"Ten award-winning and current Broadway designers - five set designers, four lighting designers, and one projection designer - discuss inspiration, education, process, and business aspects of the theatre world, sharing relevant insider information and strategies...Designers' insights are accompanied by sketches, finished drawings, technical plates of drafting, photos of scale models, storyboards illustrating multi-scene productions." -- Back cover.
Technology has sent shockwaves of change through the world of commercial art. Digital illustration and design, online portfolio sites, and the proliferation of stock art have radically changed the way that illustrators and graphic designers work. What has not changed, however, is the wealth of illustrators and graphic designers hoping to turn their talent into freelance success. More than ever, artists face questions such as how to get started, how to sell their work, how to promote themselves, and what to do once they are working. For those embarking on freelance careers in illustration or graphic design, the answers have arrived. A twenty-five year veteran in the field, Michael Fleishman, has detailed every business aspect of commercial art in Starting Your Career as a Freelance Illustrator or Graphic Designer.
Break out of the cubicle and gain the business savvy you need to launch your own freelance web design business with Starting Your Career as a Freelance Web Designer! Written by seasoned pro Neil Tortorella, this book guides web designers step-by-step down the path to success and helps them avoid common pitfalls. Jam-packed with practical know-how, this book also contains the wisdom and advice of noted industry authorities and business leaders. Readers will learn how to draft a solid business plan, negotiate contracts, manage time and money, deal with taxes, manage projects and clients, determine rates, and create winning proposals.
What are the do’s and don’ts of being a good assistant lighting designer? What are focus tapes, and how do I use them? What is the best method for creating a magic sheet? What should be found in every assistant’s kit? How do I make that first important leap into this professional career? Answer these questions and many more with The Assistant Lighting Designer’s Toolkit. This definitive guide unlocks the insider-secrets used to succeed as a professional assistant lighting designer (ALD) – whether choosing assisting as a career or while transitioning to another. This book outlines, step-by-step, the challenges the ALD faces during every phase of production. Never before has a resource existed that views the design process through the eyes of the assistant. Intermingled among the nuts and bolts of the paperwork and essential procedures, top industry professionals reveal tips for personal survival in this challenging career – both domestically and abroad as well as in other careers in lighting. Within these pages are the industry secrets rarely taught in school! The author's website can be found at http://www.aldtoolkit.com/.
Written by a leading design consultant and carefully updated with the latest information on the industry, this is the essential guide to earning a living, marketing skills, furthering a design career, and operating a business. With more than thirty years of backstage and behind-the-scenes experience in theater, film, television, concerts, and special events, James Moody shares his success secrets for the benefit of design students and working designers. Topics include: Finding and landing dream assignments Negotiating fees Setting up ideal working spaces Building the perfect staff Overcoming fears of accounting and record-keeping Choosing the right insurance Joining the right unions and professional organizations And more In addition to revealing how to get the great design jobs in traditional entertainment venues, the author shows designers how to think outside the box and seize creative, lucrative opportunities—such as those in theme parks, in concert halls, and with architectural firms. Providing the keys for passionate, talented designers to become successful businesspeople, The Business of Theatrical Design is a must-read for novices and established professionals alike.
Here are expert tips for getting started, selling your work, promoting yourself, and even what to do once you're working! Includes practical advice for creating a portfolio, making contacts, pricing work, marketing on the web, and more.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • At last, a book that shows you how to build—design—a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage • “Life has questions. They have answers.” —The New York Times Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home—at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.
An integral resource for aspiring artists, this third edition updates key pieces of the classic Starting Your Career as an Artist. In this comprehensive manual, veteran art career professionals Angie Wojak and Stacy Miller show aspiring artists how to evaluate their goals and create a plan of action to advance their professional careers, and use their talents to build productive lives in the art world. In addition, the book includes insightful interviews with professional artists and well-known players in the art scene. The third edition features a chapter on social media and includes interviews with artists, museum professionals, and educators, as well as new chapters on how to navigate the post-pandemic art world. All chapters cover topics essential to the emerging artist, such as: •Using social media to advance your practice •Health and safety for artists •Artist’s resumes and CVs •Finding alternative exhibition venues •Building community through networking •Collaborating and finding mentors •Refining career aspirations This invaluable resource is sure to encourage and inspire artists to create their own opportunities as they learn how the creativity that occurs inside the studio can be applied to developing a successful career in the art world. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
Starting Your Career as an Interior Designer contains all the necessary tools and strategies to successfully launch and grow a professional design business in the competitive world of interior design. Drawing on the authors' extensive experience, this book includes case studies, and personal anecdotes that help teach you how to: - choose a design field - obtain and keep clients - garner referrals - market and position your business - bid competitively on projects - manage sales - organize a budget - manage start-up costs and cash flow - promote your business - branch out into product and architectural design - design within a retail environment - set pricing guidelines - sell to your target demographic - set up your office. Readers will find a history of the business side of interior design as well as various career tracks available to today’s budding entrepreneur. Any early career interior designer or student looking for practical advice on the ins and outs of running a design firm will need this one-stop guide. Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.
Looking for a job in the theatre and entertainment industry can be daunting, especially when you are newly entering the work market. How do you take the skills and experience acquired through study and present them to prospective employers in the arts industry? Where does your search begin and what should you consider as you plan your future career steps? What is expected in a portfolio and what should you expect in an interview? This book provides straightforward strategies and practical exercises to turn anxiety into excitement and help you develop the job search skills and materials that will empower you to go after the job you want, and get it. If you are about to graduate or just ready to make a change, this book will teach you how to plan for your career as a designer, technician, or stage manager, and put your best professional persona forward when applying for jobs. Topics include resumes, cover letters, business cards and portfolios that will get you moved to the top of the pile; what to expect at an interview and how to answer any interview question; the how and why of negotiating for your worth; long term career planning, financial implications and much more. Filled with practical advice, examples of letters, resumes, CVs and portfolios, and with guidance from industry professionals, it will equip you to plan and succeed in your job search and career development in the entertainment industry.
