Re: One month ago----Looking back

Looking, back---it seems like yesterday. These months have flown by. What I learned in the first week of SHM was the politics of an office. I learned about all the different elements behind the scenes that support and drive the SHM brand. From finance, marketing, PR, Membership/Outreach, Education (in our case), Technology, etc. I quickly observed that each department is crucially dependant upon one another. I also oberserved that each individual has a large amount of accountablilty and responsibility. The information that I found to be most useful was the file completion/printer process. I learned things concerning type, photo resolution, spot coloring, packaging a file, file compability, and just simply learning how to communicate with a printer. Printers have varying, but very particular specs on how they receive files. Working with Nadia really made me accustomed to the designer-to-printer dialogue. I made a few mistakes when sending files out to printer, but in the midst of my error, I learned. The one thing that would be beneficial to this experience is collaboration with the web design team. I had mentioned this at our MA/fulltimer lunch. I think that exposure to the web sect is crucial, considering the technological era we are in. It is a good way for a designer to broaden his/her skill set, making them an even more valuable to asset to future employers. I feel like I have been pretty isolated from that department. I have definitely grown from this experience at SHM. I have increased my sensitivity to target audiences, adapted to working in a corporate environement, and have come to know some great people.