Treaty, 1974. Lithograph 27″x 40″.

One of my most prominent early artistic influences; probably more than any other visual artist, Rauschenberg made me want to become a graphic designer.

I’d thought it odd that Sr Corita Kent didn’t set her rules in a more visual fashion; turns out she did.

If you’re not familiar with Sister Corita Kent, I urge you to take a look at her work. It turns out she also had her own rules, which I’ve posted below, courtesy of Corita.org

Rule I
FIND A PLACE YOU TRUST AND THEN TRY TRUSTING IT FOR A WHILE.

Rule 2
GENERAL DUTIES OF A STUDENT:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR TEACHER.
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR FELLOW STUDENTS.

Rule 3
GENERAL DUTIES OF A TEACHER:
PULL EVERYTHING OUT OF YOUR STUDENTS.

Rule 4
CONSIDER EVERYTHING AN EXPERIMENT.

Rule 5
BE SELF DISCIPLINED. THIS MEANS
FINDING SOMEONE WISE OR SMART AND
CHOOSING TO FOLLOW THEM.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A GOOD WAY.
TO BE DISCIPLINED IS TO FOLLOW IN A BETTER WAY.

Rule 6
NOTHING IS A MISTAKE. THERE’S NO WIN AND NO FAIL. THERE’S ONLY MAKE.

Rule 7
The only rule is work.
IF YOU WORK IT WILL LEAD TO SOMETHING.
IT’S THE PEOPLE WHO DO ALL OF THE WORK ALL THE TIME
WHO EVENTUALLY CATCH ON TO THINGS.

Rule 8
DON’T TRY TO CREATE AND ANALYZE AT THE
SAME TIME. THEY’RE DIFFERENT PROCESSES.

Rule 9
BE HAPPY WHENEVER YOU CAN MANAGE IT.
ENJOY YOURSELF. IT’S LIGHTER THAN YOU THINK.

Rule 10
“WE’RE BREAKING ALL OF THE RULES. EVEN
OUR OWN RULES. AND HOW DO WE DO THAT?
BY LEAVING PLENTY OF ROOM FOR X QUANTITIES.”
- JOHN CAGE

HELPFUL HINTS: ALWAYS BE AROUND. COME OR GO TO EVERYTHING. ALWAYS GO TO CLASSES. READ ANYTHING YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON. LOOK AT MOVIES CAREFULLY, OFTEN. SAVE EVERYTHING IT MIGHT COME IN HANDY LATER. THERE SHOULD BE NEW RULES NEXT WEEK.

Since this is the time of the year when many young designers transition from school to the working world of graphic design, I wanted to offer some useful considerations based on my experiences and advice that mentors have passed along to me over the course of my career. Neatly, this list includes 10 points.

1. find your niche; look for opportunities to differentiate yourself from the pack.
2. be modest, it’s the new black.
3. if you have a printed portfolio, keep it small.
4. a portfolio website is essential, but the typical designers website is at best a cliche.
5. prospective employers actually read your captions and commentary. spell check them.
6. create a blog. post something on it every day.
7. study jan tschichold typography. it’s is most designers achilles heel.
8. work hard. work a lot.
9. ask for and accept advice and input, especially on your work.
10. be selective. although your first job may not be the one you have in 5 years (or 3 years, or 1 year), it may define your early career. find a place that will offer a broad range of working experiences.

Spotted in NOHO. Clever.

Designed by Julia Fischbach, Pratt ‘09.