Ad Agency Visit

I was originally not thrilled at all to go to the Ad Agency.  It wasn't something I ever considered getting into so I didn't really find a point in going besides getting class credit.  I gave it a chance and actually became really interested in the career choice.  Even though my form of art may not be useful for an agency I realized there were other job opportunities and it is now something I am looking into.  Great idea Walter!!!! Thanks!

advertising agency

I really enjoyed the visit to the ad agency. It gave us all a chance to actually step place in the agency and get a closer look than to just hear someone speak about it in a different place. I found it interesting to hear about all of the steps that go into completing a certain ad, whether it was for a poster or the videos for the internet and elsewhere. One thing that was said that made me think was when it was mentioned that he sometimes wishes he was back in art school because I took it as him missing the freedom sometimes to just create art, and not to be confined to the restrictions of a client. Of course though, it is a job and while the freedom to create is much better, it also doesn't guarantee a paycheck. The whole experience gave me a lot to think about.

ad agency visit

I thought the trip to the ad agency was interesting and helpful. I appreciated seeing their work environment and samples of their work. I enjoyed hearing behind the scenes info such as how they photographed peoples desks to create background images, filmed scenes in the same conference room where we were sitting, and how they often got together in the conference room just to brainstorm ideas. Their website was especially interesting. It was also insightful to hear their thoughts on print versus interactive advertising media. I would have enjoyed hearing more than one person's point of view - perhaps another artist or writer - but I understand the time constraints of a busy ad agency. Thanks, Walter, for arranging this field trip.

On the visit to the advertising agency

What did I learn from the visit to the advertising agency? hmmmmmm, I learned that what they do is not a whole lot different then what I am doing here in college. You get an assignment and you have to complete it. The better job you do, the more creative you are and the better you understand your teacher the more likely you are to be successful. But in this case success is not a letter grade it is food on the table and a roof over ones head.
I learned that these people are very good at what they do. The posters of the ad campaigns that were hanging in the meeting room were very clean. They were art in the sense that anything done well can be considered art. They were fine art in the sense that attention to detail is what puts the "fine" in fine art. They may not have been art if one considers art as something that comes about from a pure random vision with no time constraints, but it certainly is art.
I found it interesting that they had a small weight room or work out room in the building. I often need to do something physical to clear my head and put things in perspective. It seems to help to get the blood flowing to the brain and with it new ideas. I wanted to ask them if they had a pirate flag up on the roof, Apple joke, they seemed very progressive.
I learned that there is a lot of collaboration involved in each project, A lot of interaction between writers, graphic artists and the client. With any collaboration new things are created and learned even though it may be frustrating at times. One of my favorite things about this course is the interaction between somewhat kindred spirits and seeing the things they create, it feeds my idea factory and fosters my creativity.

Class visit to Advertising Agency - feedback

I hope all of you enjoyed our visit to Holten, Sentivan +Gury, local advertising agency. Please post your feedback as to what you learned from our visit. Please include what you learned about the advertising world and your thoughts about being an artist working in commercial art.