Could you tell me more about the specific type of work your company does?
We do custom printed tee shirts for customers need. Some need design work, others have
everything somewhat created and we can work from their design.
Could you describe your specific responsibilities or job description?
I do everything from answer phones, set up quotes, proofs, create ads, order garments,
pick up and deliver shirts, collect payment, expose screens, clean screens, coat screens,
print shirts, equipment cleaning, shipping, and emailing replies or collecting feedback. My
company is very small at the moment, so versatility is crucial.
What skills or abilities do you find are most important in your work?
Being creative should be most important to a graphic person, but number one thing I
always strive for is being responsive. I try to make sure the customer knows if they need
something I will not disappoint them.
What personal qualities should someone have to be successful in this field?
Versatility. Being great at one thing is very limiting. You will always have to work for
someone and get mounds of work to look forward to do, but nothing that truly equates the
hard work you do. Always learn what the person next to you knows, even if its just being
able to use the fax machine or scan documents into a file and send them as pdfs. Your
value should grow and new talents mean more self-suffiency.
What do you feel is your most difficult challenge in your position?
Getting new customer.
What do you find the most rewarding part of your work?
Keeping customers.
How did you prepare yourself for the work you do (could be education and/or work experience or other training?
Years of busy days and small paychecks seem to be the right answer, but actually
education did play a part in getting a career. I worked for a publishing company for a few
years. That taught me some of the pitfalls all graphics people go thru, and I did have tight
schedule to keep up with. You can make an okay start with an Associates degree, but a
bachelor is the norm. Don’t think school will teach you everything.
What was your first position within this field?
Interning at a military installation doing graphics for PageMaker layouts and PowerPoint
presentations. Getting your foot in the door is always going to be difficult at first. Make
sure what you are doing relates to the field you are pursuing.
What preparation would you suggest for someone interested in entering this field today? What type of degree do you think is mandatory?
Do more work than just schoolwork; practice your craft until you can knock out
professional looking comps in your sleep, hangover or whatever. The people I have met
that have moved forward have always shown exemplary skills, but also never turn down a
chance to make themselves shine no matter how challenging. Some stuff will be boring
and will not be easy enough to finish in three hours or a full day, but its worth the time to
polish something up if you can. You never know if the right person is going to see it and
drop their jaw.
In your estimation, how good are the future career opportunities in this field?
Lousy, but you should still get where you want to go. Jobs in graphics are becoming so
pointless because the software is basically getting easy enough that “fiddlers” get better all
the time and without a degree get a shot doing something 10 years ago that took a
professional. Also, the way (most) employers relate to graphics since it requires no actual
calculation or computation is they think any fool off the streets can do it. They’d rather
farm it out. Many reasons behind my theory on that, but none I want to go into.
Side notes from Sam Torres:
When I went to community college to start my education, graphics were still being
done as paste up and mechanically. All that changed about a year before I got out
of college. I wanted to keep going to school at a larger local university, but they
were still in the process of making changes to use computers so I was already
ahead of them. Whatever you do make a portfolio that recommends you as a talent
but also a quick learner. You’ll find it’s a whole different level in the job market today.
Sam Torres
Graphic Designer/Manager
Sling Ink
South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL
(407) 382-1988
www.slinginkshirts.com
sales@slinginkshirts.com
