Pre Trip Questions

What are your expectations for the trip and design appointments?

I am very excited about going to NYC! Especially, since I have only been to the city once my freshman year in high school. Of course, I am excited about the appointments, but I am looking forward to our flight (since I have never flown Virgin America before, I think it will be a cool experience) and our savvy hotel, Roomate Grace. I’m thrilled that all the aspects of our trip are centered around design. I am expecting to learn more about the different types of design firms from Nickelodeon to Martha Stewart and hopefully get a better grasp on which direction of design I want to explore individually.

What company or companies are you most excited to visit?

Roadside and Landor will be interesting because of their large range of clients. I want to see how the designer functions in big business environment compared to a smaller company, like Enamel Design. I am looking forward to the fast pace of CBS News, having to produce different graphics every day with very strict deadlines. I am probably most excited to visit Nickelodeon, because it is the channel that I grew up watching and I am expecting it to have a fun atmosphere.

How do your interests or skills fit with the firms that we are visiting?

I am very interested in the areas of film and fashion and the production of graphics and use of design within these areas. Yet, I am still unsure of a career path. I feel that the trip offers a broad variety of entertainment, fashion, and art-based businesses. Personally, I think Martha Stewart will be the most interesting for me because I enjoy using crafts in my design work.

How would you define “West Coast” design? How does it defer from “East Coast” design?

I’ve only been on the West Coast since I came to the SC two years ago, so I am still pretty unfamiliar with West Coast design. For the most part, I compare West Coast and East Coast style based on clothing design. The clothing options in Los Angeles vary because of the mixture of cultures, but Southern California does have a specific style. I think of surfer brands like Quiksilver, which consist of very casual clothing and bright colors. There is more freedom here to wear any type of clothing because of the nice weather, however on the East Coast I assume that the style will be more restricting and conservative.

Danielle K