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Kitten Kisses posted:Your thumbnails could be improved. You have these great big squares and a tiny image smooshed down at the bottom being cut off. Make the actual image take up the full space of the thumb. The images being linked to kind of suffer from the same thing. Again, it's a big square with a tiny image in the middle that looks like it could be interesting if I could actually see any detail in it. Would be nice if those images actually linked to the websites they are about. Likewise, you should link to a normal image of your game recruiter ad. Is it a good ad? Who knows! You can't see any of the details. I try to keep my twitter feed clean, think I've done a pretty good job so far, but you're right about it being potentially a liability. M4rk fucked around with this message at 07:41 on Aug 18, 2011 |
# ? Aug 18, 2011 07:39 |
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# ? May 31, 2024 23:19 |
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M4rk posted:Thanks for the response Diplo. I typed up a long response to your suggestions, but I'll email it to you instead of posting. Portfolio Website
I don't see anything terribly wrong with your tweets. They're certainly not worse than what celebrities tweet on a regular basis. But,
Adraeus fucked around with this message at 08:37 on Aug 18, 2011 |
# ? Aug 18, 2011 08:33 |
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M4rk, when you say you are a designer, what do you mean? Web design? Game design?
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 16:21 |
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He designed the system they use to generate ideas for games, thereby crushing the dreams of countless teenagers and man children the world over.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 17:03 |
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So this is my next project. Seems way too premature to announce but I guess that's why they don't pay me the big(gest) bucks. For those not willing to click: Naked Gun point'n'click. Or just "tap" since it's for tablets.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 18:11 |
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Akuma posted:So this is my next project. Seems way too premature to announce but I guess that's why they don't pay me the big(gest) bucks. "Cigarette?" "Yes, it is." If I can't offer everyone a cigarette or coffee in the game, no purchase
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 18:22 |
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Ramen Ocelot posted:M4rk, when you say you are a designer, what do you mean? Web design? Game design? I'm nowhere close to being a game designer. EDIT: I changed that line on my personal site to "visual designer" to alleviate confusion. M4rk fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Aug 18, 2011 |
# ? Aug 18, 2011 18:51 |
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M4rk posted:Print and web design, mostly. Print is my favorite, though. I'm sick of making websites look the same in every browser, at least I can be reasonably sure how things will look when printed, if printed correctly. Less than asking you, specifically, I think he was pointing out that the word means a lot of things and you need to specify. Overall, looking at that site, you look very Jack of all Trades without much in the way of proof of Mastery in any of them. You don't have to list everything you've ever done, and pinch hitting for a day doesn't make you the profession, either. It needs tightening.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 19:16 |
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Akuma posted:So this is my next project. Seems way too premature to announce but I guess that's why they don't pay me the big(gest) bucks. Sounds like a fun project to be a part of. Are you guys recruiting? I've never seen a job posting on any of the places I look and there's no job section on your site, nor what looks like a suitable email address to send a speculative.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 19:23 |
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Not at the moment, sorry Except for that Flash post we talked about before.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 19:29 |
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Goddamnit edit is broken in the Awful app at the moment. It is fun! I've been pushing to get the lead on this for a while now, very happy the deal is all signed. I've just come off assisting my wife with the design of some other license-based point and click game, which was ace. I loved the genre as a kid so I'm totally living the dream.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 19:33 |
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Sigma-X posted:Less than asking you, specifically, I think he was pointing out that the word means a lot of things and you need to specify. "I'm a community manager, marketer and visual designer. Why so many hats? Because they're necessary to create great communities. Can I help you? Contact me." What I'm trying to get across is that I've developed these skills not because I'm willy-nilly throwing myself at walls and trying to see what sticks, but because I have the ability to adapt to whatever situation I'm in and excel. If I needed to redesign a fansite, I didn't pay someone else $500 to do it, I did it myself and learned along the way why full-time designers charge $500+ a pop. I'm not half-assing everything I do, I do it 100% to the best of my abilities and then some. What I don't know how to do, I teach myself or find someone to tutor me. These skills are necessary according to most of the qualifications lists I'm reading for positions I'd like to have, so I've acquired and polished them. My skills aren't at a hobbyist level, they're enthusiast or better. For example, I understand shop talk about ENG (electronic news gathering) because I did it for years during my time in college. I know the lingo, I know what does what and how to fix it, what brands to avoid and why, how to work the audio or video board in-studio, camera op on-location or in-studio, floor directing, etc. It's fun, collecting this information is like a game to me, and then all of a sudden people are asking me for advice or to work on things or fix their stuff. So I appreciate that you guys are giving me great advice to be more to-the-point, but I'm not sure that taking it would be the best course of action for the positions I'm trying to apply for. Would it be better if I posted what jobs I was considering? Also, Eagle, I took a lot of your suggestions for my LinkedIn to heart, but I'm wary about moving to it exclusively as my portfolio. I like having a bit more freedom than LinkedIn apps give me. M4rk fucked around with this message at 19:52 on Aug 18, 2011 |
# ? Aug 18, 2011 19:38 |
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M4rk posted:"I'm a community manager, marketer and visual designer. Why so many hats? Because they're necessary to create great communities. Can I help you? Contact me." Reverse the wording and you've got yourself a mission statement: "I create great communities through..." and then show not only the look and feel of your portfolio communities but also why they're great. Imagine that your audience doesn't know what "great communities" means. Write five brief sentences per community page that explain what made each community successful. I like that you added a call to action to your mission statement, but I think it can be improved. Think "let's create great communities together" while you're determining how. M4rk posted:What I'm trying to get across is that I've developed these skills [...] because I have the ability to adapt to whatever situation I'm in and excel. M4rk posted:So I appreciate that you guys are giving me great advice to be more to-the-point, but I'm not sure that taking it would be the best course of action for the positions I'm trying to apply for. Would it be better if I posted what jobs I was considering? M4rk posted:I like having a bit more freedom than LinkedIn apps give me.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 20:14 |
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Black Eagle posted:Reverse the wording and you've got yourself a mission statement: "I create great communities through..." and then show not only the look and feel of your portfolio communities but also why they're great. quote:Adaptation is worthy of expression, but show your flexibility through the varied challenges that you've faced. Avoid looking like a chameleon. quote:Well, applying your visual arts experience to LinkedIn can immediately show prospective employers via the Google Presentation or SlideShare applications that you a) can produce effective presentations and b) understand how your capabilities create value in the workplace.
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# ? Aug 18, 2011 20:26 |
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Someone linked this today on my facebook.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 02:41 |
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According to that chart, being a programmer means you're always awesome
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 03:28 |
Yeh I did just get a job working for Trion Worlds as a character artist. AWYEHHH so excited!
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 04:11 |
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ceebee posted:Yeh I did just get a job working for Trion Worlds as a character artist. AWYEHHH so excited! Congratulations! Hope you have lots of fun and don't get overworked
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 04:14 |
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How am I Wonder Woman?
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 04:47 |
Waterbed posted:How am I Wonder Woman? You have a jet, but it's invisible. And you're into bondage.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 04:49 |
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Waterbed posted:How am I Wonder Woman? Much like only men can be programmers, only women can be designers. Wonder Woman was the Superman of female super heroes (until they actually made a Superwoman/Supergirl).
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 04:51 |
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EDIT: Woah, wrong thread entirely. Sorry.
Volcano Style fucked around with this message at 05:00 on Aug 19, 2011 |
# ? Aug 19, 2011 04:53 |
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Maide posted:According to that chart, being a programmer means you're always awesome
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 04:55 |
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Chernabog posted:Someone linked this today on my facebook. saw a similar chart today at work doing the rounds in emails, got a good chuckle though we felt lumping all the artists together was a little too general...
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 05:11 |
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treeboy posted:saw a similar chart today at work doing the rounds in emails, got a good chuckle though we felt lumping all the artists together was a little too general... Whatever you all draw pretty pictures
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 05:36 |
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Hey Eagle, worked on my site a bit this evening, changed the blurb again and added text to most of the project pages. What do you think? Personally I'm proud of the adjustments and drat glad you suggested them.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 05:44 |
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What kind of jobs are in the games industry that don't focus on art or programming? Always been interested in game development, but I don't have a strong desire to program (even though I know a couple languages that I have to know for work), and even though I enjoyed dicking around in photoshop and 3DSmax as a kid, I was never really good at it and never had a strong desire to get better. I've always made levels in video games when I was younger and loved every minute of it- although assembling a map in Duke 3D's build engine or in Quake was like child's play compared to what I've seen in SDK's today. I guess a follow up question would be, do you have to start and build a reputation as a artist or programmer to reach these other positions? Also I'm not talking about PR or office jobs that may not really lead anywhere. I read in the OP about not doing the whole QA thing, I wouldn't leave my IT career for a QA job anyway. Is there anything left? Vulcan fucked around with this message at 06:06 on Aug 19, 2011 |
# ? Aug 19, 2011 05:59 |
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Vulcan posted:What kind of jobs are in the games industry that don't focus on art or programming?
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 06:12 |
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I actually applied for an IT job at a well known indie company (then) that is now a lot bigger and famous, and when I got a callback they said I was overqualified and thought I would get bored. I knew I was overqualified dammit that's why I was using it as my "in" so I could move onto something else later if I found my niche. It even paid almost as much as I was making at the time, was so sure I'd get it I told all my friends about how awesome it was going to be. Might give it a go again I guess, thanks for the input.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 06:19 |
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treeboy posted:saw a similar chart today at work doing the rounds in emails, got a good chuckle though we felt lumping all the artists together was a little too general... This one? I enjoy the additional column and row for QA, and it's funny that in both charts, the QA see themselves as a superhero. Which is true, because I'm Batman.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 06:23 |
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Vulcan posted:I actually applied for an IT job at a well known indie company (then) that is now a lot bigger and famous, and when I got a callback they said I was overqualified and thought I would get bored.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 06:24 |
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What would you say about focus testing for people trying to get their foot in the door? I mean, maybe not once or twice, but if you've got a handful of companies who know you by name and specifically call you to do focus testing on their projects/DLCs/etc. over and over again, you think that'd be worth putting on a resume'? And if you did, how would you put it? A couple of students I know are on like their eighth or ninth focus test at some places because every time they want good feedback they call these kids up before they cast their net anywhere else.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 06:50 |
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Vulcan posted:I guess a follow up question would be, do you have to start and build a reputation as a artist or programmer to reach these other positions? You definitely don't have to start in art or programming to be a designer, though either background helps. While there are other types of designers, I'll concentrate on level design because that's what you've mentioned doing in the past. Level designers basically do exactly what it says on the box -- build levels for a game. Different studios specialize differently. Some level designers just block out the level, creating basic layouts and passing them off to level artists to make them look good. Other level designers (usually using a level editor) do the whole thing from soup to nuts. The good news is you can build a level design portfolio pretty cheaply, and sometimes using the same tools the game developers use. The bad news is it's tough to get noticed unless you make outstanding stuff. The good news is you can get a lot of help to get started, and a lot of feedback from the many communities around the various games. Either way, you don't have to start out in art or programming if that's not what you want to do. On my team we've got designers who were hired as designers (interns/assistants/associates and worked up) and designers who moved over from CS, QA, or Community. While there's no reason you can't move to design from art or programming, I don't personally know anyone who has.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 06:57 |
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hailthefish posted:You have a jet, but it's invisible. And you're into bondage. Aren't we all? I thought it was an industry requirement.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 07:29 |
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Monster w21 Faces posted:Aren't we all? I thought it was an industry requirement. Bondage requirement was eliminated when people got mad about my GDC Austin stories.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 08:34 |
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M4rk posted:Hey Eagle, worked on my site a bit this evening, changed the blurb again and added text to most of the project pages. What do you think? Personally I'm proud of the adjustments and drat glad you suggested them. Black Eagle posted:"Mark Wilhelm builds successful communities by identifying, engaging, and leveraging consumers through excellence in communication. Using a holistic approach that combines effective publishing strategies with proven marketing tactics, we can work together to connect your audience to the brands they love. Reach out to get started." Your portfolio item descriptions need more work, too. Be concise. In addition, many people, novices and experts alike, fall into the trap of thinking big numbers alone are impressive. You wrote, "AionSource.com currently has over 110,000 members and sports an impressive record of over 5000 members on at one time." So what? That's half of the story. Why are those numbers meaningful? Why should I care? The size of your audience is a means to an end, not an end itself. You need to tie those numbers to an outcome. What did you accomplish with 110K members? A prospective employer or client would want to see that you understand your role in the marketing machine. I'd rewrite each of your item descriptions and focus on how your successful communities created bottom-line value for businesses. What makes each of your communities successful in terms of how each accelerated the adoption of new products, improved the overall level of customer satisfaction, and strengthened customer loyalty?
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 13:34 |
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Diplomaticus posted:Bondage requirement was eliminated when people got mad about my GDC Austin stories. Well I'm going to keep the spirit alive!
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 13:51 |
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Diplomaticus posted:Bondage requirement was eliminated when people got mad about my GDC Austin stories. I mean at SIGGRAPH, they just... taught stuff, and we ate and drank a lot. Not even one story of latex-wrapped revelry EDIT: VV I walked around, shook hands, checked out booths, went to places, etc. Not once was I offered E or asked about the future of perception. Maybe I just need to learn the secret handshake? (last time this got brought up, someone else said that SIGGRAPH is waaaay lower key than it used to be... I might still suck at finding parties, but I gathered they weren't anywhere near as common) I did manage to ferret out some of the better swag. Got a neat Intel USB stick, woo Really though, I can't exactly complain. It was New Orleans for pete's sake. Hell, maybe that's why there were no parties, because everyone else was also wandering Bourbon street and eating awesome food. Shalinor fucked around with this message at 14:52 on Aug 19, 2011 |
# ? Aug 19, 2011 14:37 |
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Shalinor posted:I'm just mad you stopped telling them. The apparent delta between SIGGRAPH and GDC is absurd. You were hanging out with the wrong people at SIGGRAPH. GDC is NERDS GONE WILD. SIGGRAPH is an ecstasy-fueled week talking about THE FUTURE OF PRECEPTION, MAN.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 14:45 |
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If you file another minor cosmetic issue as "must fix for ship" I am going to burn down the building.
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# ? Aug 19, 2011 18:17 |