State of Affairs

In my humble opinion, Stock Photography looks to be be susceptible to commmoditzing only because now the the work flow is entirely digitized, and now the cost of entry is lowered for aspiring artists and client's have unprecedented access to growing databases of low cost and in some cases no-cost content not available or even imagined even a few years ago. It may be that the model for stock can be done more efficiently and at a lower price then through the Studio / Agency / Art Buyer hierarchy. I say forget low-balling, the cliche of the level playing field has come to fruition and only the designers who can read the wind and change tack will survive-- Differentiate or Die.

As posted on the AGIA site - must read. As an American born design project manager working in a foreign country running a internationl team of designers, the ability to facilitate and provide leader ship to bridge cultural gaps I found was key and even paramount. While I had the ability to understand the technical side and even provide some design guidance, I often felt I failed in my role as the project's owner as I was not always able to facilitate at the right time and place, and bring the soft skills to the party. Emily - one of the best if not only complete introduction to the life if a Design Project Manager - -Kudos! Link to article here: http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/why-a-project-manager

A day in the life

Anthony Rene Rosas anthonyrosas@yahoo.com Seasoned Production / Studio Manager with over 15 years of experience producing high quality advertising / marketing production for regional and global brands in the US and China Work History: 01/09/07 – 09/01/07 AQUENT Solutions Hong Kong, HKSAR Studio Manager Managed and near-source design studio solution for premier global design firm – Philips Design Projects included: industrial design visualization, packaging, point-of-sale, signage and collateral * Balanced fluctuating workload across five design competencies while meeting firm deadlines * Produced measurable results on time within tight budget constraints * Maintained high staff utilization thru accurate resource planning / forecasting, coaching and staff development * Demonstrated effectiveness thru qualitative and quantitative key performance indicators * Co-recruited eight critical talent roles including Art Director, Senior Designer and Product Designers * Managed the changeover fro...