VIA Special Assignment

Purpose:
To visit a local advertising agency in order to gain an understanding of the many possible career opportunities; To engage in a fictitious design problem with authentic graphic designers; to present and receive feedback about your artwork from authentic graphic designers.

Reflection:
 The trip to VIA was by far the best field trip I have ever been on. From the second we pulled up to the building I was in awe; the old-library gave it such an artistic feel. When we went inside the first thing I noticed, of course, was the way people dressed. Everyone was so fashionable and stylish, I even commented on our tour guides shoes (they were from J. Crew). The decor throughout the whole building was so modern, contrasting perfectly with the vintage feel of the building.

I’ve heard about VIA a lot before but I never really knew what it was. Not only is it a place for graphic designers, but script writers, film-editors, and the list goes on-and-on.

The thing that stuck out to me the most was the impact that the commercials VIA created had on the business of a company. I always see commercials on television but I never really think about them. After our trip, I realized an effective commercial really does work because its memorable. Some of the companies that they made commercials I had never heard of, but thats because I’d never seen them on tv.

I hope that in the future, whether it be for a magazine or another type of design company, I would hope that the chemistry and atmosphere was at least half as great as that of VIA’s. When I went to VIA I saw myself: the fashion, style, decor, talent, and creativity.

The highlights of the second trip was definitely when I got told that I could have a summer internship at via. A man (whose name I cannot not remember) introduced himself as a creative director at VIA. I was instantly intrigued because that is what I want to be, but for a magazine. At the end of our trip I went up to him and told him about me and my aspirations and asked him how he got to where he is. He told me the most important thing to do is “internships, internships, internships.” He explained how it doesn’t matter if I start out at a no-name magazine with an unpaid internship, because everyone starts from somewhere. You have to start from the bottom in order to gain the experience needed to succeed. He asked me if I was interested in a summer internship with someone in the creative department, and I could not be more filled. Hopefully this internship is the start of many to come.