The University welcomed back one of its own when alumnus Brian Hock came to campus to speak as a part of the inaugural graphic design Alumni Lecture Series on Friday.
Hock is a co-founder of a site called designerID.com, a social networking site for designers that allows them to post their work and share it with others.
Graphic design students like Jen Schrock, senior, are excited to have the site to display their work and to see what other designers are creating.
‘Created what could be a Web site more fascinating than Facebook,’ Schrock said.
Knowing the right people is something Hock said is very important when getting into the field, and designerID can help students develop networks with other people in the graphic design field.
‘Getting out of college is about who you know,’ Hock said.
Hock started his presentation by telling each person to stand up and meet someone they didn’t know to show the importance of communicating with new people.
‘The one thing I hope you take away from this more than anything else, is the power of networking and meeting people and putting these actions to use,’ Hock said.
One feature the site has that makes senior Rochelle Semon want to sign up is the job search tool.
‘I’ve been meaning to get on there,’ Semon said. ‘I want to look at the other designers’ work and look for jobs.’
The site also features video and written interviews with designers from all over the world.
To be a good designer, students need to be passionate and he recommends joining design groups and making their voices heard in those groups.
‘You got to be actively involved to get anything out of what you’re doing,’ Hock said.
Having a portfolio of your work is important, and updating it after getting your diploma will help designers succeed.
‘After you’ve graduated, keep doing work,’ Hock said. ‘Your portfolio isn’t done after graduation.’
Hock also told the designers to rely more on their minds and skills than on computers.
‘Don’t use programs to dictate your design,’ Hock said. ‘Think and then sketch, don’t just rely on programs.’
