Sketching things out sometimes is the clearest way to think. Here are some visuals about life, liberty and the pursuit of advertising.

This story has nothing and everything to do with being a design student.

When I lived in San Francisco years ago, I was in a cab on my way to the airport. I was an art director at a big agency and was on my way to a photo shoot.

If you have ever spent any time in SF, you’ll know that most of the cabbies there have a certain look. At the risk of stereotyping, I’d say the look is a cross between being an ex-roadie for the band Phish and an extra in the movie Barfly.

But this guy was different. He wore a navy blue suit and tie, cufflinks and matching gold tie clip. The cab was the cleanest cab I had ever been in. In fact, it was the cleanest car I had ever been in.

I complimented him on the condition of the car and his dapper cabbie style. He thanked me, but told me that he wasn’t a cab driver, but a lawyer.

His words were, “I drive a cab, but that’s not who I am. I’m studying to get into law school (he had failed to get accepted twice before). Someday, I’m gonna be one for real, but until then nothing is stopping me from believing.”

As I paid him and left the car, I noticed a stack of post-it noted law books in the front seat, along with a wrinkled brown lunch bag.

It’s been years since I’ve been back to SF. The next time I’m in a cab there, I’ll keep an eye out for him. But something tells me that’s not what he’s doing anymore.

Sketching things out sometimes is the clearest way to think. Here are some visuals about life, liberty and the pursuit of advertising.

The coffee shops in Austin cater to a range of drinkers, including Ad folks concepting and nurses partying. Both at 9 AM.

Check out how the crowd at Jo’s compares here.

Sketching things out sometimes is the clearest way to think. Here are some visuals about life, liberty and the pursuit of advertising.

Musings from Houndstooth Coffee of new year’s resolutions and “Star Wars.”

A doodle dedicated to the lightsaber master, Bob Anderson.

I was lucky enough to have had the opportunity to review student work at the AIGA Student Portfolio review a few weeks ago. Here was some advice I had for students…1) THINK BIG IDEAS.
… What’s the bigger picture in all of your assignments? Think of the core purpose of the product/client you’re working on. A ‘purpose’ is not what a company sells, but it’s what it stands for.

2) COME UP WITH NEW IDEAS WORTH DESIGNING BEFORE YOU ACTUALLY DESIGN.
See above. Come up with new media ideas, programs, product designs, events, pr ideas, anything that pays off a company’s purpose. Once you have some great ideas, then start designing. This kind of thinking tells me how you view the world and how deep you can think about your client’s business. It doesn’t really matter if your ideas will work or not from a practical/budget standpoint. You’ll have plenty of naysayers to tell you they won’t when you get a job. I just wanna see how you want to make the world a little bit of a better place.

3) THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT. AND IT SUCKS.
Don’t be a slave to technology. If you’re gonna have an app idea in your book, ask yourself, “Would I really download this thing myself and use it to help count the number of eggs in my fridge, so I can then exchange egg recipes from someone in Tulsa?”

4) DON’T SWEAT ABOUT HOW THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR PORTFOLIO LOOKS.
Remember when John Travolta opened up that briefcase in Pulp Fiction and he pretty much saw God in it? Yeah, I don’t think Travolta remembered what the outside of the case looked like either. Same goes for your site. Keep it simple and easy to navigate. Save your thinking and energy for where it matters most: your work.

5) KNOW WHO YOU ARE. STICK TO IT.
You will get a thousand opinions for every hundred people you show your work to. At the end of the day, it’s your work. Listen to your heart and go with your gut reaction. You know the kind of work you like to do. Don’t change your type just because an instructor likes Gotham over Din. PMS 146 over 194. It’s your stuff. Same goes for changing the work in your book to match the style of the place where you’re interviewing. You can’t be anybody but yourself. And the more you are yourself, the more different you’ll be from anybody else.

Working on your portfolio? Check out The Austin Creative Department.

Sketching things out sometimes is the clearest way to think. Here are some visuals about life, liberty and the pursuit of advertising.Diabetes is like stepping into a boxing ring every day.

A doodle dedicated to Natalie and American Diabetes Month.

Sketching things out sometimes is the clearest way to think. Here are some visuals about life, liberty and the pursuit of advertising.

The Collision of East and West. Old and new. My stomach and Pepto-Bismol

Doodled by Will Chau, Creative Director

Sketching things out sometimes is the clearest way to think. Here are some visuals about life, liberty and the pursuit of advertising.

The most memorable parts of going on production are the things I see and the people I meet when we aren’t actually shooting.

Doodled by Will Chau, Creative Director

Sketching things out sometimes is the clearest way to think. Here are some visuals about life, liberty and the pursuit of advertising.

Jo’s Coffee on South Congress before work one morning.

Doodled by Will Chau, Creative Director

*This is the first in a series of doodles we’ll be presenting on our blog. We hope you like the old fashioned pencil meets paper scribblings.