Work Experience Reflection: Visual Communication Designer - Essay Example

WORK EXPERIENCE REFLECTION: VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGNER Task: Work Experience Reflection: Visual Communication Designer Company’s purpose and objectives NEC Corporation is an IT firm based in Europe. The Company avails essential solutions to IT challenges facing private and public enterprises. The Company serves the local and international clients providing them with graphic and communication services. NEC’s main intent is to develop a firm, which provides appropriate IT solutions to the world. The Company sells their services to governmental, commercial and other organizations. Mission The Company mission is to utilize technological developments in addressing real life problems and in developing profitable models through encouraging superb advancements. To achieve this, the Company strongly invites and encourages innovativeness and creativity in their team. The spirit, which has seen the Company emerge as a chief provider of IT, related services and enterprise solutions. My experience at NEC By good chance, I managed to secure a position in the Company as a visual communication designer. It is a great privilege to work in the environment provided by the Company. In the Company, I am engaged in many activities ranging from performing animations, motion and graphic designs and video management. Visual designers utilize demonstrations in delivering crucial messages or for entertainment purposes (Gunnar 2007). As per the Company’s theme, graphic designing is a job, which requires an innovative and a creative mind. This is the world that the company has introduced me to enabling me realize my excellent potential. Initially, I had a constricted observation of the field, and I had a notion that the industry has a minimal venture. I generally viewed the industry as an entertainment gamble. However, NEC Corporation has taught me that with a creative mind, the concept can easily navigate into all aspects of life. Moreover, the carrier has potential of sourcing momentous earnings from all sectors of the economy. Presently, electronic media experience an encouraging growth rate. The idea of presenting advertisement placards by manual painting is an out fashioned practice. Currently, there exists designing software, which has made the production of digital designs possible that are reproducible (Gunnar 2007). Designing is more of a fun play than a career; however, I am glad that, through my hobby, I can add value to the society while earning a living. With an open mind, a designer can establish wandering prospects. The society is in need of designers’ services, and we are bound to utilize our abilities in building the community. We never realize the potential residing within us until we get it playing. Unfortunately, many people never get a chance to unveil their full abilities. NEC has motivated me to venture into the field and has given me an opportunity to unleash my special skills. An important endeavor that the company has introduced me to is the marketing section. I have learnt how to employ graphics in effecting prominent products promotions. For instance, I was able to design the Coca-Cola “Tasting is Believing” graphics, which fueled the campaigns to great levels. The Coca-Cola Company witnessed a progressive increase in sales out of this simple promotion. Marketing is a component that challenges most businesses due to stiff competitions. Evidently, the visual arts provide a reasonable solution to the embattled world. Development of comparatively cheaper models that are highly influential would be a reasonable approach (Milligan & Rogers 2006). Additionally, the model is effective in marketing other ideas such as promoting environmental conservation propaganda. The media are dynamic industry that needs to remain lively to maintain clients. I have developed news presentation backups for local broadcasts that have attracted reasonable viewers. However, handling activities in this sector is challenging since novelty is essential in the business (Heller & Fernandez 2006). One of the principles guiding the NEC Corporation activities is developing creative minds. Creativity is central to novelty; therefore, an opportunity in the Company has helped me to comfortably suit in competitive sectors like the media industry. Mainly, in the course of our endeavors we ought to face challenges that tend to limit our performances. Consequently, having the ability to solve problems is a character necessary in life and it is only by utilizing creativity that we are able to develop superb solutions. Additionally, the job has impelled me to the education sector where I have utilized my Visual Art skills in simplifying the teaching process. Some subjects such as Biology demand demonstration of sophisticated process. Explaining such process using words only is associated with serious difficulties. On the course of my job, I have embraced the Company’s motto of being a ‘solution’ to the society. I have staged demonstrative graphics to numerous institutions an idea, which is a receiving a positive attention among clients. Schools have bought and currently using my customized demonstrative animations. Thanks to NEC Corporations, I can now comfortably integrate my learnt skills in solving real life challenges. Recently, I have engaged the Hospitality Department with my concept of utilizing visual graphics in boosting the sector. I have developed documentaries covering beautiful scenes in the country. Hospitality is an industry, which if utilized effectively can lead to sizeable economic growth. The trend is proving that my advertisement documentaries are exerting a positive impact on the industry. Technology is advancing extensively and populations utilizing the system continue to grow big. Websites are presently common economical and social sites. With such a drift, designing websites is currently a competitive endeavor. Developing such sites invites the application of graphic concepts. However, this is a demanding endeavor and success in the ground is attributable to the designer’s commitment (Milligan & Rogers 2006). The Company has motivated me in engaging commitment in my ventures a factor that has fueled me to great success levels. Challenges Encountered The carrier is however, accompanied with numerous challenges. The greatest challenge comes with the idea of quality. Observing quality is a mandatory practice while in the field (Heller & Fernandez 2006). Convincing clients with budget-oriented mind to finance essential components for producing quality graphics is difficult. A quality production may invite auxiliary professionals like those that provide copy writing and photo shooting service. However, a client working at minimizing the cost may not be enthusiastic to pay for these services hence compromising the production process. Exerting influential bargaining powers is the solution to this challenge. It is ideal to engage the customer to fund essential stages for the production, for its better failing to secure a production than giving out poor quality. Indeed, a visual designer needs to have excellent communication tactics. Another serious challenge is time constraints. Frequently, am supposed to convene strict deadlines provided by the clients. Contracts with industries such as those involved in daily publishing are associated with considerable pressures. Importantly, the visual designing is a performance-based career (Milligan & Rogers 2006). Therefore, the profitably of the job is defined by the number of contracts secured. This means, career demands the designer to secure multiple contracts simultaneously, a factor that stiffens time forces. With the question of quality, a time constraint is a great challenge. However, since the challenge is apparent while in the field, accepting the situation and fighting towards managing the challenge without complaining is the only solution. This gives one a relaxed and a comfortable mood that boosts the performance. Additionally, designing job entails searching and presenting ideas that one thinks will be appealing to his clients. There is no standard way of establishing a great idea and identifying customer’s response is not easy. Every client has different expectations and personal preferences. Therefore, satisfying divergent customers’ needs is challenging. Regularly, one faces solemn criticisms, which are so discouraging. To survive these forces, one must avoid taking criticism on heart. Consequently, one needs to take criticism positively and capitalize on them in building a strong tomorrow. As discussed earlier, the industry is so heterogeneous and requires innovative ideas. The field continues to advance daily, which means that designers needs to get harder as well. Company’s portfolios need frequent updates but only designers who outshine others secure contracts. Stiff rivalry present, hence demands one to offer intriguing and artistic ideas to remain competitive. This is a challenging venture (Heller & Fernandez 2006). However, a persistence effort and inviting creativity can help one emerge a victor. Lastly, perfectionism is an internal factor that undermines my performance in the sector. Besides clients’ expectations, I always have personal levels that I demand to attain. Although perfectionism is imperative in promoting quality, the virtue greatly reduces my outputs. The trait makes me consume a lot of time before finishing the project since I need to access and re-access the project, a process that is tedious. Lessons Learnt The work environment has trained me various great ideas that initially I did not know. Firstly, I have realized that failure provides a foundation to success. Only people who are self-motivated and those that take challenges positively emerge the winners. However, success is built in a long and a tedious process hence persistence is essential. Criticisms and challenges are obvious in daily endeavors, nevertheless, these should not be discouraging factors but it is ideal to utilize them as building blocks for establishing a better future. Additionally, we hold strong potentials that can front us to great victory levels but we fail to stand and face challenges. Opportunities are at our disposal hence if we engage creativity, we can develop superb ideas providing us with individual and societal benefits. Lastly, teamwork is an important, which we can utilize to build our productivity. People have different talents hence seeking each other’s assistance is an ideal practice. Teamwork makes us reap communal benefits hence improving our performances; we all need each other anyway. However, I have noted that, in the work field few people are less cooperative and greatly undermine their co-workers’ efforts. This is common among the higher management who sometimes fails to endorse their junior’s success. In conclusion, working at NEC Corporation has introduced me to great experiences. Besides helping me build my career, the organization has provided me with an excellent learning field. Out of the work practice am now broad-minded person who can handle life’s challenges comfortably and one who can navigate to all aspects of life with ease. List of References Gunnar, S., 2007, Graphic Design Education as a Liberal Art: Design and Knowledge in the University and the "Real World", Design Issues, 10, 1, JSTOR SRU gateway, EBSCOhost, viewed 23 April 2012. Heller, S., & Fernandez , T., 2006, Becoming a graphic designer: a guide to careers in design, John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken Milligan, A, & Rogers, J 2006, Experience design and artifacts after the fact, Codesign, 2, 2, pp. 89-96, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 23 April 2012 Read More