[iRyanDevine]

Hey Guys :)

Im Ryan, Im 15 and I do graphic design for many clothing companies and print companies, as well as my own Clothing line

Im Currently at School wanting to move on to college and Uni'
Check out my website at - http://www.StrattersFearClothing.co.uk/

i'm always up for a chat and i'm an all around nice guy

:apple:

[A Belling]

Hey all, I'm Alex, I've been "lurking" for a while and decided to get involved.

I've taken 2 years of high school graphic design courses and I am going to art college starting early 2010.

I have been working on my portfolio for several months just to be used for school admission.

I am currently doing some design work for a color verification software company.

So that's me in a nutshell and I am looking forward to joining in on the conversation!

[likeavaliant]

I'm Drew
I'm a design school drop out but I still keep myself busy with it.
I lurk around in here and comment on occasion.

[DesignerGenes]

Hi all, I'm LeAnne.
I've been a lurker as well, mostly when I should be working :o
I've been a pro designer for 6 years and I'm doing my part to make the world look better, one direct mail piece at a time. :rolleyes:
I'm a print designer, mom, soon-to-be wife, perfectionist and caffeine addict.
Can't wait to get involved!

[Santabean2000]

Hi, I'm Paul - Devz3ro

I'm an intermediate designer / Freelance.
My flavor is graphic design / Typography.
I do this in my spare time and I have studied for 3 years.
I'm hoping to become a graphic designer full-time in the industry.
Oh yeah.. I'm from New Zealand.

Paulo, as of Sarge and Reg connections? (Kia Ora any which ways).

I'm in education, working currently on Macs. Design and photography is just a hobbie, although I'm investigating the possibilities of something more; I'm scared working in this field would dull my passion and enthusiasm for it - playing on my time seems to satisfy as of now.

[Socorso]

I'm Carm - Socorso. I'm a professional graphic designer/brand consultant in Ontario Canada. I've been in the industry for over 16 years working with some of the top firms in Toronto. I have since started my own design agency/consultancy about 5 years ago. I love the Macrumours forums and follow along as much as I can. If I can be of assistance with any queries, I'll do my best!

[RainForRent]

Greetings, all.
I'm Josh, I'm a recent grad with a BFA in Graphic Design.
I work at Torque Creative in Anderson, SC as a junior designer.
I design packaging for a fair bit of brands you'll see in Home Depot (our biggest client). Ryobi and Ridgid namely, then Homelite, Dirt Devil, etc. But I keep it varied– some days its packaging, other days catalogs, and still other days are banners and prepress fun. Freelance is less and less these days as work weeks are ballooning to 60 or so hours... ugh.

Always willing to help, let me know.

[Intel Inside]

Hi all, again.

Forgot to say my main areas of interest are Typography and Product/Package design :D

[macfearless]

Hey everyone, I'm a designer out of Louisiana. Print is my passion. I work in the magazine industry full time, but also try and do as much freelance as I can. Oh, and my trusty old 12 inch powerbook is about to bow out. Got me through school and then some, so we had a good run!

[JasonElise1983]

Hello Everyone,
I'm Jason. I'm 25 and an Art Director for an Ad Agency. I also do freelance web design work and logos and stuff. I'm also always willing to help someone out if they need it. I like clean modern, type heavy design work. I also enjoy doing things by hand or trying to do as much without my mac as possible. I know that's blasphemy on this site i guess, but i like things like that. Anyway, that's me.

-je

[yoyo5280]

Hi!

I'm Omi...and I want to learn graphic design bad, but I don't have time/patience at the moment.

Hopefully lurking around this forum will help build up my skill.

[Melrose]

I only just noticed this introduction thread. (3000 posts too late!!)

I'm Derek. I build websites and create advertising. I've work on sales sites for the NFL, NY county government, blah blah. Been doing creative visual things since 2001. I like long walks on the beach and am a sucker for cozy winter eveni--- oh wait :D

Anyway. Welcome all. I'm always pleasantly surprised by the knowledge in this thread. :) Keep it coming!

[RiCEADDiCTBOY]

Hello, I am a former graphic artist/programmer. I am recently having the motivation to pick up designing again as a side job. Being in the military doesn't allow myself too much time to fiddle with my projects. My expertise is in Illustrator.

[jonG]

Hey Guys I'm an art director/designer with 7 years experience.
Check out my design studio's work here.

JON GARCIA DESIGN
http://iamjongarcia.com

[gregtuco]

Hello Blue Velvet & Fellow Macpeople,

I'm Greg, currently residing in Taos, where I just blew up a bridge at my former place of employment (in the words of John Candy: "It blowed up REAL good!!") after being there almost four years and not being allowed to learn web stuff, after being told I would. –Sorry for the run-on sentence.

One bad thing about being unemployed is the lack of IT help, hence my fellowship with you good people. (I've been an off and on lurker for quite a while, often getting better advice here than at work) Beyond that, I've enjoyed everyone's take on things in general, not just my own immediate concerns.

I started in commercial art around 1987, (started on PCs in 1997 and obviously moved up). I've been in many different phases of the graphics world, printing (stripping, camera, plates), screen printing, photo-retouching (I miss my Paasche AB!), sign making, educational publishing, copywriter/editor, newspaper and magazine work, etc. I have almost NO web experience, a promise that was never made good on at my last place of employment (the main reason for the aforementioned blowed-up bridge).

In short, I'm a designer and illustrator of some experience and will be happy to be of help whenever I can, as you kind folks have already been to me.

And, needless to say, I'm currently in a job hunt in lousy economy (willing to move ANYWHERE). Hopefully, I can find a place where I can contribute AND get my feet wet, web-wise.

Beyond that– things are rosy!

:apple: Dual 2 Ghz PowerPC G5 w/ Wacom Graphire 3 Tablet

[GigaWhat?]

Hey Hey,

I am a Pre-Press Operator, using adobe creative suite, pagemaker, quark, freehand, corel. Also Fuji CelebraNT RIP (CTP and Film). Dianippon Screen Trueflow RIP (CTP) and Harlequin PS level 3 RIP (Film). Branching out to Large Format Printing using Roland VersaWorks RIP.

Being in pre-press customers expect you to be able to edit art etc... Font recognition, image manipulation
Setting files up for pre-press RIPing and output is a specialty (transparancy, overprinting, colour correction).

Been doing this since before the creative suite's arrived. (old school maby)
I am a bench planner by trade (Graphic Reproducer). BW cut and paste art shot to negative and press ready film made by hand.

Give my 2c when i can
:)

[Sir SpemzR]

Hey guys,

Name is Mario Espinoza, 17 years old from southern cali. I just graduated high school (june 1st) and now need to attend community college this summer to attend FIDM in the fall, yes FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) for their graphic design program...I know some of you may think FIDM sucks, but heres why i chose it


Its really nice looking!
Enviroment is awesome
Far from home
Lots of connections
Small classes
Ginourmas MACS!


I got into Graphic Design about a year and a half ago when my buddy let me have a bootlegged version of Photoshop 7 and all i used it for was editing pictures, now i design flyers, logos, banners for people and small companies and other little small projects for myself, all self taught without taking any courses.

I currently have a shirt submitted for the Hurley: Microphone for Youth Contest Click Here (http://www.hurley.com/micforyouth/view-design.cfm?did=331) ...please ignore the "About this design.." friend that was being stupid wrote it

[ThomasW91]

Hey, my name is Thomas, 18 from South Carolina.

I shifted into graphic design in middle school, from game design. A friend got me hooked and I've been learning all I can since then. Problem was..I started with a 1st gen Mac Mini (for free, long story), and my ability to create content slowly declined year after year until this past year I could hardly use any real software and switched my focus to photography.

I just got a Macbook Pro for college finally, and (as of now) am pretty sure I want to get a BFA in Studio Art (design focus) and a minor in Media Arts (photog) from South Carolina. I have visited their art school and met with various people, as well as talked with other artists, and they seem to have a great program, so I am really optimistic.

I've got two friends who both run pretty big firms here in Greenville, (PixelShock and BrainsOnFire), and I try to take advantage of that as much as I can. I love hanging around with the pro's to stay motivated and see what I need to work hardest on in college.

So yeah, can't really think of any other career I'd rather have than being a Graphic Designer! (Well maybe getting paid to drive Ferrari's or something ridiculous..)

[LERsince1991]

I'm Luke and I've been on MR for ages but never posted here :P

I'm currently enjoying the summer holidays until I start Uni in september this year to study Architecture at Lincoln UK.

Did Maths, physics, product design, music and photography at A level.

design is my life! :D
Check out my website here (www.lukeriggall.co.uk)
Info about me and my designs.

Bought my first mac on April 11th -> 13" alu 2.4 MB.
Use CS4; InDesign and photoshop mainly with a bit of illustrator and others like soundbooth. God I couldn't live without ID and Ps now! Taught myself and I'm always learning. Heres a snippet from my website;

'Throughout my whole life I have always been a very creative person.

I love making things from anything that’s around the house and I’m never without a mini project which feed my passion for design.

As I have matured, so have my design skills. This has allowed my projects to grow progressively larger and more advanced. If I ever think about how an object works, it makes me want to learn about it so I can look at it again in the future and visualize what’s making it tick.'

....

'Although I will soon be studying Architecture at university I still like to take on smaller projects. I will always be more than an architect by taking on alternative design work such as furniture, products and fashion.

My life-long aim is to rival designs by the biggest companies and names from around the world such as Giorgio Armani and Philippe Stark.'

Luke (www.lukeriggall.co.uk)

[tweekskratch]

What's up guys. Currently a Graphic design major in Detroit. I really enjoy all types of design, not just "graphic". I also enjoy actionscript, 3d, and tons of other categories. Anyway, nice to meat you all.

Tweek

[AppleThis&That]

I've been a graphic designer for 14 years now. I started out with a completion of an intense two-year program at a local college and received my Associates in Graphic Design. Afterwards, I immediately started working for an interactive design agency doing CBTs. It was very exciting and learned a lot about interactive design in those days. But after a year, I really thought I should be doing what I was taught in college 'Print Design'. I didn't want to lose those abilities. So as the years have gone by, I have been working for a few companies doing print with a Marketing team and learn something new every day. Love my job. :D

[LGS3]

Hello Guys,

My name is Louis. I am currently a Freelance Web Designer (and sometimes a developer), and am also a Graduate Assistant for the Educational Technology Services at WMU. There I am going after my M.B.A., focusing on the CIS field, using ERP systems such as SAP. I graduated with my Bachelors in Graphic Design from Saginaw Valley back in '06, and expect to graduate with my M.B.A. by April of 2010. I've also been a member of MR since 2006, but have never posted until recently, and I am upgrading from a :apple: 2.16 ghz Imac to a new 15" MBP (probably the base model, haven't fully decided:D).

[MattSepeta]

Well, I started at Montana State University in 06. Did a year of Photo Major and decided that I had been meaninglessly evaluated and graded for long enough, especially going into an artistic field. Moved back home (Twin Cities), and bounced around a few minimum wage jobs until a friend of mine let me in on an opportunity. His brother was VP of a startup childrens/christian book company that needed video work done. He knew I did video stuff for fun.

I worked from home about 10 hours a week, and they kept wanting more and more. They had me do a few design projects, then, in turn, let their "Pro" go, and moved me into his old office. Now I do 40 hours a week, including Video Production for web, promo photography, Web graphics, and print graphics, including a few Book Covers and CD covers.

Every day I use FCP, Photoshop CS4, Pro Tools, Indesign, etc. I think I really need to narrow my focus!!! :p

[klymr]

Mitch here—

I have roughly a year left in school at Utah State University. I'm shooting for a BFA with emphasis in graphic design. I have a couple of web design classes and a portfolio class left. I recently returned from a study abroad trip to Switzerland which vastly opened my eyes to the culture of another land and I believe will increase my design abilities. I truly believe now that travel and reading are two of the best things we can do as designers. Cram as much new info in as possible.

Anyway, I am trying to decide if I should continue my education after a BFA. I want to go to a school in Switzerland and get a Masters in Art Direction (type design and photography). Both of those I feel would be highly beneficial. I work at the oldest jewelry store in Utah as a custom designer using CAD/CAM technology. Not really related to the graphic design I've been studying, but recently we've convinced the boss to have me do all the advertisement designs, etc. I worked on a billboard before I left for Switzerland. That was fun. Anyway, that's a bit about myself.

[Gerald Chipeur]

Hello!

I'm Gerald Chipeur, or Jerry Chipper. I'm a freelance graphic artist/designer working from Canada.
I'm currently using a Macbook 13' Unibody, a Wacom Intous4 and a NexStar Hard Drive Dock.
I decided to invest in this ultra portable gear so I could move around and keep the inspiration fresh instead of the usual stuffy office type environment.

When I do work from home I like to connect to a Samsung 32' 1080p for the extra work space.

So Hello! hit me up any time, I'll be around the forums reading and replying to everything that catches my eye and interested me.

Thanks.

GC

[JonnyNumber5]

im jonny.

I sort of, in a almost accident sort of way, started studying graphics in 2005, then went onto uni in 2007. due back to return in 2010 as i want a break.

a good type setting makes me horny.

im english.

dont drink much tea though.

[codenamecueball]

Hi :)
Im andrew. Im 13, i got into Photoshop when i was 10, and my skills have doubled in the last year. I go mental over comic sans and Arial. I currentley design for websites and want to (hopefully) start earning off my talent.

:)

[Printnow]

Hi Guys,
New to the forum, been looking for awhile now!
Im a graphic designer I work mainly in the print industry doing alot of book and magazine design work, Also im based in Ireland!

Cheers,
Dc

[uberfunction]

Hi,
I'm a graphic designer based out of NYC. I've been in the field for about 8 years now. I work for a well-known non-profit company and it's a great job. Really laid back. When I'm not working here, I'm busy freelancing.

[nadprince]

hi... this is my first attempt to join any forum... my name is nad and i m 32 years old... i am full time employed as senior graphic designer...

[X-JRO]

Ahhh... Hi?

I suppose I should start like this:

I'm 19 years old, Australian, graduated High School in '07 and have been working ever since in Retail. I am growing more and more sick of my job but it pays okay and hours are kinda flexible (if you could call it that >_>).

The reason I'm here is because I hate my job.

"When you find a job you love, you'll never have to work a day in your life" - Vincent Van Gogh
That's what I want.

I want to be a designer... I think. Or and Editor... Or A Web Developer. All these things seems to fall under the same header (inc. Marketing) but I have no idea where to start. I've been looking for TAFE programs to facilitate this thirst, but they're coming up a little short. I'll continue looking until something fits the bill.

Thanks for reading >_>
:D

[McShizzel]

Hey I'm 24, graduated college in 2006 in graphic design then went to university for graphic design but dropped out after a year (I hit a "brick wall" when it came to design just lost interest in it) and then went to study an intensive one year computer animation program.

I worked as a graphic designer during my studies, I both enjoyed it and hated it. But now the "creative brick wall" is gone and I'm back to loving design, just need to do a bit of catchup by learning ActionScript 3.0 (I missed quite a bit during my time off) and then finding a job in design :).

[Jason Beck]

Hey! This is Jason Beck. I used to be a diehard PC fanboy. I was converted 2 months ago when i started my bachelor degree program for graphic arts and my college gave me a macbook. I love it. I don't think I will use anything else. Well, I am 29 years old, and I decided it wasn't too late to make something of myself. I have been drawing and doing tattoos and even using Photoshop since like 1995.
In 1994 I think, I got my first computer. A pentium 75. With a 14.4 modem!
I ran my own BBS with Iniquity BBS software in a Dos Box under windows 95. Then in 96 I telnetted my BBS onto the internet : )
I have been using computers since far before that. Fraction Fever, Oregon Trail, Claris Works, I mean - I used macs in school. NEVER thought I would own one. Till now.
Anyways, designing is fun. I love it. All I need to get now is a drawing tablet. If anyone knows of any affordable ones that function well, please msg me and let me know. I'd appreciate it.
I have an XBOX 360. I game on it. Beck84720@gmail.com is my windows live address and I am on windows live daily.
Today kicked ass though. I woke up to Fedex delivering my free student copy of Adobe Creative Suite 4, Design Premium. Got that free too : )
I really should have went to college earlier on in life. Anyways : )
I love meeting new people, and if you have a Facebook account feel free to add me, just search that email address in it. Introduce yourself from here so I know who you are.
Cheers!

[partyBoy]

Hey everyone...currently i live in Miami,fl but will be moving to new york city to finish my degree in ADVERTISING and start working at a design firm which has been my long time dream !! Right now i am a student at Miami dade college but i have also done some semesters at the Art Institute of fort Lauderdale,at first i was majoring in web design BUT i found out that my true passion is ADVERTISING :D

[tsd]

Nice to "meet" everybody. I began designing in 1998 after graduating from High School. I attended the School of Fine Arts at University of North Carolina, Greensboro from 1998–2002 and graduated with a BFA degree with a Design emphasis. I then worked as a temp at a printing company and then spent 5 years cleaning carpets full time! It's funny the curves life throws at you.

I quit cleaning carpets and started my own design firm, Trend Setting Design, in January of 2008. Thank God my wife and I haven't starved yet. Seriously. Ha!

I now specialize in branding & corporate identity design, along with smaller projects in graphic design, advertising and such. Plus there's always the ubiquitous web design field. My work is more and more becoming split 50/50 between branding projects (logo, letterhead, brochures, business cards, web graphics, advertisements, tee shirts, internal collateral, etc.) and standalone website design. I'm curious to see if that's true of the industry at large, or just my local neck of the woods.

[dagfredrik]

Hello - and thanks for welcoming me :)

Im a norwegian man, at 34 years of age - doing a daily life as a marketing & creative manager.

I do mostly my work in indesign and illustrator - and I´m one of the few ones that have no problems with my new iMac running ;)

Looking forward to participate in this forum

so long

[rabiddoug]

My name is Doug Best, I'm 40 years old and a 1991 grad of the Savannah College of Art and Design. I've been freelancing full-time from my studio in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio for 13 years. Married, 2 kids.

This is Procter & Gamble country, and most of my work is doing packaging and branding for Landor, InterBrand and LPK. But I get a good variety of other stuff, a little bit of everything. Always expanding my skill set and keeping my chops sharp is important to me. I love illustration and typography especially.

I have a museum of Apple products, over 70, including an Apple Lisa, Mac 128K, an eMate, Newtons, a MacTV, 20th Anniversary Mac, and more.

My website and portfolio are at www.dougbest.net

[gester]

hi guys,
i am completely new to this forum, so have pity on me :p

i'm a mac user from poland/austria, formerly worked on irix (sgi), and also on windows, os/2 and sun solaris platforms.

my background is architecture (i'm a full-fledged architect) based on archicad and vectorworks software packages, but i'm a 2d-animator, too (toonboom animate & studio).
i worked as a graphic and industrial designer and a computer programmer (c++, java, oracle sql) and a webmaster (linux) for a few years. i've drawn graphic stories and novels and also layouts and storyboards for advertising industry.

well, that's me in a nutshell.
thanks for your patience :)
rob

[mattyuk]

Hi all

My name is Matthew, come from Cumbria, England. Although I'm not a pro by any means, although it is a dream, I would love to be a concept artist in the film industry. In my spare time from my job as a butcher, I enjoy speedpainting and mattepainting on Photoshop CS3.

You can see my work here - http://m7stone.deviantart.com/

Will be updated soonish lol.

[Ttownbeast]

Hello I am David,

I am an artist.

I run my own small design/craft business marketed toward people rather than companies, my education in design is diverse to say the least--some of it is formal, some of it is not. My earned degrees are in the vocational, and educational fields. I take the time to study any techniques I may find valuable in my work. My artistic background is vast, I have studied and applied an extensive list of physical and digital media to many of my works over the past two decades. I am highly skilled in carpentry, electrical, plumbing and many other facets of the building trade including architectural design.

I am well versed in methods of teaching, educational psychology, and the physical sciences. I have worked with a wide variety of artistic media in the execution of my craft. I have a preference for certain ones such as ceramics (sculpting, and throwing), sketch (mostly monochrome in chalk and charcoal occasionally color in conte crayon or grease pencil), glass work (etching, and lead cane work), wood and wax carving, digital photography (I like to create panoramic scenes using cheap digital cameras and editing software), and I design tattoos (I might consider getting licensed to use a needle some day)

[GeraldButton]

Good afternoon all,

My name is Gerald, but most folks call me Gerry. I have been a graphic designer since I was roughly 16 or so, but more so on an amatuer level, id never consider myself professional. Im working towards getting my education in the field but it has been hit with snags and delays because of a terrible school/program/teacher, and I just started my family and my 3 week old son comes first now.

I started out with Paint Shop Pro and a few weeks after I did my friend turned me onto Photoshop, needless to say I didn't like it at first but I grew to love it. After learning everything I could from him I went on to try new things and applications, now a days I work well with Maxon Cinema 4D more so than any other application.

For a period of time, I was providing video tutorials on YouTube for a large variety of applications under the name Iceberg Creativity. I stopped this because when I would post a personal video of myself just talking about something Mac related or maybe out and about having fun with my camera people questioned me and gave large amounts of negative feedback because it wasn't a new tutorial. That and my wife was 7 months pregnant so I needed to get away.

Lately there has been little time for art, but I try as much as I can to make something quick and simple in Cinema 4D.

[ADigitalNative]

Hey gang,

I'm a graphic and web designer based in Washington, DC. I started when I was really young but only in the past few years have started getting anywhere near what I'd call a professional level. My degree is in political science with a minor in theatre (!) but computers haven't ever been a mystery for me.

I currently am on a 2006 Macbook Pro using Photoshop/Dreamweaver (though I usually hand-code my HTML & CSS, I'm a bit of a snob that way). I have Master Suite so I sometimes play in the other bits of it. My web/graphic design kit also includes a small-ish Wacom tablet and a couple of WD MyPassport external drives. Oh, and Dropbox saves my life.

I'm starting to plan my move from the political/media/press side of things into more design work, and I'm always interested in hearing from other design-types.

Website:
www.adigitalnative.com

[SeanAppleDude]

I'm 15, and I want to be in graphic design. I've taken 3 design classes at school and at a college. I have also made a little money on crowdSPRING, so I think I might be semi-ok at this :p

I also have a website with a small portfolio if you wanna see some work - click me? (www.seanwalsh.tk)

Drop me a line? - SeanWalsh16@aol.com

[dppurple]

Hi,

I'm new with the Mac computer and pretty new with website designing. I really would like to learn how to make my own graphics for ebook covers and for the header on websites.

Can you tell me what is the best, but basic, software to get for a Mac computer. Money is an issue, right now. So if you can recommend something that I can learn on and get away with. Without too many bells and whistles.

Thank you for your help,
dppurple

[33chimere]

I work as Project Manager but as freelance I did some design work, mostly more illustrative than corporate. Glad to be here among you all!

[miniroll32]

Hey team!

My names Tom, I'm from England and have been studying graphic art since I was 16 (currently 21). As well as studying at Uni in the Music field, I often go back to College to help younger students which is very rewarding :)

I've somehow got away with using my MacBook 2.1ghz ('08 model) for some 2 years now, but after almost killing the chipset on several occasions I think its time for an upgrade! So please excuse any questions I have regarding performance/technicalities - I'll be looking to buy an iMac 21.5" soon.

Thats all for now, speak soon! :p

[Dagless]

I'm a regular here but what the hey;

Hi I'm James. I studied graphics+art+shizz at college and university. I stick to still art and shy away from (though I can do) video and website coding.
I like to think of myself as a pixel artist and have released several popular games in a variety of art styles. I like to produce all art aspects ranging from ingame graphics to box art, promo materials.
Is my mini portfolio. (http://satansam.co.uk/blog/?page_id=859)

I freelance and work on my own projects at the moment.

[neutrino23]

Hi, my name is John and I'm a physicist. My work is providing applications support for an x-ray spectrometer product. This is used to identify what elements are present in samples, even very, very tiny samples.

I have been using Macs since about 1991. My interest in graphic design is that we are a small group with little corporate support so it falls to me to produce Keynote presentations, brochures and sales books.

The sales books are a strong point for us. I produce about a 50 page book in InDesign. I feel like the Little Red Hen. First I have to find interesting samples, then I prep the samples, then I analyze them collecting interesting data that shows off the good features of our product, then I produce the book in InDesign. From InDesign I export a PDF. I then use an AppleScript to run the PDF through Photoshop turning it into a folder of TIFF images. The TIFF images are loaded into iPhoto and I use iPhoto to produce a hardcover book. The next book will probably use Aperture for the last step.

It's pretty cool because the book looks really nice and when I need another one I just go to iPhoto and buy another copy and have it shipped to the salesman.

I go through a similar process to produce softcover books which are application guides for the customers.

I've take courses from Edward Tufte (his books and courses are great) regarding design with an eye to presenting quantitative information and I've taken the Principles of Persuasion workshop and read the books of Robert Cialdini.
http://www.influenceatwork.com/index2.html
Very interesting work about how to present things such that people will pay attention. An ethical approach to persuasion.

[meganjb]

Hi, I'm Megan. I'm a 22 year old web design student, but I prefer art and graphic design. I have a soul-crushing administrative assistant job that takes up most of my time, so I'll probably have to use a walker by the time I graduate. But I love helping others with their own work when I'm procrastinating mine, so I'm happy to be here!

[Hawke]

Hi,

I'm a 3D artist, and graphics designer. I am currently full time working as an avatar skin designer for a few MMO virtual worlds. I started off with my job on a mac, but switched as I needed way more processing power than my mac couldve handled, but am currently working on getting the new MBP as this has the specs which am looking for.

I also draw. You can see some of my work via the following links :

http://naomh-caoimhin.deviantart.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ispachi/

[macnerd93]

Hi all

I'm a Photographer & Video editor currently at college studying media

My website which I'm currently updating is http://ryannicholson.co.cc/

[tkingart]

Hello, My name is Thomas. (t.king)

I've been in the Gaming Industry professionally for 15 years.

I use Macs for all of my 3D artwork (even though I need to Bootcamp into Windows for gaming tools and 3D Studio Max.) Otherwise, Photoshop work is done in OS X. I have many years of programming experience as well, and have been taking my C++/C# experience to Objective-C. I'm currently spending my spare-time working on an iPad game project.

I have a few examples of art and programming here (much of it is not posted, as I found the gallery I'm using has a limit "per-section" and section limits as well, so until I find a better gallery site:

http://tkingart.artworkfolio.com/

My public Gaming Industry profile:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/tking

[LumberJackNAU]

Hey, Im 13 and I have a Dell Inspiron 15 as my tool. It works fine, but I want a mac, I have some clients and lots of random concepts, I use inkscape, even though I have Illy, I cant use it. If you wanna see some of my works just tell me.

[bluedog3401]

Hi, I've not been active in these forums recently but have been following MacRumors for a while.

Bachelors degree in fine art a long time ago, and did in-house marketing and graphic design for a manufacturing company. Then one year with a business-to-business marketing as a Graphic Designer. I liked the pace and variety of work while there.

I am currently consider myself in PrePress for a pressure sensitive labeling company and have been here for about 7 years. I consider the skill I've earned here a real asset for a designer. Learning what needs to be edited in a design in order to produce it on press can be invaluable as well as make a 'smart' design cost less.

I work daily with Esko/Artworks Systems Nexus RIP, Illustrator and Photoshop. While we have a PDF workflow I almost always open my work in Illustrator to review spot colors before running it through our RIP. The experience with Quark 6.5 and later is only to open and save customer files. I used to work in Quark since 3.32 a lot and don't do a lot of long-document creation for my current work. I also use LabelView and LabelWizard in variable data, thermal printing includingdatabase driven or sequential barcoding.

The small label company I work for uses me in IT/networking/website development/printing/technical support/graphic design/prepress, thermal printing and flexographic platemaking. Its roughly three jobs rolled into one me.

[vaderhater245]

long time lurker of the design threads...

My name is Ryan. Starting my 5th year of college in the fall studying Graphic Design, Computer Imaging, and Studio Art. I'm currently jobless but summer is here and hope to have a ton of illustrations finished before school starts back up. My strengths are mostly in Photoshop and Illustrator doing digital painting and vector illustrations. Here's a quick example...

http://vaderhater245.deviantart.com/art/True-Love-161318551

My tools are 2 macs, intuos3, and CS4+5ish

[Digi-Scrap]

Hello My name is Cyndi & I'm New 2 iMac & cs5 & this 4um. I'm into designing digital scrap layouts & desire to create a blog with my creative program, etc....... I look forward to learning more about this site & all the helpful lessons that I can gain to help me in my desire to reach my goals & jump hurdles in doing so.

I used to have a PC & PSP creative program & I learned a lot while I had it. Now, it is almost like learning from scratch: with a different kind of computer & a different creative program.

:D

[warezcat]

Hi, I am a creative graphic designer that is also Director with my partner of our own graphic design company in the UK.

We mainly at this time work on high level corporate print brochures and marketing materials. I however wish to work on web based stuff but actually know nothing about that at this time. Here starts a journey I'm sure.. :rolleyes:


See you all on the boards.

Warezcat.

[Charlie017]

Hey, my name is Charlie, i'm a 19 year old product designer studying at university. Managed to get my dream apple setup with a dyslexia grant, oh yeah! I normally find myself on this website all bloody day reading about the stuff you guys come up with but rarely build up enough courage to actually post :s

Anyway, i would say my main skills are in 3D CAD modelling and rendering as well as hand sketching and rendering within photoshop. I've spent the last week or so going mental on my iPad using all the different drawing applications to do some of my concept sketches. The thing isn't half bad :)

Peace out

[cdesignsonline]

I've got a PowerBookG4 that runs on OS 10.4.11. I'm in need of a Wacom Tablet for some design work, what tablet do you recommend that is compatible with my equipment?

[delpiero881]

Hello ! I'm new on this forum so I introduce me...My name is Ben, I'm 21 years old, I'm a Belgian in USA. My hobbies : horses, kitesurf and video games...Nice to meet you.

[autacraft]

Salut!

UK based designer, ten years in. Do anything and everything.

Go see!

www.autacraft.squarespace.com

Feel free to drop me a line with comments or questions. Always happy to discuss or give advise!

Best
Nathan

[Rt&Dzine]

I've been on MR a few years but haven't posted in this thread.

Anyone remember Amberlith, Rapidograph pens, Chartpak, press type, paste up wax? Glad those days are gone! Getting paid for having fun, sometimes it seems too good to be true!

[VictoriaStudent]

when I was in my early 20s, I became inspired by artists such as Winston Smith...and other post mail-art cut-up artists.

Taught myself Photoshop based design in a University Student lab on a 'borrowed' account...was apprenticed to a master of fonts & layout in Quark 3.x creating chapbooks....became a digital artist along the lines of Winston Smith..especially inspired by the ephemeralist art movement.

My first 'design' job paid me $10/us an hour...though the level of work I was doing was billed out to customers for $70/$100 US/hour. After I did some work for a customer at the rate of $100/hour, I quit my job & moved on.

I eventually ended up working for a top-20 US newspaper doing design & graphics...specializing in photo restoration. Supplemented by my salary, I did a sh**t ton of free work - focusing on work for non-profits, food-co-ops and similar...all in my spare time.

then, the crash happened & I totally changed careers. I wish any one luck in today's field of design. It is very challenging and difficult. My friends have worked for everyone from Wieden+Kennedy to Nike to even more 'elite' agencies. I consider myself lucky, as I designed during the so-called 'golden' age of design (pay-wise, that is). Many companies out there create ridiculously competitive & hostile environments which serve no one but the companies. Design is not for the faint of heart..it is (in my experience and that of my friends) for the aggressive & highly competitive.

this was not me, so I moved on.

edit: the one thing I'd like to say is - if you can't do it in photoshop, it's not photoshop's problem, it's yours.

[autacraft]

Quote:
"then, the crash happened & I totally changed careers. I wish any one luck in today's field of design. It is very challenging and difficult. My friends have worked for everyone from Wieden+Kennedy to Nike to even more 'elite' agencies. I consider myself lucky, as I designed during the so-called 'golden' age of design (pay-wise, that is). Many companies out there create ridiculously competitive & hostile environments which serve no one but the companies. Design is not for the faint of heart..it is (in my experience and that of my friends) for the aggressive & highly competitive. "

I couldnt agree more! The industry these days is appalling for creatives, not nurturing in the slightest, and nigh on impossible now to garner any sort of sustainable income as an individual. Forces you into becoming a very money hungry person and the creativity soon becomes a distant motivation.

I've long given up seeing my career as an artform, which is a crying shame given my hitherto passion for design.

Wouldnt recommend it as a career path to any one. Its more a second job practice in these times. Designers know nothing apparently.

[beowulf70]

Hey Rumo(u)r-mongers,
I'm Gav. I'm currently a freelance Design Director at Imagination in the London building.

I was previously Senior Designer, Visual Comms Team for Sony Design at Design Centre Europe. Before that I was Head of Design and Senior Designer at various advertising and design agencies in London, Wellington and Vancouver.

I've been in the industry for over 20 years now and specialise in branding, identity and packaging.

More to see here: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/gavinharding

See you around :cool: