A Designer's LifeStrategies for a successful career in graphic communications

Agenda• Overview

• About Me!

• 3Ms

• Landing Your First Job

• Careers

• Lifelong Learning

• Resources

• Entrepreneurship

• Q&A

Bio

Ron Lewis is the principal partner in the firm Lewis Design

Group, a Charlotte, North Carolina digital creative agency that

specializes in corporate communication assignments.

Prior to launching Lewis Design Group Mr. Lewis worked for the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte as the graphics

coordinator for the university’s Media Services department. Prior

corporate experience includes five years as art director at

Bertrand Advertising in Hollywood, California where he worked

on a wide variety of recruitment accounts for clients in defense,

hospitality, utilities and financial services. Additional experience

included a stint at Nissan Motors Corporation of North America

in Carson, California as a graphics illustrator.

Mr. Lewis’s work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times, New

York Times, Chicago Tribune, Hartford Courant, and the Dallas

Morning News, as well as various industry trade publications. He

was featured on the small business television show Making It,

sponsored by Bank of America and published in Micro

Publishing News.

Mr. Lewis is a graduate of San Diego State University with a

B.A. in Graphic Communications. He has also taught courses in

graphic design and web development at the University of North

Carolina at Charlotte and Central Piedmont Community College.

Go SDSU!

VS

What is graphic design?

• Graphic design, also known as

communication design, is the art and

science of planning and projecting

ideas and experiences with visual and

textual content. The form of the

communication can be physical or

virtual, and may include images,

words, audio or graphic elements.

3MsMessage, Market, Media

Adherence to these principles doesn't necessarily insure success,

but failure in any one of these areas almost always spells doom.

Message

• Have a clear understanding of

what your message is.

Market

• Have a clear understanding of

your target market. For example,

what do they like?, how do they

behave?, etc.)

Media

• Have a clear understanding of

how to reach your audience.

Media

Essence Vanity Fair

What it takes to land a job

Them YOU

Resume

PortfolioPortfolio

Resume

Video

LinkedIn

Website

Careers• Production Artist

• Graphic Designer

• Art Director

• Creative Director

• Motion Graphic Artist

• 3D Designer

• Web Interface Designer

• UX/UI Designer

• Industrial Design

• Interactive Designer

• Packaging Designer

• Publication Designer

Embrace Change

Commit to Lifelong Learning

"Once you stop learning you start dying."

– Albert Einstein

Resources

• American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA)

• lynda.com

• udemy.com

• LinkedIn groups

Running A Design Business

Running A Design Business

• What type of work do you want to do?

• What legal structure should you setup?

• How big do you want to be?

• Know why you want to go into business

• Recruit your Big 3

• Be honest about startup costs

Summary• Commit to your craft

• Design with the 3Ms principle in mind

• Commit to lifelong learning

• Be open to change

• Learn as much about business as you do

design