Forge Ahead!

Avant-Garde: n.
1. the advance group in any field, especially in the visual, literary, or musical arts, whose works are characterized chiefly by unorthodox and experimental methods.
2. a small troop of highly skilled soldiers who explore the terrain ahead of a large advancing army and plots a course for the army to follow.
3. a tiny 'below the line' marketing agency with a long list of impressive clients and advertising partners.

I'm not sure how many of  you have been keeping up with my 'Productivity' section (I know the block text can seem daunting), but the majority of my week days now encompass working at Avant-Garde. Four friendly and talented Argentines comprise the agency that just split from a large one (Ver de Noche) to pursue a more focused path of campaign and event execution. As you can expect, the office can easily get chaotic since there are many a tasks to divide between four people. Fortunately for me, that leaves plenty of work for me to execute as an intern. And no, it doesn't include brewing coffee or making copies...

Instead Matias, my jolly boss, recruited me in his marketing army by assigning me two design projects for a Johnson & Johnson campaign. You remember that soap your mom may have used on you as a child to ensure a silky bottom? Yep, that's the company I'm talking about. I'm designing the folder in which the information about the campaign will be distributed to the clients (aka the distributors of J & J products), and the form of the web message they will periodically send to their clients measuring the progress of each distributor's sales.

The outside and inside designs of the folder for J & J.

Matias also conversed with me about taking on the design of the agency's Web Site! Me! An intern! Design their Web site! Needless to say I was ecstatic to hear about this opportunity and gladly accepted the challenge. And a challenge it will be as I explore the terrain of Adobe's design programs and plot my execution plans.

I never thought I'd end up working for the army, but it turns out that I'd love to enlist for an agency such as this one for whichever marketing battle. I'm enjoying the strong camaraderie of the group as we collaborate from our open desks. Instead of lighting flares, we burn incense. There's a slight hierarchy regarding professional positions, but everyone has a unique specialty or skill that he or she contributes to the ultimate goal: secure a successful campaign for their clients by discovering paths in an innovative way so that their respected audiences follow.