Interviewing: in house vs agency Mar 5, 12, 10:58 a.m.

So I'm interviewing on Wednesday for an in house design position at one of the biggest craft beer breweries in the US. My only previous experience comes from a large agency in Seattle that is very well respected in the Pacific NW. Since moving back to my hometown for family illness reasons this is one of the few potentially decent design opportunities available.

Anyway, so on to my question. Has anybody had experience interviewing for these two types of positions? I'm curious about how much my "big city agency" experience will impress an in house group. I'm also interested in differences that I may not be aware of between these two types of jobs since I've never been an in house designer.

Some background. The agency I worked at was very fast paced and designers had a lot of creative freedom, though, at times, the clients weren't the most exciting. I got some good work out of them though and some of my best is in the craft beer category. The brewery I am applying to doesn't have the most inspiring design, but I feel very passionately about the brewery as I grew up in this town. The brewery is an amazing employer (almost Google status) and they got over 200 applications for this job. I'm honored to be granted an interview.

The job itself could be considered a lateral move at best. The job description was a little ambiguous, but it feels as if it's going to be more about production and extension than original design. I almost didn't apply, but I thought if I can impress them and there is good potential to grow I may have a chance at making an impact there and moving up to get more actual creative responsibility.

Maybe I still have soul searching to do about the job, but if you have in house experience, how has it worked for you? Has anybody been in a similar situation to me? In an ideal world, I'll impress them to such an extent in the interview that I'll be somebody they can see promoting after I prove myself at the current position. Oh, and sorry for the long post.

Poster printing with toner? Jan 3, 12, 6:03 p.m.

Anybody know a printer in the US that can do large format posters with black toner?

I want to print a black and white image on a cheap matte paper at least 24x36 size. I'm leaning towards toner so it has a raised surface, slight shine, and looks lo-fi. Anybody know what I'm talking about?

Fashion/clothing retailers with a good buying experience? Dec 21, 10, 11:20 a.m.

Just got a new project, and I'm starting an audit for a fashion retailer's new women's brand launch. I was wondering if any brands come to mind with nice retail/web experience and/or design. The clothes themselves aren't really the issue, but rather their overall web presence.

Can be more traditional or more edgy. They want to see a range so they know which territory is right to go down for their customer.

Really, just whatever comes to mind would be great. So far, I'm liking:

http://www.inventorymagazine.com…
http://www.scotch-soda.com/
http://www.hm.com/us/#/startns/
http://www.uniqlo.com/grid/ (most of the site is balls, but this is cool)
http://www.jcrew.com/index.jsp (well, because they're killing it)
http://www.zappos.com/ (for buying experience)
http://www.lanvinforhm.com/the-l…

I know I haven't hit it all. What do you like? Womens, even mens, anything goes really.

Wallpaper* City Guides? May 12, 10, 2:22 p.m.

I'm taking a trip to Europe this Summer to visit family, but will have a decent chunk of time with just my wife and I. I saw some city guides from Wallpaper* and was wondering what people thought about them. Reviews are mixed, but as a younger designer (as close to their target audience as any) who's interested in the small nuances of cities as much or more than the big attractions, they seem like a good bet. Anyone have any experience with them?

If you're curious, I'm considering visiting: Amsterdam, Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and Copenhagen.

What's your tumblr? Mar 18, 10, 5:27 p.m.

What's your address?
What do you post about?
Who is your favorite blog?

Mine is http://oliverhutton.tumblr.com/
I post my photos.

Maybe I'm already following you and I don't know it...

Google Voice Invite? Feb 1, 10, 3:42 p.m.

So I actually found a use for Google Voice after all, and was wondering if there was a kind soul out there who might supply me with one. Thanks!

Good/Conceptual Line Illustrator? Nov 17, 09, 8:27 p.m.

Does anyone know of a good illustrator who does clean and simple, (preferable vector, but not required) line drawings? Hopefully conceptual, but doesn't have to be necessarily.

I'm laying out a brochure, and I need drawings done in a clean, diagrammatic style.

Burned out Apr 24, 09, 4:26 p.m.

Starting to get sick of design, which is weird because I love so much at the same time. Any suggestions?

I'm starting to pursue other creative outlets more, like photography, which may help. I used to love going to work every day though, and now it's just...blah...

Composition Feb 17, 09, 10:17 a.m.

Is a real bitch sometimes...

qqqquestion Apr 7, 08, 7:05 p.m.

Ok so for some reason I only have 1 found invite. I thought that each user was supposed to get 3. Also, when I post something, it never shows up on the home page; even if I am the only person that has favorited it. Is this just the perpetuation of ffffound getting lame?

Letterpress paper recommendations. Mar 24, 08, 11:09 a.m.

Hey all, I'm in the process of getting specs for letterpress papers, and I didn't know if you knew of any good recommendations for papers out there. I checked out Crane Lettra, which I am exited about, but I wanted to print my invites at 8.5 x 5.5 (1/2 an 8.5 x 11 sheet). The problem is I didn't see any envelopes they made that could fit that.

Basically, what I am looking for is a thick, cotton rag paper, that is white. I'm not too particular about the whiteness, but somewhere between bleached white, and a natural would work. Ideally I'd be able to get envelopes to fit the 8.5 x 5.5 size that mach as well. I know it's a tall order, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Obama's March Madness Picks Mar 21, 08, 12:07 p.m.

For a guy who claims he will "get it right the first time," lets see if he lives up to that promise. McCain also filled out a March Madness bracket, but I couldn't get it without registering on his website (woof!).

Obama's picks:
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/a…

What do you guys think of his picks? I don't know shit about basketball.

Maybe I'll vote for whichever candidate does better with their selections...

What's the deal? Mar 7, 08, 2:21 p.m.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS…

What's the deal? They moved up their primaries, were warned not to or their votes would be stripped, did it anyway, and their votes were stripped. Now everybody is crying foul when the rules were pretty damn clear from the beginning. If I was a Florida citizen I'd be pissed at my representatives who moved up my vote date against the rules of the DNC. Should people not be accountable for their actions?

Ha, and now nobody wants to pay for a re-vote. What a mess...