Weekly Work Updates:
04-02-2011
Week I: Basic research, Logo design, Greenpeace press conference
As you may know, Artemisa has a new extension called ‘Artemisa Ecologico’ that is based on the philosophy of ecofeminismo.
I started out this week by researching the tenets and activists of ecofeminsimo. I learned about essentialism and Western patriarchal dualism. I also learned about women activists, such as Vandana Shiva, who foster a healthy relationship between women and the environment. This research will help me in all my projects I will be doing this month for Artemisa Ecologico.
I have already begun one of said projects this past Wednesday. I’ve been working on two distinct logos for the new launch of Artemisa Ecologico. The first is an embellished version of the original logo. The design was pretty straightforward. It was the original logo, but natural-fied. I’ve had much more liberty with the second logo that will represent solely the ecological sector of Artemisa. I sketched out some designs to show and pitch to the director. After some consultation and narrowing down, I went to work on the second logo.
Also, as part of the research process, I went to a press conference for Greenpeace. They are releasing a 'short' on February 7th about the uses of carbon and its affects on undervalued commodities such as water. I attended the conference at the Hard Rock Restaurant in Buenos Aires and listened to Ricardo Darín (a famous Argentine actor and spokesperson for Greenpeace), Juan Carlos Villalonga (the director of Greenpeace campaigns) and Juan Taratuto (the short's director). Bianca took some photos, Max filmed the entire conference, and I took notes and gathered information about the campaign. As soon as we launch the blog for Artemisa Ecologia, I will write a short story or review about this campaign and the Greenpeace press conference.
By the end of this week, I should be finished with the two logos for Artemisa Ecologico and begun working on its blog design and launch.
11-02-2011
Week II: Organization research, Logo revision, Flyer design
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| Final draft of the first logo |
And so my ecofeminismo projects continue! I have worked everyday this week at Carolina’s office from 2-6 p.m. on various tasks to ultimately help launch the blog site.
First and most importantly, I worked on revising the two logos I created last week. The first logo went through four or five revisions until it passed through Carolina and the rest of her colleges at Artemisa. Finally, with the addition of some yellow blooming flowers- Success!
I’ve gone through at least that many revisions with the second logo so far this week because its concept was not as established when it was assigned to me. So while I had lots of liberty to design primarily, there will probably be more stages to the revision process as the Artemisa crew refines their concept of how they want it to appear as I present more drafts. As of now, the logo is a woman embracing the earth with wavy hair full of bright natural elements.
I delved into the research realm this week as well. I began researching women environmental organizations this week to include in the blog and its writing competition flyer as pertinent sources for our readers to tap. The process started off a bit rough when I thought I was just researching environmental organizations, then just women organizations, and then I finally narrowed down my research to exactly what Carolina wanted- women-oriented and environmentally-friendly organizations.
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| The second logo at the end of week II |
On that note, I’ve also been practicing using my own Spanish and listening to Carolina.
Finally, I started the design for the blog’s writing competition flyer. This competition will help with the launch of the site by gaining attention and contribution from readers. The competition is specifically for Ibero-America residents, and so I incorporated their highlighted countries in the background of the flyer and hope to have a compass/directional theme that include arrows pointing the readers in the right direction (pun may be intended).
18-02-2011
Week III: Flyer design, Collaborated on blog, Research for blog
Research was the name of the game this week. But before diving deep into Google and other search engines, I finalized the flyer design for the contest. Instead of going the compass route (another pun intended), I integrated natural elements into the Ibero-America countries. For instance, I photo-shopped a rainforest from a bird’s eye view and placed it in the Brazilian region and then glaciers in Southern Argentina.
After submitting my flyer to Carolina, I switched over to research mode for the Artemisa Naturaleza blog. I spent almost the entire week gathering information about ecofeminismo, and women and nature to load up the blog with resources before launching it. The categories of information I researched were: ecofeminist organizations, videos links, events/activities for the months of March and April, Universities with ecofeminism research studies, links to articles in PDF forms, a list of accomplished women in the field including Vicky Noble and Ana Puleo, and finally a list of popular faces with contacts to ask about their ‘ecological moment.’
I’m becoming more and more familiar with the big names in ecofeminism as a result of all the research I’ve been doing. Many of the organizations I’ve found cater to multiple countries as well, English and Spanish-speaking alike. Ecofeminism seems to be a growing trend that preaches a universal theme.
In addition to learning and gathering plentiful amounts of ecological information, I’ve been gradually uploading it to the (now rough) site. In due time, Alyssa and I will focus more on the minute details such as presentation and placement of images, text and links. As for now, the blog site becomes more and more informative as my research files grow thicker and thicker.
25-02-2011
Week IV: Flyer revision, Research for contest promotion, Galpón organic market
I made more corrections to the contest flyer I’ve been working on for the past two weeks. The main design and layout seemed to be approved, so I just needed to add more natural elements to round out the design and fill up the ‘white’ aka blank space on the flyer. For instance, I added a soaring parrot, a whale’s tail and dolphin fins to the mass of water that lies between Spain and Latin America. Thus, all the countries of Iberoamerica are connection in a natural way.
I also became even greater friends with Google this week as I researched Universities in specific countries with journalism programs and other Ecofeminist-like running contests. The universities I found will provide sources where Artemisa can post its contest to attract journalism majors as participants. The other contests that I found may also be good locations to post Artemisa’s contest, or just to see what issues or prompts other public contests are addressing.
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| A tasty-looking selection of jams at Galpón. |
Finally, I went to the Galpón organic market in another part of Buenos Aires, Chacarita. Carolina assigned Bianca and I to investigate the site to have more information to contribute to the Artemisa Naturaleza site. Our investigation included actually locating the place, which was hidden behind a train station, gaining authorization to take pictures and interview, and of course, trying some of the organic products ourselves.
I interviewed two people who headed stands in the market, one man and one woman. The participants at the market that I asked to question politely denied my request. I’m not sure whether that had more to do with my foreign look or if my shaky Spanish discredited me as a serious reporter. However, the two stand owners were very friendly and answered my questions slowly and clearly so that I could review the video later and better understand them. I wrote down all my observations and impressions of the market as soon as I got home, along with all the information I collected in the forms of flyers and word of mouth.
04-03-2011
Week V: Blog design, Research on 'Momento Ecologico,' Interview
The theme of my workweek is perfectly described by the new Spanish expression I learned the other day from Carolina: "Estoy un fool." In other words, I did a lot multitasking in order to help with the launch of Artemisa Naturaleza´s blog.
In collaboration with Alyssa, I helped with some design elements of the blog itself, such as: designing the gradient background, fixing details in the header, making the text of the sections uniform, condensing the sections into categories, etc. Alyssa and I worked on these seemingly trivial details to accomplish the larger task of polishing the blog.
I also did some more research for some of the sections of the site that I had already begun researching. I´m learning more and more that research is a never-ending process. Essentially, I just elaborated on the research I began so that the blog will have plentiful amounts of information to offer its viewers. Specifically, I researched contacts for the "Momento Ecologico" section of the site (which proved to be quite difficult. Seems each celebrity has an army of agents protecting him or her from the public/media), found more articles in PDF form about ecofeminism, learned about more ecofeminists, and researched more important dates for our "Agenda" section.
Also as part of the research process, Alyssa and I read a devastating article (that was very much full of metaphors and poetic phrases, lots of fun to translate into English, let me tell you) about the town of Ceamse. We did some further research on it after reading the provoking article. We then summarized points in order to include on the site as complementary information to the "basura en la ciudad" slideshow.
Finally, I had my meeting with Matias about my second internship! I got to practice my spanish and practice listening to it once again as I learned about my creative assignment for Johnson & Johnson. I´m extremely excited to start, to say the least. But of course, keep contributing to Artemisa Naturaleza.
18-03-2011
Week VI: Introduciton to Avant-Garde, Brainstorm for Johnson & Johnson campaign, Folder design
I am excited to report that I started working for Avant-Garde this week! It is a tiny ‘below the line’ marketing agency with some pretty big clients, as evident by my assignment upon inception. Four friendly and talented Argentines comprise the agency that just split from a larger one (Verdenoche) to pursue a more focused path of campaign and event execution. As you can expect, the office can easily get chaotic, as there are many a tasks to divide between four people. That’s where I come in!
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| The J&J campaign I'm working on! |
Matias, my boss, assigned me two design assignments for a campaign for Johnson & Johnson. You remember that soap your mom may have used on you to make your skin ‘as smooth as a baby’s 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.
So, I quickly got acclimated to the open office environment and started brainstorming design concepts right away. Once I produced a sufficient list of concepts, I presented my folder concepts to Matias in Spanish. We ended up collaborating, and used his idea for the outside and mine on the inside. And for the rest of the week I’ve been working on the design while constantly checking in with Matias and Laura (my other boss/colleague? I guess everyone is technically my boss here… although they act like my colleague) and getting my progress passed with them.
Matias also spoke 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 learn about all the strengths and weaknesses of the Adobe design programs. So much in store for me here! And all worth the 1+ hour commute on a bus…
25-03-2011
Week VII: Short work week, learn more about J&J campaign, finish folder design
The Memorial holiday cut more work hours short this week, so there are not as many tasks to report. However, I did complete one major assignment- I finished the exterior and interior design of the folder for the Johnson & Johnson campaign this week. And by finish, I don’t mean I made a singular draft and sent it in. Rather, I made proofs of both sides and constantly checked in with Matias for approval and modifications. The challenge was to stay consistent with the other aspects of the campaign, such as the logos and projected event decoration, in order to produce a cohesive product.
In the midst of working on and refining my folder design, I settled into the open environment of Avant-Garde more. I made small chat, learned several more about the elements of the J & J campaign that the agency is implementing, and observed as they hosted their freelance designers and producers in the office to discuss the up-and-coming event.
01-04-2011
Week VIII: Pitched my message designs, Created design, Voice-over recording
The more and more I work at Avant-Garde, the more I learn from simply observing. Occasionally I’ll understand a frantic phrase or two, but more than anything I observed the stress of the three events next week consume my colleagues. I’m witnessing that there is a lot of hard work and long hours that go into planning and executing events.
I finished the folder design last week and sent the files to Matias. I assume those will be printed soon in order to hand out at the event next Thursday. Since I was finished with that assignment, I moved onto the message design. I first pitched my ideas to Matias once again in Spanish. And once again we collaborated on the design, using my concept as a base and refining it to Matias’ vision of the campaign.
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| The outside design of the campaign's folder. |
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| What lies inside the folder. |
The rest of the week, I worked on the message design and helped with minor tasks to relieve as much stress as I could from the shoulders of my colleagues. Also, this Sunday I will be recording a voice-over for Ms. Penny in a clip from Casino Royale for their Samsung campaign. They need a foreign-sounding accent, and I’m about as good as it gets! This is definitely the first time my obvious accent has been to my advantage. I’m nothing close to proper British, but I’ll do my best to imitate the A-list star.
08-04-2011
Week IX: Bariloche media excursion, Avant-Garde events
Much of my experience in the journalism school at MU was reaffirmed by our media excursion to Bariloche this past week. We were fortunate enough to follow a reporter for a regional news station, Canal Seis, on a day’s work. He negotiated with all of his interviewees to allow us to sit-in on live interviews. We saw the reporter question politicians, an ombudsman, a police chief and the head of a regional electric corporation.
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| Our leading reporter setting up for one of several interviews. |
Each interview revealed issues and progressive solutions occurring within Bariloche and Patagonia as a whole. Most interesting to me were the stories regarding a police scandal and their burnt building and the project regarding the villa renovation. Our group eventually returned to the broadcast station in order to see the stories aired on television during the 2 p.m. news segment.
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| A peek into the progress of Bariloche's Villa Project. |
The next day, we learned even more about the villa project when we received an invitation from a fellow reporter to observe it for ourselves. One of the leaders was kind enough to introduce us to people who are integral parts to the project and show us the progress in contrast to the remaining villas. After exposure to the hard workers and tangible progress, I saw hope in their situation. However, there remains a large block of impoverished shacks in which people will soon face a harsh winter with little insulation and few resources. Despite the culture shock, it was great to see a proactive news story actually in action.
Once I returned from the mountainous landscape to the city line of Buenos Aires I geared up for a long day of events for Avant-Garde. Much work has been leading up to this day which hosts THREE events, two for Johnson & Johnson and one for Samsung. Kylie and I went to two of the three and assisted in tasks during preparation, execution and clean-up. The events were pretty thoroughly organized, so there weren’t many tasks to do. However, again, getting to experience and observe the process was a lesson within itself as I saw the tangible product to all their and our hard work.
15-04-2011
Week X: Web site brainstorming, Designing Web site elements
In wake of the clients’ events (Johnson & Johnson and Samsung), Avant-Garde had me switch my work priorities to put designing elements of their Web page at the top of the list. Their agency has yet to launch a Web site since its split with Ver de Noche last October due to their busy schedule full of events and campaigns.
Matias had briefly explained what his vision for the Web site would be to me before. The idea is to create the interior of a castle room full of historical objects. Each object would represent one of the five offerings of the agency and be a link to a different page explaining it further.With the medieval theme in mind, I started off the week by researching elements of that era that would correspond with each section of the agency. After doing that, I pitched the elements to Matias and Laura for approval. Then I finally got to designing.
So far this week, I’ve designed three of the five elements on Illustrator. With the help of the program’s 3D effects, I’ve gotten as near to reality as vector images can get. Martín, Avant-Garde’s computer programmer, will then take my finished elements and program them into the site.
29-04-2011
Week XII: Finish Web elements, Design gift proposal for J&J clients, Say goodbyes
It was another short, but extremely packed week- the best way to conclude an experience if you ask me. I finished designing the Web elements that Matias assigned me. I ended up designing a goblet, side table, throne and a chandelier for their castle-themed homepage. I also designed the description window that will pop up when you click on an element. I exported the files and saved them on his zip drive. It was interesting to see all my past couple of weeks’ work on a tiny, two-inch device.
Matias and Laura also assigned me an unexpected design project on my last day. I got to design (actually brainstorm and come up with practically all the elements and layout) and create a gift proposal for the clients of the J&J campaign. Avant-Garde had already proposed numerous gift options to J&J, but none had stuck. Rather than spa sets and restaurant packages, J&J wants to send its clients something to commemorate the campaign. So I created a design for a plaque that the clients could receive part by part for five months.
