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John BonadiesI have been a professional graphic designer for over 20 years. I have worked in large agencies in New York, high-tech startups, graphic design firms, and now on my own. I feel that I’m still learning my craft—and becoming a better designer than I was the year before.
I currently run a strategic design consultancy that focuses on developing communications materials for higher education and high-tech clients. I work with communications managers and entrepreneurs in developing identities, product and service brochures, direct mailers, web sites, advertisements, packaging, displays, event posters, and many other items to help them with their branding and marketing initiatives.
I can still vividly recall my first day of interviewing in New York City—tripping up the subway steps—my portfolio falling out onto the sidewalk, being helped up by a kind woman (she probably hadn’t lived in NYC long enough…)
After showing my portfolio to a design manager, she called in the design director of the agency to look at my work. He began asking me questions on typefaces I chose, on the designers I had featured in one of my class projects. I told him about the font (Avant Garde) the designer (Herb Lubalin-a famous designer that you will soon learn about). It turns out, the man asking me these questions was a partner in Lubalin’s firm. It must have made some impression because that is where I started working a few weeks later.
As a student, I didn’t think learning about design history or typography was that important, but luckily my professors knew it was.
As a creative manager, I have seen hundreds of portfolios, from recent graduates to professionals with 30 years experience. I know what it takes to get in this profession as well as what it takes to succeed.
For those of you who want to become professional designers, I hope to introduce you to this great profession and give you the basic skills and tools to use as you progress through your college career—as well as prepare you for your professional career.
For those of you on other career paths, I hope to show you how to apply design principals in your field of study, whether it is making your animations, web sites, reports, or projects stand out from the others—because of your understanding of basic organization principals or typography, or just understanding the process of design—which can be helpful when you begin your professional career and need to work with creative professionals.
Most importantly, I want you to experience that graphic design is a lot of fun—but it’s not easy. To excel takes commitment of hard work and long hours. But if you love what you do, it doesn’t seem like work—at least that’s my experience.
Last updated: 11/7/09 • Webmaster: John Bonadies