By: Daisy Solis
Recently, I had an interview with a Binghamton University Graphic Design Alumni named Zachary Cowen. I found Mr. Cowen through networking on LinkedIn. I searched for Graphic Designers that went to Binghamton University and he came up. I viewed his profile and looked at his website and decided to connect with him. After connecting, I emailed him about scheduling an interview and he agreed. Networking is a skill that I am growing slowly with little steps. Networking is easier when you know someone through a personal connection but it is always good to reach out to those you never met before. This helps with confidence and allows you to grow your network.
During the interview, I asked Mr. Cowen several questions that surrounded advice, academics, and jobs/internships. This interview was very informative to me and helped me find the path I want to pursue in my academic career. Currently, I am pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Arts but have been thinking about getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts instead due to advice from professors. Before conducting the interview, I came up with a list of questions to ask Mr. Cowen, and because he graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts I decided to ask him what he thought. Mr. Cowen suggested that I take the Fine Arts path because the coursework provided students with experience in working in the actual field. Classes help you learn how to make a portfolio and even help in making a website.
The next question I asked revolved around what art classes to take that would be beneficial to my graphic design skills. Mr. Cowen suggested taking any painting or drawing classes that would help me with hand skills would be beneficial to me in the future. This helps when creating any sort of visual before digitalizing it. I agree with Mr. Cowen and believe that any good graphic designer should love to draw and paint as well. Knowing that you can create your visuals on paper can help in the digital process as well because you know what works and what does not work in the design.
The last question I asked Mr. Cowen was about my portfolio and what it should look like. He suggested that I create an online portfolio because it would help condense my work and keep it all in one place. He also suggested keeping relevant work at the top of the website to ensure future employers see it. For instance, if applying to a company that specializes in making logos, you would probably want to place any logos you have created in Illustrator or any school projects that involve logos.
After this interview, I feel informed and ready for my next steps. I am happy that I reached out to a Binghamton Alumni and made the first step necessary to networking. I suggest that you begin networking with Alumni from Binghamton. You could do so on LinkedIn but the Fleishman Center provides a Mentor Match program that matches current students with Binghamton Alumni. This resource is important because every person on the Mentor Match wants to help you! It may be a bit scary to reach out through LinkedIn but Mentor Match makes it easier to do so. Alumni want to help you, meaning that they are most likely not going to say no to an interview or phone call. I also highly recommend taking the CDCI 395 classes offered by Fleishman. I have learned a lot about professional skills just through this class so I highly recommend it if you have an internship for next semester.
