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Dear Jr Creative, Earn Your Place. You’ll Be Better For It.

Tue, 21 May 2013 14:32:43 +0000

Dear Jr Creative,

I’m a firm believer in earning your keep, starting from the bottom, doing the less than desirable well, before moving up.

Prove yourself on what seemingly matters little, and people will notice. I promise.

At the very least, I promise I’ll notice. Because it’s the unorthodox grind of a route I took.

I was a rich kid from the suburbs. I was embarrassed by it. I hated it. It was a 90’s thing.

In High School, and in Gen-X “rebellion” against my white collar family, I worked for the Las Vegas Water District doing underground construction.

I dug ditches and changed water lines during the Vegas Summer for 8 dollars an hour. Not desirable work. And the guys I worked with could smell the rich kid on me. They busted my balls mercilessly for it.

I dug the shit out of those ditches. I loved it. I used my hands. I used heavy machinery and pneumatic tools—I drove a dump truck (which is awesome by the way).

All I wanted was the respect of these old guys changing water lines in the desert. Dudes that worked so fucking hard. For so fucking little. To feed their families; their addictions; their gambling debts.

Eventually, I’d earned a bit of respect.

I worked hard…”for a skinny rich kid.”

One day I mentioned to the crew lead: “Fuck it. I like this. Why not full time?”.

He pulled the truck over to the shoulder of a mountain road, heading North towards Mt. Charleston, looked deep into my face, “Every single one of us would give the world NOT to be here. Stop your blue collar charade. Go to school like you’re supposed to. Get out of this shit.”

So I did.

That was my last of three summers working for the water district.

I went to school for business. Marketing & Advertising to be exact. Which, aside from teaching me some business basics, really just help develop my aptness for bullshit.

Luckily for me, somewhere along the line, I learned a real skill and about this thing called the “Internet.” It was a place I could upload the photos I was taking (and developing in a darkroom, btw). I learned some Photoshop and HTML skills because of it. Eventually, I started freelancing: horrible graphic design and web work. Whatever I could get—fucking rave fliers, man. I just wanted to learn. The beer money was the gravy on top.

My first “real” job out of college was resizing graphics for an eCommerce company. I showed up for the interview on my skateboard, handed the HR lady my resume and said, “I’ll take anything. I know Photoshop. Here’s my book.” I didn’t even know what a “designer” was. But that’s why I was there. And by no means was I a designer; Photoshop monkey…maybe.

Ninety people had been laid off a month prior to me being brought on. I was the first hire after those layoffs and in the eyes of everybody…I was “that guy…”

I was at the bottom of the totem pole. Where I belonged.

The only thing I had going for me was a fear of “sucking.” And for the record, I sucked. (Certainly compared to the kids I see today).

“…good enough to resize graphics” was what I overheard the Creative Director say, just around the corner.

So I resized graphics. I resized the shit out of graphics, learning to code HTML along the way. I unlearned what I learned in business school. And learned…business. I developed site and page concepts for fun. Always showing my boss. Wanting critique. Always trying to get better. People noticed. He noticed. I gained more and more responsibility and more importantly, trust. Never begging for more money. Just wanting to do more work, better work.

To not suck.

Eventually, I took over as Creative Lead. I redesigned both KBToys.com and eToys.com. Enterprise level eCommerce stuff. Real businesses, making real money. I thought the designs were pretty damn good for the early 00’s. Some of the first .com’s to switch to 1024x768. We won some eCom industry awards. It moved product. I thought I was hot shit.

I was far from it.

Fast forward a decade and I’m blown away by the level of talent that’s out there. Kids today come out of school with so much fucking skill it’s crazy. But with all of that skill, in so many, there is equal-to-more parts hubris. An entitled attitude that seems to expect everything for nothing.

Somewhere, along the lines, we (everyone) got sensitive. We started giving trophies for last place. People forgot how to take criticism. We started (and continue) to want to spare people from the realities of what it really takes. Close counts. Thanks for trying. Better luck next time—even worse—Fail Harder.

I hate this phrase more than anything.

“Fail Harder” is a manifesto for the delusional, the lazy—the lotto dreamer.

Celebrating failure is a cop out. Be pissed that you fucked up—when you lose. And know why.

Fail “Smarter” maybe. But failing hard is for losers.

Industry-wise, we covet the idea. Not its realization, it’s viability.

“I want to be an AD. But I don’t write and I don’t design. I’m an idea guy”

“No, no, no, i’m a UX guy. I don’t do wires and I don’t do finished design. I just explore interaction concepts.”

“I want to be a CD. But I don’t like talking with clients.”

“My new Web 3.0 business concept doesn’t have a revenue model—it’s like Instagram but with animated gifs of kittens.”

Ideation in a clientless vacuum; devoid the realities of real life (inside an agency or any company for that matter). Feasibility. Budgets. Client bureaucracies. The fact is that big ideas take time to sell. They die. They have to be reborn. And that it’s your role to breath the life back in. But only if you really give a shit.

The “idea” is the tip of a gigantic, shit stained iceberg of work. And if you aren’t ready for what it takes, or worse, you think “that it’s someone else’s job” to push your idea from ether to reality—reconsider your profession.

My advice is simple: don’t be the entitled kid. The kid who over indexes in ambition but lacks any real passion—any real drive other than a new title at a new agency.

Be the kid who wants to learn even when he doesn’t have to—the designer who wants to learn to write, to code, to understand business because it makes the design better.

Don’t be an industry douche. They call themselves ninjas or gurus…even evangelists. They’re the ones who will tell you, to your face, that they are smarter than the other guy. They’re the ones who have stopped reading by now.

Don’t be the kid who hops around. Don’t be the kid, who, when given the chance, will opt for the bare minimum. Who scoffs at perspective. The kid who will jeopardize the team to spare his fragile ego. The kid, who, when faced with a situation that gets difficult, says “I’m too good for this kind of work. I deserve better.”

Nobody deserves shit. Until you do. And even then, never admit it.

I’m now the old guy. I get it…

I’m not saying you need to go out and work construction. But it’s good to know where you don’t want to be. And understand why.

I know I don’t want to resize graphics anymore. Why? Well…because it sucks.

But I’ll still dig the shit out of a ditch.

- Dave

I should note, that my teen “rebellion” against my Father was laughably ironic. My dad was blue collar. A cowboy who changed tires on big rigs before finishing college and becoming who he is today.

Behind my teen angst, unbeknownst to me all that time, I was trying to be just like him.

What a silly little rich kid.

David Snyder is Executive Creative Director at Firstborn. Living in Brooklyn. He likes progressive thought, design and technology. He eats and libates well. This editorial original posted on Medium.

Slussen DJ App Creates a Poster You Can Scratch Like a Real Record

The Denver Egotist — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:57:09 +0000

National

The illustration is engraved with ridges that produce sound as they're scratched with your fingernail. The piece was created for Slussen — a mobile DJ mixing system app for iPhone. Agency: Uncle Grey.

The World's Lightest Ad for The World's Lightest Soccer Cleat

The Denver Egotist — Fri, 10 May 2013 17:40:08 +0000

National

Agency: Talent, Brazil.

Via

April Fool's is Upon Us

The Phoenix Egotist — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:07:03 +0000

National

We love April Fool's Day. We're always excited to see what trickery and tomfoolery some great companies come up with. The first one is out already. Google Blue. The newest project from Google.

3rd Annual Portfolio Review is Tonight!

The Phoenix Egotist — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Local

Tonight is the night. The 3rd Annual Portfolio Review is here. We hope you've enjoyed seeing some of the best work from agencies around the Valley. Today we are going to focus on the people that were recognized a couple weeks ago for doing some of the best work in 2012.

Be at the Review
Tonight, 6PM
ASU Design North Building in the Red Square

Click here to see the most updated list of reviewers.

Let us know how it went. Let them know you loved it or how to improve it: #PHXPortfolio

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Cramer Krasselt: Toyota Race Car Driver

The Phoenix Egotist — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Local

We end today on this commercial from C-K. Our favorite part is at the end when they guy just has his butt through the window. What's yours?

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E.B. Lane: Jackpot Chasers

The Phoenix Egotist — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Local

The Art Director of this spot must either love Helen Hunt or Aunt Meg's steak and egg breakfast. Which ever one it is, it doesn't detract from this being a great insight and play on something so popular in today's culture.

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Randy Murray Productions: The Joe Show

The Phoenix Egotist — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Local

When you've been shooting the Joe Show since 2003, you probably know our Sheriff more than he knows himself.

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Moses Anshell: Arizona Office of Tourism

The Phoenix Egotist — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Local

This spot is from the Arizona Office of Tourism's summer campaign.

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Audio Engine: Truly Nolen

The Phoenix Egotist — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Local

You probably don't think a lot about the music and sound effects in spots you see everyday. The guys at Audio Engine do, They make sure that every sound, down to the last ping or whoosh makes a spot believable and noticeable. Check out their work in this Truly Nolen spot.

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3rd Annual Portfolio Review: 2 Days Left

The Phoenix Egotist — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Local

This is it. The review is tomorrow. Are you ready? or are you pulling an all nighter? Let us know how you are preparing and who you want to meet with on Facebook or Twitter: #PHXPortfolio

March 22, 2013, 6PM
ASU Design North Building in the Red Square

Click here to see the most updated list of reviewers.

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3rd Annual Portfolio Review: 3 Days Left

The Phoenix Egotist — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Local

Do work son. Forget your class assignments. Forget your professors. This portfolio review is like a final on crack. The networking opportunities are priceless. Figure it out. Be at this review.

March 22, 2013, 6PM
ASU Design North Building in the Red Square

Click here to see the most updated list of reviewers.

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RIESTER: First Solar

The Phoenix Egotist — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

Local

RIESTER picked up a win with their site for First Solar.

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Park & Co: MAC6

The Phoenix Egotist — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Local

This one's from Park & Co.

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Mindspace: Shutterfly

The Phoenix Egotist — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Local

Mindspace picked up an award for their work on the Shutterfly site.

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Nomadic: Hoya Vision

The Phoenix Egotist — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Local

We featured Hoya Vision this past year and it just picked up a local ADDY.

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Cramer-Krasselt: MGM Grand Buffet Take 2

The Phoenix Egotist — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Local

We are reposting this from yesterday because we want you to know how much we are loving the group at C-K right now.

The image we posted yesterday was of their award winning work, though the quality was awful. If you scroll down you can see what we are talking about.

Within two hours, Jon Shore, the Vice President and Creative Director sent us a great high resolution image. We think that's a pretty damn good response time.

If we were in the market for an agency who would handle our public relations, C-K would be on our list. Check out their site here.

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E.B. Lane: AZ Lottery

The Phoenix Egotist — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Local

E.B. Lane won the AZ Lottery pitch in 1995 and lost it in 2005. They brought the account back to the agency in 2010 and is proving they deserve it with some big creative wins this year.

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3rd Annual Portfolio Review: 4 Days Left

The Phoenix Egotist — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Local

It's Tuesday and your time is dwindling. You better have your portfolio ready to go by Friday. As you saw yesterday some of the creatives that will be there are accomplished and winners of some of this year's local ADDYs. Today we will be exploring more great local work.

Have you been professionally stalking these folks yet? If not, you should get on it.

Click here to see the most updated list of reviewers.

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Monday's Over, Go Home

The Phoenix Egotist — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

National

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HAPI: Zombie Walk 4

The Phoenix Egotist — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Local

Zombie Walk 4 is just preparation for the Zombie Apocalypse.

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Cramer-Krasselt: MGM Grand Buffet

The Phoenix Egotist — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Local

Keep the drinks coming with this one from C-K.

If anyone has a better quality image than this please send it along Phoenix@TheEgotist.com

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Cramer-Krasselt: Truly Nolen Cute

The Phoenix Egotist — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Local

Who wouldn't want to hire a hitman that drives around a mouse car?

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HAPI: Rose & Crown Billboards

The Phoenix Egotist — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Local

When you think of St. Paddy's Day in the Valley the first place that comes to mind is Rose & Crown. Whether it's green pee or realizing that you just shouldn't try to be a role model to your kids on this particular day in March, HAPI has allowed this pub to own St. Paddy's Day.

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3rd Annual Portfolio Review: 5 Days Left

The Phoenix Egotist — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 14:00:00 +0000

Local

Is your portfolio ready for this Friday's Portfolio Review? If not, you better get it ready. This city's best and most accomplished creatives will be there to rip your books apart.

This is the third year for the review and Jason Johnson from TunnelBravo has put together a stellar line-up. Don't miss your chance to network with these creatives.

Check out who will be there and start filling out your dance card.

AIR Marketing
Dave Ragar, Creative Director
Kevin Carnes, Senior Art Director

Blind Society
Jim Clark, Creative Director
John Kenney, Senior Art Director

Cramer-Krasselt
Ian Barry, Creative Director

Creative Group
Evelyn Vega, VP Career Development

Ember Design
Mary Scanlon, Owner & Designer

Fervor Creative
Don Newlen, Owner & Creative Director

Fisher
John Zello, Senior Art Director
Jennifer Bates, Designer

HAPI
Lindi Koprivnikar, Art Director

Lavidge
Tim Brennan, Art Director
Mike Afsa, Art Director

McMurry
Angie Thompson, Director of Creative Services
Caroline Jackson, Senior Art Director

Nomadic
Tim Washburn, VP & Creative Director
Wynn Burton, Senior Graphic Designer

Off Madison Avenue
Stephanie Stafford, Art Director

R&R Partners
Ashley J. George, Senior Art Director

Shannon Ecke Design
Shannon Ecke, Senior Designer

TunnelBravo
John Johnson, Founder & Creative Director

Trapdoor Studio
Jon Arvizu, Illustrator & Designer

Velocity Design
Dan Speakman, Principal

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