03
Nov 2019
0

A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way To My Second Act…

For the past 5 years, I’ve been working from home on corporate contracts providing UI/UX Design for online

A Funny Thing Happened To Me On The Way To My Second Act…

Career Melanie Green

For the past 5 years, I’ve been working from home on corporate contracts providing UI/UX Design for online platforms. And I love it. In fact, I’ve spent most of this year changing the focus of my career away from Entertainment and toward what I imagined to be more meaningful projects in the Non-Profit Arts, News, Technology and Science industries.

As my Simmons contract of over 2 years was coming to an end I was trying not to panic. I was busy contacting people and applying for jobs, and doing all the things you’re supposed to do when looking for work. Then, out of the blue I got a text from a friend and co-worker… Her client at Apple TV+ was looking for a Production Artist/Designer to support the Creative Team in charge of all Apple’s new streaming service shows and would I be interested? I responded instantly, surprising even myself, hell yes I’d be interested!

My Simmons contract ended August 31 and on September 16 I was working a full time contract at Apple. Many people might think I took a step back in career terms. After all I was moving away from Entertainment, not towards it. And I loved working from home but now I’d be in an office 40+ hours every week.

The true irony of the situation is that I LOVE it! Yes I loved working from home, but I never realized how much I enjoy working in a hectic, frenzied creative environment on something as huge as Apple’s new streaming service. I feel completely revitalized and connected to current culture. And it’s Apple! I live my life on Apple products so this is just such a great fit for me.

This experience also reminded me that’s it’s not what you know but who you know that makes the biggest difference in looking for work. Thinking back, with maybe 2 exceptions, every job I’ve had in my 30+ year career came from either knowing somebody or being referred by somebody. And yes, there’s also an element of luck involved. I am truly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to make my contribution to the world of entertainment. And I’m happy to discover that I still have more to contribute!

31
Mar 2019
1

Designer Brain

When I was studying Design in college there were no computers. We relied on t-squares, drafting boards, rubber

Designer Brain

Career, Ruminations Melanie Green

When I was studying Design in college there were no computers. We relied on t-squares, drafting boards, rubber cement and x-acto knives to bring our designs to life. We drew our own icons and letters using Rapidograph pens. I spent an entire semester arranging a dozen black squares of different sizes in a big white square to learn the visual dynamics of shape.

After I graduated and got my first job at The Village Voice, the paper was still produced using galley text and paste-up. At first there was a guy who set the headlines one letter at a time using an optical printer! By the time I moved to Los Angeles, we had advanced to setting our own headlines on CRT monitors using string commands.

My first jobs working in Entertainment Design featured color copiers, stat cameras and air brushing. My first experience with WYSIWYG computers was a MacPlus that we set type on. Photoshop was a glorious  invention, but it didn’t have layers at first so if you pasted a head onto another body, there was no going back.

Flash forward to now and I can’t imagine designing without Adobe Creative Suite, HTML/CSS and the hundreds of other hardware and software tools available. Times change and technology advances and we have to advance with it. In fact I love Photoshop like it’s a member of my family. But, my most important tool, the one I use the most, every day on every project, is my brain.

Saul Bass once said, “Design is thinking made visual.” I love that statement as it sums everything up so elegantly. Leave it to the master. For me, design without thought is mere decoration. I select from my whole arsenal of tools for every project, but first and foremost, I engage my brain every time.

09
Mar 2019
0

Design Matters

There’s a saying in the creative industry that you have to pay your dues before you can pay

Design Matters

Career, Ruminations Melanie Green

There’s a saying in the creative industry that you have to pay your dues before you can pay your bills. Well I’ve paid my dues, and I’ve been fortunate enough to pay my bills. Now I find myself looking around and wondering what’s next for me. With over 30 years in Art Direction and Design, I’ve earned a significant amount of creative capital, and I want to spend it in a way that matters.

It seems my career has come full circle since what originally attracted me to Graphic Design was the idea of visually communicating useful information to a wider audience. As I look toward my next project, I’m thinking about things that are important to me; art, music, education, social justice, diversity, health & wellness, the environment, scientific advances… And I’m trying to figure out how best to contribute my talents. The good news is that design is design. It doesn’t matter if it’s corporate, entertainment, publishing, digital or print. With design, the message is the medium. That’s why I love it.

So I’m officially launching my own exploratory committee to see how I can combine making a living with making life better for everyone. I welcome any positive ideas and feedback from my friends in the creative community.