Not too much to do today on our half-day. Everyone was exhausted from our late night out to dinner and the Factory of Terror. I wasn’t in the building more than 30 seconds before I was getting teased for my wussy performance last night. Otherwise, nothing new to report today!
Today I walked up to my desk to find a new *girls’ toy* DVD and flyer on my desk. Along with every other employee in the building, I received the new movie that just came out today. In celebration of its release, the flyer notified us of cake that will be served from 11:30-1pm and a raffle will be held to win toys of this same girls’ toy brand. It’s little things like this that keep the workplace so fun and fresh. It seems like it was just last week that we were eating cake, competing in contests, and winning prizes for the release of a new boys’ gun toy.
*If anyone has any little cousins or nieces that would like this DVD, let me know and it’s all yours!
We lost one of our team members today so she could go work in the paper cutting room. This room, which I visit from time to time, holds several pieces of machinery that cut the cardboard into the corresponding shapes for the boxes we are making prototypes for. These machines are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars because they are so high-tech. This is because box designs are no longer six-sided, closed, cardboard boxes. There are windows, layers, and shapes that are intricate for a machine to create.
After work, eight of us went out to dinner and to the Factory of Terror. It was terrifying and I was screaming the entire time. So, a haunted house is definitely a bonding experience if you want to get closer with your co-workers.
All the full-time, non-temps were away on a retreat today. I pretended like I knew what that meant but was surprised when I heard how they were making pottery. I’m sure they discussed ways to improve the department but it was also to have the group bond. I thought this was great how a corporate company, such as this, still finds it important to take the time to do fun events like this. After all, a happy team makes the work place a much better place and often more productive.
The temps and I held down the fort and had a typical work day.
I am becoming more aware of how unlikely it is for one of the temps working here to get a full-time job. The temporary employees are required to leave after six months unless you are asked to stay full-time. However, after speaking with the full-time employees on the team I have realized that it is mostly luck that determines this.
Each one of the full-time employees in our department started off with my job and said they got the job when someone quit or was fired. Although they must have been skilled workers, this is mainly why they were asked to stay. So basically they can only hire when a spot is free. This just shows how even a billion dollar company has to stick to their budget.
As I keep saying, creating a new toy or product here takes countless steps before it is created and sold in stores. Today I assembled a puzzle box with a design that only included a colored wallpaper/background, the title and copywriter text, and an empty box that served as a placeholder for where a future image will be placed. We then shipped off the box to be viewed and critiqued before the designer goes any further. Clearly the company has learned how important it is to view the design in it’s 3-D form throughout every step before completing each piece.
Working here is great, but after talking with graphic designers I don’t think the toy business allows for the creative freedom I would like. Most of the designers here have pre-set design styles set for them. Each brand has its own identity already and each toy box follows this style (Use same logo for title, things are located at the same spot on boxes, same colors are usually used etc). Unless the designer is creating a logo or design for a newly invented toy brand, graphic designers here have limited creativity.
Also, as a people person who may not want to sit at the computer all day, working in the advertising department may be of interest to me. At this company, the advertising team has much more creativity and often tells the graphic design department what to do.
Someone on my team and I got into a small disagreement today. A certain logo is being changed from a 3-D, patterned text to a solid colored block text. While I like simple design and thought it was an improvement, he thought it was boring and looked worse. I then explained how it was more legible and held out the two comps. He disagreed again. I made him move further and further away until he finally realized how a solid color logo was easier to read.
This led us to discuss the sacrifice of “cool” or more complex logos for legible writing which makes it easier to find for the customer. While both are important, where should one draw the line?
This afternoon was the Inspiration Expo. This was a huge event held here with engineers, artists and other creative peoples who were brought together to inspire each other or spark an idea for a new toy or game. All the workers were invited and I felt honored to be able to see such a variety of talent in one room. The long list included a playing card stacker, a pumpkin sculptor, marionettes, the Amphicar (car that rides through water), John Rarzenberger from Cheers and the voice in all the Pixar films, and a sugar and cake designer. I thought this was a great idea that shows how important it is to look at other people’s work and be inspired. The company is aware that they should not limit themselves to ideas inside the building and that there is endless creativity going on all over that can help them expand their ideas as well.
My co-worker Mike, who is another graphic design college graduate and huge toy fan brought some things to my attention today. He has this way of looking at the packaging we work with and envisioning how it is made on Illustrator or Photoshop. We discussed a certain brand of boys’ toys packaging today which he realized is quite simple. This toy design mainly uses opacity masks and beveling to make look 3-D as if it is popping out at the viewer. While I am usually just overwhelmed with the chaotic and colorful designs on most of the toy boxes, our conversation made me start looking at the toy packaging differently. I could probably make some of them!
So I was walking down the hall today and overheard a few of the marketing guys clearly prepping for a meeting. They were discussing a new toy pitch and I heard one of the guys say “Yea, yea because that’s cool right now with the kids.” This made me laugh because that is what the entire building it about. They are constantly trying to figure out what is popular right now and how to make it even cooler or different. Toys for eight-year-olds these days are even coordinated with the Internet and updating your toy pet online.
