On the Road Again
If you are like a lot of graphic designers or those who work intensively with images and media, you probably take your work “on the road” on occasion. Or in other words, you work on your laptop at a location away from your desktop.

Working On Your Laptop and Desktop Computer
Working on your laptop is great for mobility, but what happens when you return to your main computer? You’ll transfer the files that you were working on over to your desktop.

And if you do your project on your desktop and want to take your work with you on your laptop? It’s transfer time again. This can get pretty tedious and confusing doing all the back and forth to keep your files synchronized.

Fortunately there is a program called GoodSync, produced by Siber Systems, that can effortlessly synchronize all your files between computers, removable media, or network storage.

GoodSync to the Rescue
GoodSync installs easily and effortlessly. The main screen shows an easy to understand interface. There are two sections; a right side and left side.

You determine the source and the destination of the files and set the synchronization to go either way or only one way. You can set up different sync jobs between computers, hard drives, or network drives.

If you set the program to synchronize both ways, this will take care of the headaches that come up when you have to make sure that a desktop and a laptop are always in sync.

When you work on projects while away from the office or home, there are no more problems. When you come back, it’s as easy as clicking two buttons to synchronize everything on the GoodSync program, and you’re done.

Being In Sync Is Good
The beauty of this two way synchronization is that your laptop and your desktop files can always match each other exactly.

All of this is done wirelessly through your available office or home hi-speed Internet account by networking and sharing your folders. Or you can do your synchronization or back ups to a USB drive, or external hard drive. Easy peasy. (Click on image to the left to see the GoodSync interface.)

GoodSync can also be set up to do one-way synchronization (back ups) to preserve the source’s contents from being overwritten by the destination files.

A Good GoodSync Story
In the modern world, it usually takes a lot of effort to get through all the red tape to get companies to listen and actually do something for their customers.

The people at GoodSync are truly the exception in this case. They not only listen you, you’ll actually have at your disposal the entire programming team to help you fix any problems. Really.

Here is a real case in point:

• Wednesday PM - Sent in a support ticket request to customer service about a minor bug in the program
• Thursday AM - Technical support replies with suggestion for solution. There are several back and forth emails about the matter
• Thursday Early PM - Tech support requests that information be sent about the modules that seem to be affected by the bug. Details were sent in
• Thursday Mid PM - Customer support says that the issue is with XP and that they are working on a solution and will give notification when it is fixed
• Friday Late PM - Message is sent that a new version of GoodSync has fixed the bug and is ready for installation
• Friday Late PM - We sit in disbelief. The fix works! How do we know the patch just wasn’t something that was already made previously? We check the version number and when it was made; it was programmed and released on Thursday.

Good Support, Good Program, GoodSync
We’re not sure how many companies can respond this quickly to customer issues dealing with its software, but the people at GoodSync  should probably be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the fastest response time for fixing a bug.

If you need a solid synchronization program for all the computers you work on, GoodSync is definitely a good choice. And if you ever need technical support, rest assured, they’ll definitely take care of you. (Thanks Natalie!)

GDB gives GoodSync 5 out of 5 pencils.
.

This is a very legitimate question for those with talent in the arts, media, or other related design disciplines.

The short answer is, “You don’t have to.” But going to a graphic design college may make things easier when you go into the job market in search of employment.

Raw Talent Isn’t Always Enough
Sometimes talent won’t take you to where you want to go. Employers usually want to see some sort of formal training, in addition to your portfolio, before they consider a job candidate.
.
The minimum is often an associate’s degree or Bachelor of Arts in the specific field in design or graphic arts you are skilled at.

Career Training, Education, and You
Employers don’t necessarily doubt your skills or abilities, but there is information, career training, and preparation that are hard to find outside of a graphic design school, short of actually getting on-the-job training.
.
There are exceptions to the rule, but generally speaking, most design jobs need the training that a formal education offers.

What Should You Do If You Are Already Attending?
Some people believe that going to school is all that is needed for career training.

To a certain extent this is true; graphic design schools help you to prepare for the real world by instructing you on the various skills necessary to complete assignments related to your future career.

But there is also another factor that can’t be overlooked: practical experience in the outside world.

Some design students take on part-time jobs, enter into internships while at school, or offer their creative services in design or media while still working towards their degree.

This strategy gives you a better opportunity to be competitive for jobs when you graduate; this shows employers  that you aren’t waiting until you graduate to get job experience.

Up The Odds In Your Favor
There is an old saying that says there is no free lunch. In other words, to get what you want takes work.

For graphic artists and others in the liberal arts, this means getting the career training you need by attending a graphic arts college through a traditional campus setting or online distance learning.

By also acquiring practical job experience outside of school, this may give you the extra edge you need to land a job upon graduation.

The Next Step
If you are in the stages of deciding which school to attend, make sure that you do your research on the centers of learning you are thinking about going to. Although colleges may all look the same, the staff, quality of curriculum, and the overall experience differs.

For those who are already enrolled, keep up the good work and get as much outside experience as you can.

If you produce lots of media or important files on your PC, you may have experienced the heartbreak of your computer crashing with a BSOD (blue screen of death), or seeing your computer hopelessly disabled.

Result: You lose important data, graphics, and images. You cry, “Never again!” and proceed to purchase a backup software program.

Backup Your Files
What is a backup imaging program?

The theory is that if your physical drive goes to that big hard drive pile in the sky, you can still restore your computer exactly the way it was by installing the back up image to a new or existing drive.

In theory, this is what is supposed to happen. Unfortunately, the majority of software imaging programs do not work or can actually harm your computer.

Peace of Mind Equals ShadowProtect Desktop Edition
Enter Storagecraft’s backup-disaster recovery program, ShadowProtect. This software is aptly named because it does just that; it shadows everything on your desktop computer or laptop, and protects your files.

ShadowProtect is an easy to use program and also one of the most full-featured imaging software programs on the market.

It is deceptively simple to use, but so powerful that you’ll have peace of mind the first time you use it. A full listing of its benefits can be found by clicking here.

Installation
You can purchase the program by downloading or buying the DVD version.

The DVD version acts as a recovery disc, while downloading the program allows you to burn a recovery disc.

The recovery disc allows you to start your computer independently of your boot up hard drive, which means even if your computer is dead, the disc allows you to bring it to life again and run the recovery program.

A free 30-day trial of this program is fully functional except for the lack of the recovery disc. During the trial period you can buy the program and fully activate it.

Into the Abyss
We made the ultimate sacrifice to test the imaging properties of ShadowProtect. We overwrote our programs partition and essentially wiped it clean.

Many of the program files were system dependent. Prior to wiping out the drive, we made an image of the disk on a USB external hard drive.

We used the restore function through the recovery disc,  and a couple of minutes later the partition was fully restored.

(But one big word of caution: make certain you read the manual and understand how to use this program to avoid accidentally overwriting drives you don’t want to.)

We clicked on several shortcut links that led to our program partitions and each one worked flawlessly without receiving the “this program cannot be found or has moved…” error message.

You have the option of backing up entire disks or only certain volumes/partitions. ShadowProtect is fully configurable and can run silently in the background making incremental or differential backups of your hard drives even while you are working on your computer.

There are online tutorials and user guides on Storagecraft’s website and these are very helpful, if not somewhat technical in nature.

ShadowProtect: A David Among The Goliaths
There are big software companies that sell well known backup programs, but ShadowProtect out performs them all and does exactly what it promises to do.

Storagecraft may be a small company compared to the big dogs, but it is a giant as far as what it does.

Laura Shafer, Director of Public Relations at Storagecraft said:

“…with a lot of word-of-mouth and grassroots support, ShadowProtect has really taken off.

“We’ve especially had a lot of support from resellers and small to medium sized businesses because ShadowProtect is easy to use, extremely reliable and affordable.”

ShadowProtect is an excellent program and will pay for itself dozens of times over by giving you peace of mind even after a serious crash on your computer.

We give ShadowProtect our highest rating: 5 out of 5 pencils.

Click here to find out more about ShadowProtect.

Finding Your Own Voice
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. If this is true, many graphic artists, designers, photographers and other have paid homage to their artistic heroes by trying to mimic their styles.

Dedicated nature photographers make the trek to Yosemite Park in California in an attempt to recapture the magic of Ansel Adams‘ photograph of Half Dome.

Some fashion designers toil away at making their pieces resemble the works of Ralph Lauren, Donatella Versace, or Marc Jacobs.

Graphic designers pay homage to Milton Glaser and glean ideas from his famous creations.

We can all learn from the greats and this is a good thing. But in the long run, some creative designers, artists, and those in the liberal arts want to find their own voice and style.

Picasso Broke the Mold
Pablo Picasso shocked the art world with his style of Cubism. It was unnerving to many and a wonder for others.

Some scientists even ventured to explain his art as a representation of how things would look in the fourth dimension.

Regardless of whether people accepted Picasso’s work or not, it was a style he developed and liked.

And this is the center of what drives many who are creative; the search to express something original and different.

Your Style May Look Familiar
If you are consciously attempting to use the same techniques of the artist or designer you admire in order to find your own method, it is a worthy exercise in creative growth.

In some cases, talent naturally mimics those of the great ones. “His style looks like so and so,” we hear occasionally.  As you can see, a similar style can be on purpose or occur spontaneously. But whatever is the case, as long as it is your style, that’s what is important.

Feeling Secure In What You Are Doing
It is a common trait of creative designers to sometimes second guess themselves. “Did I do it right?” Will the client like my work?” “Maybe I should have done something different instead,” and the list goes on.

Being creative can sometimes be a tough act. Are you merely a copy of someone else, or is your work truly original?

Some say there is nothing really new under the sun, and that creativity is an accumulation of what has come before us. But whether this is true or not is open for debate and contemplation.

The real question about personal creativity is, “Are you happy with what you have produced?

If the answer is “yes,” this is all that matters.

Brick and mortar colleges, otherwise known as traditional universities and college campuses, serve a real need for those who want to work towards a degree and further their education.

Online colleges serve this same purpose. Each learning venue offers a unique solution for students and their specific objectives and conditions.

Traditional Colleges
Brick and mortal colleges are the natural path for many high school graduates for their continued education. Parents are usually a prominent factor in deciding which college their children will go to.

Degrees from well known colleges can sometimes be a door opener for job opportunities; they hold a certain status for some.

College campus life is a good social arena to interact with the student body and staff. The contact with other students, professors, and campus groups provides a rich setting for communication, camaraderie, and learning.

For some, the adventure of moving away to college is a one in a lifetime opportunity.

Distance Learning
Online colleges provide many of the same courses as traditional colleges.

Distance learning is often preferred by individuals who want maximum flexibility in the scheduling their classes, or need to work towards a degree at their own pace.

There are individuals who work full-time, have personal commitments or needs, and view online colleges as the perfect solution for their education.

Many online colleges are fully accredited and degrees earned at these locations are as valid as their brick and mortar counterparts.

Which One Is Best?
In order to answer this question, maybe this should be rephrased to, “Which one is best for me?”

In general, online education is a viable alternative for earning a college degree for those who cannot attend traditional colleges due to work, family responsibilities, or special circumstances.

It is also a good choice for those who need to take classes according to their specific timetable.

Brink and mortar colleges are great for students who want to get their degree and experience the full scope of college life. The classroom setting, meeting professors face to face, and networking with other students continues the way of education that many are already familiar with.

The Best of Both Worlds?
Some well-known brick and mortar universities have established their own online programs for college degrees.

For some individuals, this meets the requirement of flexibility for taking classes while also getting a degree from a recognized university.

Regardless of which course of action you take as far as selecting the type of graphic arts college or graphic arts school you will attend, doing your homework in finding out as much as you can about the college of your choice is definitely something you do not want to fail at.

There are literally a million tidbits of advice on how to conduct one’s self in a job interview. Most tips ask you to prepare for interview questions such as:

• Tell me about yourself.
• What are your strengths?
• What are your weaknesses?
• Do you have any questions about our company?
• Where do you expect your career to be in 5 years?
• What skills do you have that would benefit our company?
• Why did you leave your last job?

It’s Not That Simple For Us
While being prepared for questions like these is a good idea, there is more to a job interview, especially for those who have majored in the liberal arts.

For graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, website designers and other creative positions, there is the added element of displaying your artistic examples with a portfolio of work.

This is not always the case with other job interviews where the job seeker merely shows his or her resume. If you are in design or media, it can be somewhat gut wrenching as your prospective employer scrutinizes your samples.

What Is The Interviewer Looking For?
What really is on the mind of the person interviewing you for a position as a graphic artist, designer, or other related field? Of course, they are looking for good talent. But sometimes the reality of the situation is quite different from theory.

Forest was looking for a job after he graduated from college with his degree in photography. He says the process of interviewing for a job was quite different than he expected.

“I interviewed for a photo job and told him my experience was only related to volunteer work, internships, and unpaid experience.

“I also told him that even if he hired me, I’d have to take several weeks off to help out at a youth camp; a previous unbreakable commitment I had made. I left and thought that was probably the last I would ever hear from him.”

Forest received a phone call the following week from the supervisor and was hired. He asked why. The supervisor said that he liked his honesty and thought he would be a good match for the job and the company.

What They Don’t Tell You - The Human Element
Most job interview advice says you should appear confident, self-assured, and professional. These are all helpful, but there is the intangible factor of whether you will be a good fit with the hiring firm; not just in your talent, but your personality as well.

Your words may contain all the correct answers to the interview questions, but character, amiability, and a general sense of being able to work with others is sometimes the deciding factor in being hired or not.

If you consider that there are literally hundreds of resumes that are sent in for just one position, the final factor is usually the face-to-face interview. The interviewer is not looking for just qualifications, but how you carry yourself as an individual.