“design field”

what field? the field is huge...

what do you like to do? what do you want to do?

softwares?

“what folks look for in interns/new hires”

very simple: if they are going to like you (or not).

’graphic design’
Package design, publication design, type design

It also depends on the geographic area you are seeking employment.

Eric, try looking at the design jobs being posted in your city on www.craigslist.com

Here’s a temp freelance job post at a branding firm. The job post is from May, so they probably filled the slot. But if you have strength in type font development, vector based art and Photoshop, you might have a chance to get on their list of freelancers. Branding studios could really rely on someone with type design and font development skills.

Also, US-Circle, the people who posted the job are a staffing firm for creatives. They could probably give you a better picture of what companies are looking for.

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Yes, I’m old, but I’m back in style!

try this:

1. aaaa.org

2. creativehotlist.com

3. in your area you have:

• Holland Commnications
• Liggett-Stashower
• Lohre & Associtaes

see what they are doing etc etc

Thanks for the tips ! I’m also interested, I just had an interview for an internship, which I did not get. YAY! I just was looking for some insight into, as far as interviewing skills, employers like to hear...
Dunno, just frustrated.

Eric, I wouldn’t say that there is anything specific that employers “like to hear.” Employers during interviews try to get to know the real you a bit.

I’ve always felt that the job application process was a lot like dating. Unfortunately, during interviews, some employers will like the real you more than others…

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www.typeoff.de

Dan, it depends on how large/small the company is. I once went to an interview at Warner Brothers: all the six people over four hours that I met really wanted was to go through the motions. My qualifications weren’t even remotely close to the job requirements; when they called me, I had asked “are you sure you want me to come down there?” They said “sure, come in...” And two of the six people I met were assigned the chore of taking me to lunch; they didn’t ask me a single pertinent question. Too often, it’s all show.

hhp

Dan,

So, if a havn’t had a date in oh, about 2 years, I may be out of practice, wouldn’t you say?

well i hope you saw this thread: http://typophile.com/node/13250

i was surprised at how easy it was for me to get a job in the type design industry. Granted, it was only supposed to be a 3 month internship at first, but seven months later... i’m still here. If i could give simple job search/dating tips: find out what the other party is looking for and what they’re all about. That way when they ask questions, you can give informed answers—just be relevant, honest and up-front in the information you provide and if things are a good match, it’ll work out.

Paul,

You dont know how much I want to apply for that. I’m in process of my first full face, which is coming along splendedly, but I have yet to graduate ( I’m on the 8 year plan ) And I think once I’ve worked my way through this, I’ll be more employable. (yes?)

So, paul, you got an internship in type design? And did you have any experience with it before applying?

When you speak of finding out what they are looking for, how would you go about finding that out? Is it something you ask when you first make contact, or something you ask during the interview?

I’ll pretty much do anything ( legal of course ) to get in somewhere relevant. I’d rather work at McDonalds than work production (some-more).

Eric, Paul’s windfall actually happened thanks to Typophile!

hhp

Hrant, that is incredible, I could only hope to be so fortunate. Maybe in time, with the things I hope to learn on Typophile. And hopefully contribute !

So, paul, you got an internship in type design? And did you have any experience with it before applying?

no formal education, but a lot of reading (the classics: elemenets, anatomy, letters of credit, etc.) also i had taught myself how to get around in FontLab and I had taught myself OT programming. I hadn’t completed a full typeface before starting work at P22, but I have since finished one of my own personal projects and released it through our subsidiary, IHOF. To find out what P22 was looking for, i emailed Rich and then we talked on the phone and agreed it might be a good fit. I was in Buffalo a week later and i’ve been here since.

It looks like House is looking for “Strong bezier drawing skills, a knowledge of FontLab and willingness to learn proprietary techniques also a must” as well as a team player. Seems pretty basic.

Actually, at the same time I was talking with Rich, H&FJ actually had an opening and they called me and we had a good chat. They hired someone else, but it was flattering to at least be considered for a position with such a reputable foundry. At that time I had a bit of a website up showcasing some original font projects which i had begun, and i think that was a help, too. You never know what could happen unless you apply—nothing ventured nothing gained.

Eric, it gets better:
Part of the reason P22 needed to hire was that they acquired Gerald Giampa’s entire Lanston library, which needed to be freshened up (and I suspect that’s putting it mildly). And guess where that fortuitous transaction was initiated...

Yeah, “blogs have no value”... Right.
Dead tree parts lugged around by convicts in shorts is much better.

hhp

Paul,

Did H&FJ call you out of the blue? or did you send them your resume. I checked out kilkenny on the IHOF site, very nice, especially for no formal training. There only asking $19.99 for that? Also ,where/or from what did you learn about open type programming?

I applied to H&FJ when the put a call out for applications—sent ’em my résumé. I learned OT programming by reading the FontLab manual and asking a lot of questions on typophile. and thnx for the compliment. 19.99 for one face... more for the full set and/or the OT version.

Ohhh... $19.99 per style... Gotcha ... Thanks for the info ... Good luck to you at P22 !

and good luck to you in yer job hunt!

Eric, there was a thread on typophile during the time of Paul’s job hunt, which was started by a recent graduate from Belgium who was looking for a type internship anywhere in the world. She ended up at FontShop International in Berlin.

I have been an intern at Linotype for over a year now, and I really love it. That internship came from contacts through school. Specifically, another student had worked there for two years, and wanted to stop. He told our typography professor this, who informed me of the soon-to-be opening. Then the student arranged the interview for me.

Europe (specifically Germany, Holland, and England) has a lot of type foundries and type designers, many of whom take interns. The biggest problem for Americans is that some European governments will not issue work permits for interns (in some countries, an “intern” is actually one legal, regulated type of job category—and therefore one of the lowest). I am only able to work in Germany because I have a student visa (I’m a graduate student in Offenbach). I’m sure the exact rules vary from country to country. But if you want to work in type, I wouldn’t discount “Old Europe.” There is quite a bit of action going on here, both in terms of small foundries, and bigger ones.

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www.typeoff.de

Actually Dan, Europe didn’t cross my mind until you mentioned it. I assume you speak German, so you really have no language barrier to contend with ? Or is English fairly prevalent there ? ( Non english speaking countries ) That would be even more incredible, to go to the land where most of type history was made.

You said interns had a job bracket, if so, can you afford to live indoors while working?
Also, do you per-chance know what immigration policy /work permit is for the British isles ?

I don’t know much about the UK, but I have a feeling that the rules there for Americans are a bit less strict than on the continent. However, living costs in London are higher than anywhere in Germany.

Most German companies (and Dutch, French, Swedish, or Italian companies) run all internal business & discussions in German (or Dutch, French, Swedish, or Italian, respectively). However, it is quite common in Europe for interns from other countries to be hired who do not speak the local language. In fact, I got my internship at Linotype because I was a native English speaker. Before working at Linotype, I worked in other design agencies. Finding internships here has not been difficult at all. However, I do speak German, which greases a lot of wheels. I wouldn’t have been admitted to my graduate program without being able to speak German, and therefore wouldn’t have gotten my visa/work permit.

English is very, very prevalent in Europe. That does not mean that all Europeans will want to speak it with you, though. Especially when they are upset about something, or need to tell you something important or in a hurry. Beaurocrats get very angry if you do not speak their language perfectly.

Most interns in Germany do not make enough money to support themselves. Some do, however, including myself. It is different from company to company. Interns do not have to be paid anything, and prestegious internships in non-design fields are often unpaid here.

I don’t know how other countries stack up. In general, I think that it would depend on the company’s policies. I have a college degree and some real job experience already, so that certainly helped with salary negotions.

Here’s the bad news: After I graduated from RISD (during which I spent one semester in Germany), and started working in Washington, I began applying for both jobs and internships in Germany (I wanted to go back, for personal reasons). I didn’t get one call; not one. So I decided to go to school there for real. I had a hunch that might improve things. It did, and after I moved back to Germany to begin school, all the doors openned up.

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www.typeoff.de

Eric, I too am looking to jump ship into type design. I just got my Master of Science degree in Communications design and am doing freelance design work for a major publication here in New York. Although I can do it...its not where my heart is. I love Illustration and Type Design, and production to me is starting to be “for the birds.” During my Thesis project I designed a typeface to be used for information signage.

I’m in the process of redesigning it now (the original was a bastardization of Frutiger Condensed) starting completely from scratch from my own sketches and real typographic research.

To Dan (I talked to you a bit about this already) and Paul: would it behove me to finish the full character set by TypeCon? How complete does a face need to be for foundry owners/designers to see the merits of a type design? (This is because I want to make a full set including true italics).

About the UK...I’ve done a bit of research in looking at getting funding for the UK. I spoke to Gerry Leonidas once about this and he told me that it can be very difficult for American students to find funding in the UK.

This is not to say that it is impossible. Based on what I’ve found though, I need to do some production grunt work for a year or two before I can afford to get to Reading or any other place in Europe.

I did a year and a half of corporate design work in DC to cover the costs that moving to and living in Germany for the first year (as a cheap student) would ensue.

This time also gave me time to think through my options, make applications, look in depth at three countries, etc.

Terry, to evaluate a typeface, text settings are what count. You don’t need to present a full character set in order to get a good critque. Especially if you are on a deadline (which you are ;-) ), work on getting it right in text first (what the word “text” means depends on the fonts’ application). Whether your a circumflex is right (or even in the trials) is less important that overall rhythm, color, shape harmony, etc.

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www.typeoff.de

Thanks Dan, good to know. I have a small caps, italic and some ligatures I wanted to complete for the family set. Its certainly relieving to know that a full type specimen isn’t necessary.