456 graphic design
institute o f agr iculture
pr ac t i cum
zared davis
table of contents interviews and agriculture campus
01
job jackets and coworkers
09
printers and communication
23
milan and expectations
33
annual report and input
43
invitations and clients
55
experience and the future
69
01
interviews and agriculture campus
may 01
interviews and agriculture campus Interviews don’t really bug me. I have interviewed many times. Only a week prior to my Interview with UTIA did I have an interview with the infamous Scripps. Unfortunately for me, the job demanded a lot of an animator, and another applicant was far superior to me in that area. However, the feedback I received not only left me hope and inspiration, but also prepared me for interviews ahead. While I aimed for the technologically endowed Scripps, I was equally impressed with the University’s Institute of Agriculture.
03
interviews and agriculture campus
may 01
The Interview, itself, was a good experience. We meet in a boardroom much like you’d see on television. The long, glossy table made me worry that my audience may be more then I could handle. However, once it was time for the interview, Jean Hulsey appeared as my only interviewer. She was quick to let me know that the Marketing and Communications section of UTIA were moving. I fumbled around words, as usual, but felt confident about the work I provided as proof of my worthiness to work with the agriculture department. I felt a bit cocky showing off my work, as though I was trying to sell someone on my ideas. It made me nervous at times, as though I was doing something wrong. Jean’s body language and interest relieved me.
05
interviews and agriculture campus
As my brief show and tell wrapped up, Jean gave me a run down of what the position required, and revealed of the misconception and overlooking of what the Agriculture campus really is. I didn’t understand what she meant, but I would come to know. I haven’t had much experience with the Agriculture campus itself. It was like being in a completely unfamiliar area, albeit within walking distance of the main campus.
may 01
University of Tennessee Agriculture Campus; Morgan Hall. .
07
interviews and agriculture campus
b rea kd ow n preparation and produc tion
dif ficult y
may 01
research practicum oppritunities contact jean hulsey revise portfolio and resume interview with jean hulsey
09
job jackets and coworkers
june 30 - august 05
job jackets
and coworkers
While the interview left me with the impression that the job would be all business, the true nature of the Marketing and Communications department is more like a family. Jordan, my fellow intern, and I were quickly introduced to a cast of colorful individuals. All were floating about, moving into their new spaces. They were clearly excited about their new workspace, but took time to have a one-on-one conversation with me. This was an extremely helpful moment, as I have tendency to forget faces and names in a heartbeat.
11
job jackets and coworkers
As the meetings came to close, I found out quickly how projects work in this kind of environment. Let me start off by saying that work circulates through this workplace. Projects bounce to-and-fro from editor to reviewer, reviewer to editor. I was quickly piling up “job jackets”. Job jackets are the archived changes to a job in progress or completed job. Provided within them are a couple of copies of the job. In my case, the jobs were Fact Sheets. The pages were stained with editor marks, and it was my job to rid the document of it’s blemishes. Logos updated, words corrected, and disclaimers added. This was my job for not one, but dozens of job. As the editors, April Moore, Kirshe Rogers, and Jean finished reviewing for mistakes, it was my duty to make corrections where necessary.
june 30 - august 05
Quite frankly, I was in awe that they could spot such little mistakes. Once I made my edits, I returned the jobs to be interviewed again. 100% of the time, revisions were needed again. It became a ritual of adjusting, printing, and resubmitting jobs for review. All of this process is documented on the Job Jacket.
13
job jackets and coworkers
june 30 - august 05
Morgan Hall, Room 104; Intern’s Shared Workspace
15
job jackets and coworkers
june 30 - august 05
17
job jackets and coworkers
june 30 - august 05
Each job jacket is a large envelope with a form on the font. Each one is unique, and easily identified by it’s Job No. These numbers are logged online, along with the .PDF version of the working job. When a under review, a job is placed in it’s job jacket, and sent to the proper area. This process is then recorded on the front. Once reviewed, a job will be edited, and resent for review. This is a repetative process that will end with several proofs. The final working job is placed on a CD and stored with the proofs. With this, the job can be referenced, or edited simply by finding the Job No. online, and updated as needed.
page 15, 16; Job Jacket page 17, 18; Job Jacket and Content
19
job jackets and coworkers
b rea kd ow n preparation and produc tion
dif ficult y
june 30 - august 05
retrieve job jackets edit files send to review repeat last two steps upload to ag website contact client for approval
21
printers and communication
july 01 - july 28
printers and communications
Questions are a dire part of this job. While I took care of minor revisions, I was also put in charge of a search team. A printer was desperately needed. We needed a new one fast, but had very little leads.
23
printers and communication
july 01 - july 28
Due to the University of Tennessee’s strict guidelines on purchasing equipment, I found this task to be extremely difficult. As we were unsure of our contractual standing with the dead printer, it was my job to find a printer we could rent or lease. Our previous leaser, PBM, left no trace of their business. Their phone, email, and even website were gone. Jean was helpful in this predicament. Although she was as troubled by our situation with the old printer, she gave me advice that lead me to contact several companies, as well as my professors. With determination, and luck, we found that not only did PBM move their company, but that another company in the area already had contracts with the campus.
25
printers and communication
Dan Hale is a businessman. There’s no doubt about it. The way he speaks and his mannerisms are inviting, but insistent. He is the manger of Paxis, the company that holds several contracts with the Agriculture campus. After dozens of emails, and a couple of meetings, we found ourselves to be in good standings with him. He would not only help us out of our old contact, but made promises of assisting our every need. Before we could sign off on anything, however, it was important to go through all sources.
july 01 - july 28
Amy Neff was an important person to contact, as she is our financial advisor. She not only takes care of our budget, but also is a big part of looking over contracts. I found my best use of time was to constantly contact our potential producers. Emails, follow up emails, calls, voicemails; I had all the power in these negotiations through little communication. This contact lasted over weeks. It was my job to make sure not only Jean and I were in good sittings with the companies, but that the Marketing and Communication Department was on the same page as far as a printer was concerned.
27
printers and communication
july 01 - july 28
contracts and invoices; PBM 2013, PBM 2014, Paxis 2014
29
printers and communication
During the search for a new printer, I found my second home at our conference table. While we were most familiar with it as our lunch table, it was the spot of many negociations. This is where I first spoke to Paxis manager, Dan Hale, outside of email, and was able to listen in on his sales pitch for our printing situation. This was one of my first moments sitting in on a meeting, and would prove to be very important. The week of July 20th, I found myself to be in a position of power, as Jean was out of town. I met with PBM representative, Chris Peace, and lead the conversation about what we had been offered from other companies, along with what we had experienced in the past with PBM.
Morgan Hall, Room 104 Conference Table
july 01 - july 28
31
job jackets and coworkers
b rea kd ow n preparation and produc tion
dif ficult y
june 30 - august 05
research previous printer contact outdated leaser research printers call connections for leads set up meeting with dan hale negociate (with supervisor) transfer contract for review set up meeting with chris Peace negociate (without supervisor) transfer contract for review
33
milan and expec tations
july 23 - july 28
milan and expectations
At this point, this internship has far exceeded my expectations. Not only have I been able to work independently, but I’ve been able to problem solve in a trial-by-fire process. I feel far more confident in my ability to problem solve through communication. I feel that I have impressed my coworkers with the solutions I’ve provided.
35
milan and expec tations
Milan No-Till; Spare the Plow, Save the Soil. This is the 2014 field day and Tour Report for the UT AgResearch. While I wasn’t invite to join the festivities, I was now able to move onto my first job outside of remedial editing and following up emails. Unlike the Fact Sheets, I had a little more control of what happened to the Milan Pamphlet. As most of our jobs are based on the web, my only real worry was to set up the file in a way that would be easily read in a .PDF form. This was an easy task, and while I wish I could say I did more for this project, it was my first job that I felt I had control over.
july 23 - july 28
Handy information when working with a client: ag.tennessee.edu simple URL; There is absolutely no need to put a “http://” at the front of a URL, or a “/” at the end. This is placed on the last page above the logo to remind clients of the site.
standard logos; Nothing helps more then having readily made logos only folders away. I found that you can get away as little as: a left aligned logo and centered aligned logo, both in color, pure white, and pure black. These will fit most every situation.
W 123 07/13 (Rev) XX-XXXX consistent system; if you have a system in place, orginization becomes a lot easier. Take for example these series of numbers. Instead of listing a title, each job is givin a number such as “W 123”, the “w” standing for “web”. If you have revised the job, you simply add the date and (Rev), so you know it’s not orginial. Lastly, if you keep it in a job jacket, you’ll list it by “year (dash) job jacket number”.
37
milan and expec tations
july 23 - july 28
While my job didn’t require too much effort, it was definately a task I would not have been able to complete without the repetative nature of editing jobs and filing job jackets. I found the best practice to editing the information provided, and updated accordingly. There were the obvious changes to the tour report, such as date and time, but the not so obvious came easily to me with the experience I had gained.
Milian No-Till; First Proof
39
milan and expec tations
Milian No-Till; Last Proof and .INDD file
july 23 - july 28
41
milan and expec tations
b rea kd ow n preparation and produc tion
dif ficult y
july 23 - july 28
update file send to review
43
annual repor t and input
july 28 - august 01
annual repor t and providing input
I think it’s pretty safe to say this was the project I had the most fun with. While I can’t take credit for the images and information provided in the booklet, with a bit of a color change, this book has taken a step forward.
45
annual repor t and input
The Extensions Annual Report gives a yearly overview of the Agriculture Campus’ funds, and who we have raised the funds from. This was a learning process, as I had to take information from and Excel file and transfer it to an Illustrator file, then InDesign. My first job was to update the color scheme. This is my chance. This is my time to show that I can apply my knowledge as a designer to update the bland and dreary Annual Report. This is the biggest improvement I can make to the job. Not only does changing the color scheme help the chancellor distinguish the new and old booklets, but bring life to an otherwise aged booklet of information.
july 28 - august 01
The report is riddled pie charts, graphs, and other information that needs to be updated. However, simply adjusting the text wont do. I had to take to illustrator to create new graphs. Once complete, a mock up was printed out, cut down, and off to be reviewed. Not only did I get praise from my coworkers, but several visitors who helped review the new booklet praised me as well. This was certainly a confidence booster, and reassurance that I was doing the marketing and communications department proud.
47
annual repor t and input
Extensions Annual Report; Fiscal Year appropriantions proof two and three
july 18 - august 01
$6.72 million
$4.76 million
$7.09 million $6.72 million $7.09 million
Fiscal Year 2014; Pie Charts with Updated Color Scheme
$4.76 million $9.56 million $29.82 million
$9.56 million $29.82 million 303,484 103,378 303,484 2,491,872 103,378 2,102,912
2,491,872 2,102,912
49
annual repor t and input
Extensions Annual Report; 2012 final proof, original color scheme
july 28 - august 01
51
annual repor t and input
Extensions Annual Report; 2013 final proof, updated color scheme
july 28 - august 01
53
annual repor t and input
b rea kd ow n preparation and produc tion
dif ficult y
july 28 - august 01
update information update color send to review create prototype
55
invitations and clients
july 21 - july 27
invitations
and clients
While my last project was extremely fun, this one was extremely stressful. Not only was there a time strain on this project, but the client demanded a lot of edits for our short time period. Let me start from the beginning.
57
invitations and clients
As usual, I was invited to sit in on a project meeting. Little did I know that the project would be handed off to me. The project turned out to be an invitation for the 50th anniversary of the Department of Forest, Wildlife, and Fishery. The client was very sweet, complimenting a job she had received a year prior. Luckily for me, we archived the previous job, which was also an invitation. Using the previous invitation, the client pointed out some things she would like to change, and even provided a glorious picture of a black bear. It was very shortly after that April Moore delivered the information to be transplanted onto the invitation. With this information, black bear picture, and a few standard logos, I was able to whip up an invitation in no time flat. This project also demanded an RSVP card. We were sneaking up on a weekend, and with the project deadline coming up fast, I spent most of my time working on the invitation.
july 21 - july 27
The weekend had passed, and with no feedback from the client, I started on the RSVP card, which had been filled with information, and very little room for visuals. This time without client feedback was a good opportunity to get feedback from my editors, April Moore and Kirche Rogers. They seemed pleased with the overall invitation, and asked that I also review the invitation with the last invitation designer, Gabe Clemons.
59
invitations and clients
july 21 - july 27
After discussing me concerns with certain parts of the invitation, Gabe gave great feedback. It was shortly after that I would receive my first of many, many emails from the client. Additions, subtractions, substitutions; everything you could imagine that could be edited on an invitation had been edited. Although I was the messenger between client and editors, Kirshe beat me to the punch on an very important matter. In order for us to deliver the job to the printers, we had to get any final details finished and over with. One last edit allowed me to package my InDesign files and deliver them to the proper destinations, i.e. the printers.
61
invitations and clients
july 21 - july 27
FWF Inivitation; all seven proofs
63
invitations and clients
FWF Inivitation; final proof
july 21 - july 27
65
invitations and clients
FWF RSVP; final proof
july 21 - july 27
67
invitations and clients
b rea kd ow n preparation and produc tion
dif ficult y
july 21 - july 27
attend meeting layout design organize information send to review edit file repeat last two steps contact client for approval edit file repeat last foursteps send to printers
69
experience and the future
may 1 - august 05
experience
and the future
While I had been able to take on more complex jobs, I was also exposed to some of the other areas of the Marketing and Communication department. This involved a workshop, farmers market, and even hearing out potential CASNR employment.
71
experience and the future
My first experience was before I even started my internship. I was invited to join a day-long workshop that invited out-of-the box thinking. Steve Rivkin, the head of this workshop, invited us to work in groups, problem solve, and even act as advertisers. This was not only a moment for me to work with my future coworkers, but also learn about the UTAI’s Extension Program. While it makes complete sense in hindsight, I had no idea how far the agriculture campus’ hands spread over the whole of Tennessee.
may 1 - august 05
My next opportunity was to sit in on a meeting with Pinnacle, who would be our providers for giveaways during events. For example, some of the giveaways included pens, ear buds, and a rubber-wallet that sticks to phones. This was my first real experience with providing feedback to my coworkers, and providers. After that, I was asked to attend an event that I had no idea even existed on campus: the farmers market. Just at the end of the gardens sets a nice little open space for tents to be hoisted and produce to be sold. I helped hoist a tent not to sell the biggest vegetables I’ve ever seen, but collect them. Grow More Give More is a small part of the entire Ag Campus that simply asks for the donation of surplus vegetables to be given to non-profit organizations. It takes very little effort to set up, stand out, and collect the vegetables. That means it’s a very rewarding job with very little effort.
73
experience and the future
Lastly, I was able to provide my input on the search for a new CASNR student recruiter. While there were three contenders for the position, only two showed up, both of which made me reflect on my own presentation abilities. I found myself editing them mentally, and this is where I felt I have improved the most over the years as a Designer. After presentations, the Marketing and Communications team was able to sit down with the two contenders and ask them questions about the campus. They spoke of website overhauls, and YouTube videos. It was very exciting to heard of these changes, as the Ag Campus website had been an uninviting hope during my time as an intern.
may 1 - august 05
My future is now open to many more possibilities thanks to this experience, and connections. If I could change one thing about this practicum, it would only be to work there longer. Unfortunately, the summer is short. It was extremely nice being able to work a nice 7-8 hour job daily, and regularly. I found the routineness of it comforting, and knowing I would be coming to a place of business that was much more like a family then a department. I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t miss it. With a little more experience, maybe that would be open to inviting me back.
summer 2014