Week 10- Keith Durrant
Keith Durrant
CEO of Ecentricarts
Keith Durrant is the co-founder and CEO of Ecentricarts which is a digital marketing agency in Toronto. Their core values consists on creating work with purpose with a focus on content, design, development and strategic planning. The culture at their company comprises of different production teams with similar skillsets thus, creating a team-centred environment. Durrant played a short video showing the different production teams in his company and there are none that are left alone. It was quite interesting to see the different teams that help drive the company's works and knowing that when you are in a company, you are not working alone. Others will see and give feedback on process before allowing the client to see the product. As someone, who is not confident in their work yet to start a project by herself, I can see how starting out in a company would give someone that experience of working collaboratively in a team and getting added feedback. It would also build on the skills of communication and design as you grow from the feedback and from others.
As Durrant talks about his company, he gave us worthwhile tips along the way. When looking for a company, keep in mind the values that they have because if you share similar values, it helps one to thrive in that particular company. It also helps to look at the type of work they produce and if that work is one you are pursuing. Taking these tips into mind, it certainly is valuable information to know as when I was researching for future jobs I looked towards the type of work they produce as well as the culture and beliefs. When looking for a company to work at, one would want to work at a place they would succeed at, gain skills and experience as well as be happy in that particular environment. Going back to the previous presentation, it also delves into our interests and passion that drives our values and our career path.
As Durrant talks about his company, he gave us worthwhile tips along the way. When looking for a company, keep in mind the values that they have because if you share similar values, it helps one to thrive in that particular company. It also helps to look at the type of work they produce and if that work is one you are pursuing. Taking these tips into mind, it certainly is valuable information to know as when I was researching for future jobs I looked towards the type of work they produce as well as the culture and beliefs. When looking for a company to work at, one would want to work at a place they would succeed at, gain skills and experience as well as be happy in that particular environment. Going back to the previous presentation, it also delves into our interests and passion that drives our values and our career path.
Process & Iteration to Final Product
At this part of the presentation, he talks about how process is done in a company. It was a meaningful insight in knowing whats to come in the future if one chooses to work in a company. It is interesting how he tries not to sugar-coat it, as what he displays is with complex digital designs plus human nature can equal fire! With a team-based environment, there is many ways to go about a design and everyone has different perspectives on the matter. With this kind of collaborative environment, projects can go astray, thus ending up with endless hours working on a project. Having to meet deadlines and meeting the client's needs, I can understand that it can take long hours to achieve what is needed. In the end, the solution is to have a mutual understanding between all teams.
With all aspects of each project, having a shared understanding with all teams on the designs is the solution to move forward with the process work. I would definitely agree, as it is good to have a common opinion on a project. If one were to have differing opinions and not come to a conclusion, the project wouldn't get done in time for the client. I find this information quite helpful for any upcoming work in the future. As to know that, there are differing opinions to look out for, but in the end, it is recommended to come to a shared conclusion for the process work to finish into a final project. Another aspect of the process is the iteration step.
Iteration plays a big role in the process steps for a design. With planning and feedback, one needs to go back and fix up any designs based on the feedback given. This process repeats itself again and again, making it an agile process. Through this process, Durrant explains that along the way, the project team will help guide you. The client will also be present in the process, seeing the progress and allowing change to happen. Finally, once the it is all done, comes the big reveal of the final product. Hearing Durrant talk about this is quite endearing as the production team and client come together to view the final product. It makes me think of having to present the final to the client, which could be nerve-racking to think about. In the end though, because of the repetition of going back to fix details, one would know the design choices made that allows them to talk about the specific changes done to it. Going back on previous presentations, its good to know why you make specific choices to a design and being able to explain the "why" to your peers. Through each of these presentations, I understand why its good to practice your communication and presentation skills as it provides a certain confidence with your design choices and more importantly with your work.
With all aspects of each project, having a shared understanding with all teams on the designs is the solution to move forward with the process work. I would definitely agree, as it is good to have a common opinion on a project. If one were to have differing opinions and not come to a conclusion, the project wouldn't get done in time for the client. I find this information quite helpful for any upcoming work in the future. As to know that, there are differing opinions to look out for, but in the end, it is recommended to come to a shared conclusion for the process work to finish into a final project. Another aspect of the process is the iteration step.
Iteration plays a big role in the process steps for a design. With planning and feedback, one needs to go back and fix up any designs based on the feedback given. This process repeats itself again and again, making it an agile process. Through this process, Durrant explains that along the way, the project team will help guide you. The client will also be present in the process, seeing the progress and allowing change to happen. Finally, once the it is all done, comes the big reveal of the final product. Hearing Durrant talk about this is quite endearing as the production team and client come together to view the final product. It makes me think of having to present the final to the client, which could be nerve-racking to think about. In the end though, because of the repetition of going back to fix details, one would know the design choices made that allows them to talk about the specific changes done to it. Going back on previous presentations, its good to know why you make specific choices to a design and being able to explain the "why" to your peers. Through each of these presentations, I understand why its good to practice your communication and presentation skills as it provides a certain confidence with your design choices and more importantly with your work.
Career Tips
Finally, Durrant gave valuable career tips as well as tips on our portfolio to show on the grad show! In terms of our final projects, he stresses this statement to us, "quality over quantity." Upon hearing this statement, I've actually heard this quite a few times during my time in the arts. I agree with this as it is true that not everyone has the time to really look at one's designs. But, having projects that you are particularly proud of and share differences with one another, it allows the viewer to take a moment to really look at the design. As someone who has done quite a few portfolios, it is definitely good to also provide a few process shots. Durrant mentions that its good to show the final layout of the design, but sometimes one can be asked how you came about that design and knowing the design choices taken. With art, there is quite a lot of process steps to consider, starting with the concepts, concept sketches, finalizing the concept and starting a final design. Project X in my Visual and Creative Arts program really taught me how process really helps to completely come to a finishing product you are actually proud of. Project X allows you to create your very own project with any type of topic you want. With having such freedom to choose any type of topic, it was quite hard at first, but having a concept that you can really connect with helped drive my project to become one that I am quite proud of. It is funny to say this, but I actually enjoyed the journey that I took to the finalized product. Again, as Durrant previously said, designers would like to know your thought process, and with my Project X assignment, I feel that I could happily tell my process journey as it is one that I spend quite a lot of time for and one topic that is dear to me. Another tip he has provided us is resume & portfolio tips.
With our resume he states that, of course, it should look professional and to also include jobs that are relevant to the job you are applying too. Another part we should add is one aspect of you that stands out from other applicants. Examples he has mentioned is, you could be an artist or a mountain climber. With hearing this, I was also a bit puzzled as to why we should mentioned something interesting about ourselves, but in a way it could be something to talk about with the interviewer, thus creating a meaningful conversation about yourself. After creating a resume comes job hunting!
Job hunting terrifies me a bit, but also gets me excited to know the different companies out there and knowing about the different values they have. With job hunting its good to be an extrovert and focusing on communication skills as one would need to put themselves out there to be known. As someone who is shy, it will be hard for me to get out of my comfort-zone, but I understand that sometimes we need to be active and speak out for others to know about you. Along with presenting, I have never liked it, but it is something that everyone needs to get used too. In my previous program, we had to present quite a bit, so now I would get used to the idea of presenting however time and again, it would still terrify me and I end up being shy. With time and effort into working on my presenting skills, I believe one day I can get over my shyness and be able to present with confidence. Finally, we have the dreaded interview tips.
Interviews are the one of the most things I am dreading after I graduate. But, learning about these helpful tips gave me a boost and enlightened me to some of the things that I have previously learned before. It is good to make yourself memorable to the person, as there can be quite a few applicants. A particular tip that I heard a lot about is always asking questions by the end of the interview. It allows them to know you are interested in the company and are actually invested in knowing more about them. Asking questions such as, how is the culture like? What do you do in a particular day at work? What is your favourite project that you have done? Questions like this really allows one to know you are interested, rather than just laying it off and leaving right away. Rather than just being invested on being hired, it is good to be invested in the company as well. An interesting point in the presentation is having a cover letter. From what I heard before, not a lot of people include cover letters as there wasn't much use for them. But, Durrant complains that it is because there wasn't much use for them that it helps to also stand out. In a pile of applicants, it would be interesting to find one that contains a cover letter. So, hearing Durrant mention this caught my attention, but it is also good to know that in the long run, it would help for one to stand out.
With our resume he states that, of course, it should look professional and to also include jobs that are relevant to the job you are applying too. Another part we should add is one aspect of you that stands out from other applicants. Examples he has mentioned is, you could be an artist or a mountain climber. With hearing this, I was also a bit puzzled as to why we should mentioned something interesting about ourselves, but in a way it could be something to talk about with the interviewer, thus creating a meaningful conversation about yourself. After creating a resume comes job hunting!
Job hunting terrifies me a bit, but also gets me excited to know the different companies out there and knowing about the different values they have. With job hunting its good to be an extrovert and focusing on communication skills as one would need to put themselves out there to be known. As someone who is shy, it will be hard for me to get out of my comfort-zone, but I understand that sometimes we need to be active and speak out for others to know about you. Along with presenting, I have never liked it, but it is something that everyone needs to get used too. In my previous program, we had to present quite a bit, so now I would get used to the idea of presenting however time and again, it would still terrify me and I end up being shy. With time and effort into working on my presenting skills, I believe one day I can get over my shyness and be able to present with confidence. Finally, we have the dreaded interview tips.
Interviews are the one of the most things I am dreading after I graduate. But, learning about these helpful tips gave me a boost and enlightened me to some of the things that I have previously learned before. It is good to make yourself memorable to the person, as there can be quite a few applicants. A particular tip that I heard a lot about is always asking questions by the end of the interview. It allows them to know you are interested in the company and are actually invested in knowing more about them. Asking questions such as, how is the culture like? What do you do in a particular day at work? What is your favourite project that you have done? Questions like this really allows one to know you are interested, rather than just laying it off and leaving right away. Rather than just being invested on being hired, it is good to be invested in the company as well. An interesting point in the presentation is having a cover letter. From what I heard before, not a lot of people include cover letters as there wasn't much use for them. But, Durrant complains that it is because there wasn't much use for them that it helps to also stand out. In a pile of applicants, it would be interesting to find one that contains a cover letter. So, hearing Durrant mention this caught my attention, but it is also good to know that in the long run, it would help for one to stand out.
Finishing Thoughts
Keith Durrant's presentation was filled with inspiring and valuable information to take into the future. Going into career tips, job hunting, interviews, portfolios and even touching upon what to show on the grad show. Hearing his presentation also allowed me to touch upon previous presentations because of how connected they are with one another. Someone who is in the industry for quite a while verses someone starting out in the industry. There are definitely shared opinions with one another, in terms of knowing the "why" to one's designs and being able to explain your work to someone. I thought it was interesting to know that despite the difference in the time spent in the industry, there is always one aspect in common. Being able to focus on communication and presentation skills, knowing the process of your design and explaining your design choices are one of the things that are always the same throughout each presentation.
During the end of his presentation, he has shown case studies of previous projects his company did. It was fun to see the process and the final product with each case study and also got me excited about the work that I'll possibly be doing in the future. I was mostly inspired by the process of the designers on how they tried different logos, and going into a finalized treatment and being able to explain the concept behind it. As someone who likes to see the journey before seeing the final product always gets me giddy as you can really see their thought process on the design. The process is always one that takes a lot of time and effort, but by the end it is worth it as it helps to drive the design into a successful product.
Useful Links:
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/keithdurrant - Keith Durrant's LinkedIn profile
https://twitter.com/keith_durrant?lang=en - Twitter profile
During the end of his presentation, he has shown case studies of previous projects his company did. It was fun to see the process and the final product with each case study and also got me excited about the work that I'll possibly be doing in the future. I was mostly inspired by the process of the designers on how they tried different logos, and going into a finalized treatment and being able to explain the concept behind it. As someone who likes to see the journey before seeing the final product always gets me giddy as you can really see their thought process on the design. The process is always one that takes a lot of time and effort, but by the end it is worth it as it helps to drive the design into a successful product.
Useful Links:
https://ca.linkedin.com/in/keithdurrant - Keith Durrant's LinkedIn profile
https://twitter.com/keith_durrant?lang=en - Twitter profile
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