Believe it or not, despite all the wonderful things that can come from portfolio school, it’s not 100% awesome 100% of the time. At least for me it wasn’t. Perhaps at another school things would’ve been different but I tend to think many of these problems stem from this type of education generally and not from any one establishment. And now – on to some of the bigger negatives of ad school.
1. The partner selection process is a crapshoot. Sure, the same can be said for real life in …

I bumped into this great type treatment to Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good”, created for the MFA Design program at School of Visual Arts. Great song plus great type equals an enlightened mind. Enjoy.

- Julissa Ortiz

On the flight back from Miami I sat next to this guy who looked like a nerd-hippie hybrid camp counselor / Patagonia cashier. Earth toned clothing from head to toe (sensibly comfortable, of course), pants with a zillion pockets on them, glasses, 3-day stubble, and all weather socks visible under hiking sandals. I just remember looking at his feet and saying to myself “Socks with sandals. Dammmm.”
I was wearing my lightweight blue Triumph racing jacket. This guy leans over to me and asks “So do you like Triumph bikes, or …

This post will be a little shorter than usual this week because I’m doing a last-minute “Industry Hero” speaking / teaching gig in Miami. One of my old friends from the Miami Ad School (who books the guest ‘heroes’ here) asked me last Thursday if I could do it, and I was on the plane Saturday. I didn’t really need a reason to take a week long trip to Miami.
One of the requirements of accepting the gig is giving the students a brief to work on, then critiquing their work …

I’m going to tell you a story about a lost, disoriented man in way over his head. This man has succeeded in neglecting arguably the most important part of his job. And yet he still pulls in a salary worthy of a brilliant scientist trying to cure cancer….
There are a lot of things I love about the ad business. A LOT. Maybe a future post will reveal some of my favorites. But this post is about the ONE thing that I despise more than anything else- more than endless legal …

My brain is still reeling from the past week’s experience in Miami, where I was Miami Ad School’s “Hero”, a.k.a. guest teacher. It’s a throbbing mess (my head, not the Ad school), not very conducive to creative writing at the moment. Hopefully a few solid days of sleeping will get my mind right. In the mean time, enjoy some lyrics from Roxy Music…. A group that understood a place in time could be something else, that great credo behind the concept of the Temporary Autonomous Zone. My last week in …

I’m in Miami again. Not to live, or for vacation, but to teach. This week I’m gonna be Miami Ad School’s “Industry Hero” (it used to be called ‘teacher in residence’ but I like the sound of ‘hero’ better).
It’s a very strange but awesome feeling to be back here (the school, not Miami). I remember when I was in school, sitting in the audience every Monday night, listening to all of these guest speakers & thinking “wouldn’t it be cool if I could come back & do this T.I.R. thing?” …

This week I couldn’t pick one thing to write about because I found a few things that are noteworthy. So I would like to go ahead and share them all.
- Rhea Hanges
Jak + Jill: A fashion blog that talks about trends spotted on the street.
http://jakandjil.com
Broken JPG: Thoughts from writer Ben Levy.
http://brokenjpg.net/
1000 Awesome Things: Ever wonder what is “awesome” find out here. There are some very random bits that inspired me and may inspire you.
http://1000awesomethings.com/
MP Change: A program which animates a still JPG image into a moving face, with moving eyes …

I know by heart how hard has been to find a job through this crisis.
In this convulsed times is critical how you market yourself, your own brand. It’s only a matter of seconds that you have to grab the recruiters or creative directors attention, before he or she moves to the next email, to the next candidate.
I heard numerous stories of how people try to outstand, from sending their portfolio in a pizza box to the Creative Director to giving a Mexican religious candle designed by the candidate as their business card.
Yesterday …

Before Gutenberg, knowledge and education was a privilege only available for priests and nobles. When Gutenberg developed the press, knowledge become universal and helped to burst one of the most creative periods in history. Renaissance.
Most important, knowledge and education made people more equal. The ability to learn, to educate, was for the first time accessible for all mankind, becoming a center pillar for future democratic societies. Today education is at the core of any developed country.
When I graduated from advertising in England three years ago. I saw very far far …