MIND THE GAP

This week’s Workshop Challenge asks us to investigate and identify our skills as graphic designers as well as any gaps.

MY SKILLS

as a graphic designer, and in my work as a creative director:

adobe creative suite
advocacy
active listening
articulating ideas
belief
brainstorming
bullshit detector
concepting
creativity
curiosity
design foundations
editorial design
emotional intelligence
empathy
endurance
flexible
giving critical feedback
good instincts
hope
intuition
marketing
motivating others
observing
project management
print production
receiving critical feedback
self awareness
typography

MY GAPS

Note: items in bold italics are gaps that are areas of most need, or most significant gaps:

alternative perspectives
animation
art & design history
boldness
confidence
desire
effective storytelling
experimentation
exploration
inspiration
letterpress
linocut
making
mentorship
networking
patience
persuasive
photography
proactive outreach
procrastination
saying “no.”
side projects
social design
videography
willing to take risks
workload management

APPROACH

In reviewing my list, it occurred to me that my skills tracked well to the body’s anatomy. Further, my highschool fascination with the medical illustrations in Grey’s Anatomy compelled me to make an infographic poster using an illustration style that I’d never attempted before to portray my skills and their respective gaps. No better time than the present to tackle those gaps (exploration, experimentation, etc.)

This started with a quick doodle paired with the list to map each skill to a different area of the body (head, heart, back, hands, etc.)

Then a rough sketch of my self-portrait.

FINAL PIECE

Inspired by the poster designs of James Victore, I decided to make a poster for my final piece. I chose a color palette that was electric, a illustration style that was fluid and more abstract. For my skills, I chose to use white as the color to signify the most concrete or solidified of my skills. Using two hues of blue from the illustration to indicate my gaps: the darker the blue, the wider the gap.

The Anatomy of Graphic Designer, Kris Miller