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Alisah Vasquez
CST 300
20 March 2016
Graphic Design

As a graphic designer, there are necessary steps that need to be taken into consideration in

order to meet the requirements of many job opportunities. Even though knowing the ways of

graphic design is important, it alone cannot function in todays social society without some

knowledge of web design. Web and graphic design walk hand-in-hand down the path of any job

opportunity or freelance job. Throughout history, there are designers who were not just familiar

with graphic design, but know how to publicize their design.

One of the most influential and evolved designs in history is Swiss design. Created

during World War II, it was seen as an international design movement against Nazi Germany. Its

simplistic use of geometric shapes and balance of positive and negative space was liked

internationally. Companies all over the world started to use Swiss design for industrial purposes,

posters, and commercializing. Swiss designers preferred to use Akzidenz Grotesk, a san-serif

typeface, due to its minimalistic aspects. It was the most universal language to use in design, and

thus evolved over time to a designer's beloved san-serif, Helvetica. Helvetica was created by

using a grid system and with the thought of it being emphasized visually and simple as possible.

Swiss design created todays most common and well-known used type of design yet, flat design

(Bradley, S.).

Flat Design is a type of design created by stripping down the three-dimensional looks of

visual art or interface and make it look two-dimensional using simple shapes and colors. Allan

Grinshtein, the founder of LayerVault, first coined the Flat design era and he explains, elegant

interfaces are ones that have the most impact with the fewest elements(Flat Design: An In-

Depth Look, paragraph 8, sentence 2). This type of design is very simplistic and might not be
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visually appealing for everyone, but it is widely used in web interfaces. Those who are going to

use flat design might use it for mobile devices. Flat design is not a style to use for some projects

because it may seem inappropriate and it is also a more difficult type of design concept to grasp

around. Removing everything from decorations to effects, such as texture and shadows, to make

the design look as minimalistic as possible can make it harder to define what is an action or just

an element in the design. Majority of flat schemes consists of colors, a typographic focus, simple

interfaces, and no effects.

Another type of design that was majorly successful and is currently trending is

Skeuomorphism. Designing something in a skeuomorphic way means the software was designed

to make it look like the real object or item. The reason why this type of design was extremely

popular among the masses was because it is a familiar interface. Those who were new to this

look of software were more likely to use it because of its familiarity and it was less intimidating

than something that looks extremely foreign. Apps and other types of software that used this

sign, did not need instructions on how to use it because people just knew what is on the screen

and what it does. Even Apple, one of the most widely known corporations, has had this type of

design done to their software back when there was iOS 5. The only problems with the making of

this design was its use, it was pointless. Certain apps for Apple, like the Contacts app, was

extremely simple to use, thus making it into an actual number book that did not even slide like a

book, was a waste of visual thought and space (Albright, D.).

One of the largest and oldest independent design firms known is the Pentagram. Theo

Cosby, Colin Forbes, Kenneth Grange, and Mervyn Kurlansky founded this design firm in 1972.

Before they came together as an independent design firm, they were freelance architect

designers, industrial designers, writers, and graphic designers in London. Over the next 40 years,
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they had expanded to five offices around the world: San Francisco, New York, London, Austin,

and Berlin. The Pentagram has many well-known popular clients, such as Microsoft, Citibank,

Saturday Night Live, and others. Majority of their projects consists of Logo Design, motion

graphics, a retail design. They have designed an interactive museum, the logo of Harley

Davidson, the look of an iPad, and even app branding (Bolt, L.). The collaborative designers at

the Pentagram believe that intelligence and great designs cannot happen without personal

commitment, and a passion for design (About Us).

Even though the Pentagram is one of the most famous firms, one of the most popular

companies, that has caught an interest to many people, is Google. It is not just because of their

popularity, but it is how they got to be one of the biggest companies in the world. Their

consistent variety of color, simple design, and their work environment is what gain them that

popularity. They are currently headquartered in Mountain View, but they have other offices in

Europe, Canada, Africa, Asia, and South America (Google). According to Googles 2012

statistical report, the company Google has 55,419 full-time employees (Ho, K.). BackRub, a

search engine that was created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 1995, was built with the their

intentions of searching links that would find the importance of other web pages through Stanford

Universitys servers. Larry Page and Sergey Brin later renamed BackRub to Google in 1998,

which comes from the math term googol. As the years progressed, they moved out of their

garage office to an actual office and began growing, with just eight employees in 1999. In 2015,

Larry Page, who was the CEO of Google, stepped down to give the position to Sundar Pachai

and took the position to be the CEO of Alphabet, which is Googles new holding company.

Sundar Pachai, also known as Pichai Sundarajan, went to school at the GRT Mahalakshmi

Vanavani, in the Indian Institute of Technology. After school, he went to work for Google in
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2004 as the head of product management and worked on things such as Chrome and the

operating system for it: Google Docs, Gmail, and Googles search bar. Sandar then became the

senior vice president for Google in 2011 and worked his way up the ladder from there (Nidhi,

S.). Being the CEO of Google is a big job, and in order to get things done, Sundarajan needs a

team filled with people he can trust to get the projects done. There is also someone in charge of

the design aspect of Google, and that is Matas Duarte, Googles Vice President of Design.

Before Duarte started working for Google, he was born and raised in Tolca, Chile for seven

years, then moved to the United States, and graduated from the University of Maryland with a

degree in Computer Science. Duartes original plan was to get a job in video gaming so he

moved to San Francisco, but instead started working as a freelancer and was making websites,

that is when he fell in love with the user interface aspect of design (Madnani, M). Matas worked

for a company named Danger and he was the head director of the interface of sidekick, the user-

interface of T-Mobile's phone. After that job, he had moved to Palm, another phone company to

design the user-interface called the WebOS, which became extremely popular. For his noticed,

outstanding work, Google decided to offer him a job to create the user-interface of Honeycomb,

the name of the UI, for their Android phones. Successfully, he worked his way up from there and

is now the Vice President of Design (Hrepich, B.). Google is proud to have three well-known

Entrepreneurs, but the one that is the most interesting is Tanya Damm Bokobza. Tanya Damm

Bokobza an Israeli designer who has had two successful startup businesses in her career. Once

learning about three-dimensional printing, she decided to build Morpheus, a business based on

recreating lost or missed jewelry using just a photo. Bokobza went to Campus Tel Aviv, another

startup convention hosted by Google in Israel, to gain some training and mentorship for her new

business. With Tanyas Jewelry cloning idea at Morpheus, her and her team hoped to expand
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beyond jewelry in the future, thanks to the help of Google (3D printing sparked a gem of an

idea).

To be a visual designer at Google, one must be an expert, or at least close, in typography,

color, iconography, space and texture. Because Google is more focused into user interface than

anything else, visual designers must have the capability to create products that amaze and are

accessible to Google users (Our History in Depth). The majority of Googles products have a

unique User Interface Design to them and the reason behind it is because if there is not a

connection between the user and the product, the product is not going to do well. The user needs

to be able to navigate freely with a simple look. Their top selling products that have an amazing

User Interface is Google Search Engine, Chrome, Google Docs, Blogger, YouTube, Google

maps, Android, and other creations (Smith, K.). There are minimum requirements to be a visual

designer at Google is to at least have a bachelors degree in graphic design, visual

communications, interactive design, product, or industrial. Googles most preferred

qualifications, for those applying to be a visual designer, are some experience with graphic

design, knowledge and experience in web coding, and of course, being a team member or a

leader (Visual Designer).

As a student at CSU Monterey Bay, there are classes in which are available and also most

beneficial in becoming a qualified Google member. In past semesters, I have taken Media Tools,

Introduction to Graphic Design, and Web Tools. Media Tools helps with designing, creating and

editing photos, text, and sounds into multimedia, along with coordinating a media project. The

Introduction to Graphic Design class helps in learning basic effects in Illustrator, Photoshop, and

InDesign. This class helped the most because I never knew how to use InDesign before and was

uncertain of what it was used for until after the class was taken. In the Web tools class, I had re-
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learned HTML, CSS, and how to create a layout with bootstrap, which is super handy because

the most successful award winning websites use bootstrap.

Currently, I am taking Scripting for Multimedia, Computing for Digital Arts, and a Mixed

Media class. I hope to get the most out of my Scripting for Multimedia class because there have

been times where knowing JavaScript may have been extremely resourceful and useful for other

classes. JavaScript can also help create an online portfolio because it is considered the best and

the easiest way to show a portfolio. The Computing for Digital Arts class is just about computer

architecture, which can be useful if there needs to be an upgrade on my computer for design

projects. This class teaches students about how being able to upgrade the hard drive, graphics

card, and other internal hardware depends on how much a computer can handle internally. The

Mixed Media class has helped me open my mind up for creativity and to see or even recreate the

different forms of art.

In future semesters, I am planning on taking Multimedia I, Publication Design, Web

Design, Publication Workshop, Communication Design Service Learning, and an ethics class.

These classes will expand my knowledge and skills on how to be a better designer not only on

screen, but print because of all the experience these classes bring. Multimedia I will teach

students how to create and design interactive media using the right tools. When working for

Google, this will be helpful because their side groups, such as Doodle, create some games

incorporated with the Google logo that users can play (CST 321). Publication Design will help

students design a certain way in which they can print their designs or they can be a able to be put

it on screen. This is extremely useful for being a visual employee at Google because most of

their products are on screen, but if they need something printed, Ill be able to qualify for any of

their needs in publications (CST 304). Web Design will be the most useful because Google is a
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Web search engine and the majority of their designs are online. The Web Design class

concentrates on teaching the fundamental techniques in user interface design, which mostly

focuses on the layout, structure, and the interaction between the user and the website (CST 351).

The Publication Workshop class will teach their students about how to handle the production

process in a mannerly way, along with some of history on print, and how to create visual

hierarchy (CST 404).

During my college life, I am going to do more to help myself gain more experience

besides taking the classes recommended for graduation. One of the first suggestions that I feel

would be the most helpful is go to the Design Studio on campus. The Design Studio is filled with

a bunch of students who have a passion in any form of design, from web design to visual design.

They find people on campus or even outside of school that need a logo and will go on field trips

to adobe conventions and such. In this club, everyone participates when making a logo and the

members will go through everyones logo to vote on whose logo looks the best, visually. Another

suggestion that I am going to consider going to look for internships because of the many benefits

and experience it brings. A majority of the internships offered will pay you depending on what

job is being carried out and theres also a chance of getting hired as a full-time employee. Even if

the internships do not pay, it is also great for experience. Initially, internships not only help a

student get a job, but also help them grow into the designer they want to be by being around

highly experienced designers and see what they do to better their own designs (Norrena, J.).

For my last years here, Im going to try to do more than what I have done before.

Researching about independent firms, like the Pentagram, and how they became one of the

largest in the world is influencing because it shows that people can do it if they try hard enough.

To get a job at Google, Im going to try to find internships, start going to the Design Studio on a
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daily basis, and start learning some languages on my own, such as php, C++, and other useful

languages. Once I get better, Im going to try to start freelancing for small businesses or even try

to get a contract with a popular corporation. This can help me gain the work experience for my

dream job. There are just so many opportunities, just knowing where to start gets complicated.

Resources:

About Us. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://www.pentagram.com/#/page/aboutus

Albright, D. (2015, March 26). Digital Leather Binding: The Rise And Fall of Skeuomorphic

Design. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/digital-leather-binding-rise-fall-skeuomorphic-design/

Bolt, L. (2014, November 17). Pentagram's 40 Year Spirit of Collaboration Reigns in Their NYC

Studio. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/pentagrams-40-year-spirit-of-collaboration-reigns-in-their-

nyc-studio/

Bradley, S. (2013, July 22). Swiss (International) Style Of Design: The Guiding Principles That

Influence Flat Design.Retrieved February 21, 2016, from http://vanseodesign.com/web-

design/swiss-design/

Course descriptions: CST. (2013). Retrieved from California State University Monterey Bay

website: http://catalog.csumb.edu/undergradeducation/majors/info-technology-

communication-deign/coursedescriptions

Flat Design: An In-Depth Look. (July 4). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

http://www.awwwards.com/flat-design-an-in-depth-look.html
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Google. All hail the global taxi app. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from

https://www.googleforentrepreneurs.com/stories/all-hail-the-global-taxi-app

Google. From behind bars to the boardroom. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from

https://www.googleforentrepreneurs.com/stories/from-behind-bars-to-the-boardroom

Google. Google locations. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from

https://www.google.com/about/company/facts/locations/

Google. 3D printing sparked a gem of an idea. (n.d.). Retrieved March 02, 2016, from

https://www.googleforentrepreneurs.com/stories/3d-printing-sparked-a-gem-of-an-idea

Ho, K. (15, April 26). How many employees does Google have? Retrieved March 02, 2016, from

https://www.quora.com/How-many-employees-does-Google-have

Hrepich, B. (2011, March 25). Chileno en Google: "Me emociona saber que mi trabajo llega a mi

pas de origen" Retrieved March 08, 2016, from

http://www.emol.com/noticias/tecnologia/2011/03/25/472097/chileno-en-google-me-

emociona-saber-que-mi-trabajo-llega-a-mi-pais-de-origen.html

Madnani, M. (2015, December 20). The Dialogue: Matas Duarte Beautiful Pixels. Retrieved

March 07, 2016, from http://beautifulpixels.com/featured/the-dialogue-matias-duarte/

Nidhi, S. (2015, August 11). All you need to know about Sundar Pichai, Google's first India-born

CEO | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis. Retrieved March 02, 2016,

from http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-all-you-need-to-know-about-sundar-pichai-

googl

e-s-first-india-born-ceo-2113286

Norrena, J. (2014, August 12). Student Designers Gain Career Advantage with Internships They

Love. Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

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https://www.cca.edu/news/2014/08/12/career-success-may-just-be-one-internship-away

Our history in depth Company Google. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

https://www.google.com/about/company/history/

Smith, K. (2012, June 27). PRESENTING: The 10 Best Google Products Ever. Retrieved March

02, 2016, from

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-best-google-products-2012-6?op=1

Visual Designer. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2016, from

https://design.google.com/jobs/visual-designer/