Okay, I am going to try and keep this short, although I don't see that happening:
For those of you who don't know me or are new, here is a little background: I am a Advertising major/Architecture minor in my senior year of college, and I work for a software company as a graphic/web designer and I also have spent the better part of the last month creating the first magazine ad our company will ever have. I have worked there for four months now, and I am the only person working there who knows anything about graphic design, the visual aspect of web design, advertising, creative planning and the million and one things that go along with creating advertising. Everyone else is either management, database people, programmers, or network people. Nothing against them whatsoever-they do what they do and I do what I do.
Well, this is a company that is headed for good things, we are slowly getting there, and our product is better 10 times over the next competing product. As a person who came into that position seeing a company on the rise, I have been excited about having a hand in creating an image for them, re-doing the web site, and creating advertising for them. It's not neccesarily what I want to do after I graduate in May, actually I want to go to grad school. But for where I am right now, it's very cool to have the oppurtunity to do what I get to do.
Now here is the problem: I have worked on creating an advertisement for us that will be in two magazines in October. I've been able to do it becuase that is what I learn, what my passion is, and what will present a good image of the company. I was asked by our president to change up the colors, which was no big deal. It actually worked out better that way.
But then, today, I was asked to start changing all these things that are in place on the ad becuase they should be-becuase that is what I do, what I learn. The suggestions and changes that needed to be made completely threw out design principles, placement, how grids were layed out, and overall general appearence. There are things you just don't do in an ad, I avoided those, then today was clued into how they were going to be changed-pretty much abandon what I had created-something I could do becuase I learn that.
How should I feel about this? The woman who is handling the photo print- I spoke to her tonight on the phone, and she said "what did you think of all that today" meaning what did I think about the changes that were being made as if flipping a coin and if heads is up, remove that line, if tails is up, keep it. She also made it sound as if our president wanted her to design the ad in the first place, as if I was just there to organize the ideas on the page for her! Man, if that is not the most undermining blow I've had this week, I don't know what is....
So how should I feel about this? Anyone else ever been in a unpleasent situation like this? Should I say anything to someone? What it comes down to is that it sucks to be the one person who can design and create advertising, but in the end "who cares." That is kind of how it feels, like I may just be there to do "whatever" and not appreicated or recognized for the talent I have and what I learn.
I mean, I realize this is not my $7,000 being spent on the ad, and that it is not my company. But it doesn't feel all that great to pretty much get "shut down" like I have. I have been e-mailed one of the suggested ad alternatives, which I am pretty sure was a suggestion from our president.
It's not too good... Looks like any other off the rack ad I'd expect in the magazines it will be in. (Insurance Technology) I put alot into doing research, working with ideas and layouts-because, again, I learn what it takes to do this stuff-not throw a bunch of elements in the air and whereever they land that will be fine. And I was looking forward to having something good for my portfolio, something under my belt before I graduate, something in a magazine to show my professors, and now I could care less. That sucks, plain and simple.
Please someone try to relate to me, because I don't feel all that great about the situation at the moment. It doesn't feel too good to think that I am not being taken for what I can do, what I can offer to this company. Should I say something to someone?
Anyhow, if you read all this, thanks, I totally appreciate any comments about similiar situations or advice.
Thanks :)
mg33