Life on the Outside...

...is very relaxing. I still don't think it's quite hit me yet that I've graduated. I'm both excited and nervous about my next step, but I really have no idea what to expect now out in the "real world." What I do have is a GREAT portfolio and an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. I also have an interview with a packaging and branding firm in New York City and several more leads from the portfolio show at Lubin House! Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I decided to move back home after graduation, so I'm living in PA for the time being. Despite being a different state, it's actually easier for me to get to NYC from here than from my apartment in Syracuse. It's been very nice to be back, but it's also been difficult staying motivated about personal goals, and I'm getting rather antsy. Luckily, a few fellow CMD-ers asked me to start up a design + life blog with them about our experiences as new graduates (I think everyone's itching for something to do now that we don't have CommDesign). Hopefully it'll be up within the next week and I can post the link for you :-)

Be sure you can expect plenty more from me in the future, so keep checking out my portfolio work at www.jessgaito.com for projects and updates!

Yours In-Design,

Jess

What I've been doing with my Life

I've been somewhat MIA these last few weeks, but I wanted to give you a peek at what I've been working on! Beefcake (Muscle Building Meals) is one of my final portfolio pieces. I still need to do some retouching, but wow, professional photography makes all the difference. More to come soon!

Decision Made

After much consideration (and stress), I have decided on a final logo (I think). It's a variation on one of the first logos I created (featured below), and I'm pretty satisfied with it.

Business Cards & Resumes

Sam showed this clip to me earlier, and I appreciate it so much more now that we've started discussing resume paper and business cards. Now that a few of the students have started purchasing their paper, I can honestly say that this is almost EXACTLY how we act in CMD...

Business Card Subtleties


We're cool like that.

Personal Branding

As part of our Portfolio class, our professors have charged us with developing a personal logo for use on our resumes and future stationery.

Logo Studies for my initials:

I'm trying to work in a question mark (upside down) as part of my branding because:

• a) it's a reminder to myself to never become complacent; to always ask questions and
•  b) it's a promise to potential employers that I will continue to ask questions and shake up the system while providing thoughtful design :-)

Please Please Please Let me know what you think! I'm driving myself crazy designing and redesign this and I need to make a decision. All comments are welcome!

Snow Day!

(Photo complements of Allie)
Yesterday, Syracuse experienced it's first Snow Day in four years! I'll admit, it was pretty exciting to be at the Warehouse and hear that classes after 1:30pm were canceled for the day. I ended up finishing up my work anyway, and then went with Sam to Kitty Hoyne's in Armory Square for a great lunch. At home, Allie and I both scheduled our photography sessions for portfolio and researched different portfolio books. We're going today to look at a local art store that carries one of the brands we like.

Getting my hair cut tomorrow and having a dishwasher installed today! Good times.

Project Inventory

Just for my own peace of mind, here's the list of every 450 CMD project I've done since I've been here...

1. 4 Eyes- safety glasses for digital screens (for kids) - packaging
2. Awair- waterless cleaning solutions (save the world) - website
3. After Image- personal legacy creator (families) - kit
4. Frivol- brainteasers (adults?) - packaging
5. Flow- literary hip-hop magazine
6. Ecobus- mobile nature museum (for kids) - exhibit
7. SPAM- rebrand - packaging
8. CS Infinity- Design Musical - set design & publication/brochure
9. GNN- Good News Now - website/iPad publication & television show
10. Momosa- Vitamin Mocktails for the Mom-to-be - packaging
11. Beefcake- Muscle Building Meals (for men) - packaging
12. ElderCab- Car Service for Elderly People - publication
13. Confectionary Tales- all natural sweetshop (for kids)- in-store environment

14. The Hub- website, wall, etc.
15. Near Westside Initiative

S*** Just Got Real

This week in portfolio class, our professors arranged for two professional photographers to come talk to us about shooting our finished work for our portfolios. It was really amazing to see how great the students' past projects looked when professional lit and photographed, but it was also a huge wake-up call for me. Photography is supposed to start after Spring Break, which means I have only a few weeks to get my act together and redo/finish several of my projects (on top of all my other work).

List of DOOM (for this weekend):
Momosa: create labels for two more flavors, print, and assemble
SPAM: design new options for packaging
Frivol: figure out what I need to add to this project to MAKE IT WORK
ElderCab: figure out name & finish brochure
Confectionary Tales: construct variations for in-store environment & write rhymes

Ok, I think that's enough to put on my plate for this weekend. To balance it out I will be attending the Drag Show Finals tonight (in which my friend Tim will be performing) and the Vagina Monologues on Saturday (in which my friend Brianna is the director!) Hopefully, that will be enough to keep me sane!

Who Are You? Who, who? Who, who? I really want'a know!

This week in CMD 452 (Portfolio Class), our assignment was a personal branding exercise-- generating several different logos using our names and/or initials. It was exciting to see how everyone represented themselves through their designs, but it seemed like people were a bit too "safe" with what they put on the board. I actually got a pretty positive reaction towards my one logo (probably because I put up work that ranged from the serious to the ridiculous) but I also think it was because I had Casey do a Tarot reading & Astrological Analysis for me earlier! Our next mission is to refine our logos & pick three words to describe us, so let me know if you have any suggestions for me!

My CommDesign has taken over my life...

AND I LOVE IT!

This week in portfolio class, we were given the task of researching potential employers. In a way, it was very reminiscent of the college-searching process in that it's an ongoing process and it will determine our immediate future path. Yikes!

I really had a lot of trouble with this assignment because, right now, I have no limits. I'm willing to work in any city, so I haven't narrowed it down by location, and I can really see myself designing in a number of different media, so I'm not set on only doing package design or web design. Luckily, the professors are giving us another two weeks to get it together. The top ten companies from the class are going to be invited to our portfolio showing at Lubin House and students in the past have often been offered jobs from the event.

Switching gears, I'm designing a car service/personal assistant for elderly people in 450 as my first project, and I'm (hopefully) teaming up with Sam to design an all-natural candy shop. I'm really excited for creating the candy shop and really stuck on coming up with a name for the car service. Any and all ideas/suggestions are welcome at this point...

Looks like I have a lot of work to do this weekend.

Portfolio & Practice

This week in my portfolio class, I was chosen to put up a mini version of my entire portfolio for the class to review and critique. I was a bit nervous to see all of my work together for the first time since I'm always hyper-critical of my own work, but the response from the class was very positive. Bill called my work very thoughtful and deep, while Bob commented on my strong writing skills. It's so amazing to see the work I've been doing for three years come together in a final portfolio. I know that when I graduate, I will be coming out with an outstanding portfolio, in which every project within was art deliberately chosen and art directed by me. It sounds a bit dramatic to say, but the portfolio you create at Syracuse's Communications Design program is very much a visible/tangible piece of your soul.