Spotlight on // AJ Brockman
BFA Graphic Design
From a Trend Magazine cover to a 2020 Istanbul Olympics package, AJ Brockman has been making good use of his education ever since he graduated from DMAC.
AJ is Senior Designer/Project Manager at Vision Haus, a photography and graphic design firm in Delray Beach. "They found me!", enthuses AJ when asked how he landed the job, "It just goes to show you how important it is to build your portfolio."
And build his portfolio he did while at our school. He was also privy to knowledge he could only gain in a school run by experienced professionals, "Learning how to meet deadlines, how to work with others, talking about your art and design decisions (harder than you think), and taking critiques are all lessons that become very valuable in the real world and continuing your career." His education wasn't all technical however, it went deeper than that and molded him into the career artist he is today, "I believe it is a combination of all the teachers you encounter throughout your academic career that builds your character."
So what are some of the things AJ has learned in his profession that can't be learned in school, those nameless things that cause students to wake in a cold sweat in the middle of the night? "RESPONSIBILITY! If you slack off as a student then your grades suffer, but if you slack off at your job then you risk not eating! You must be prepared to put in long hours, lose sleep, and not have much of a personal life to accomplish the ultimate goal of being successful." However cold sobering this report from the trenches may seem, AJ also offers inspiration to those looking to break into the field, "If I can do it anyone can. I have a tattoo that says "carpe diem" which is Latin for seize the day. I live my life by this motto and take every day as they come. This can also apply for art and design! Make every project you do worth doing. Above all always build your portfolio."
And to the future what direction does AJ see forthcoming for future generations of graphic designers? "Social networking sites are exploding! The key is to use the sites to help you market your business or yourself." He also offers, "Content management systems (CMS) are the web design of the future. WordPress and Joomla are some examples and they take a lot of the finger breaking busywork out of HTML coding."
For now though AJ is settling in and focusing on his post college life, "I do EVERYTHING. No seriously; handle incoming jobs, working with clients face to face, and delivering whatever makes the client happy while staying true to good design principles. I actually enjoy going to work every day doing what I love."
Carpe Diem, AJ!