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What Makes a Robot?
ROBOT has developed a formula to create the perfect design team. The standards are high, the competition is tough, and only a select few can call themselves "Robots". How do we know when a person matches that description?
Check out the criteria that we have set for ROBOT creative team members !
University Graduates with 4-year Liberal Arts Degrees
In a market filled by designers with two-year associate degrees, we look for individuals with a more well-rounded education in writing, business, history, foreign language, and beyond. We are working for businesses, and it is important to have more than design knowledge for a project to be successful. With each team member bringing a multi-disciplinary view to every project, the result is polished, sophisticated work that accomplishes business goals.
Robot requires a 4 year degree, and looks for multidisciplinary experience. For example, Brittany Power, our copywriter and marketing associate, graduated from Trinity University with a BS in Business Marketing but also had a second major in Fine Art. Andrew Watson, our designing photographer, went halfway through University of Texas at San Antonio as a Business major before he discovered his passion for photography and ultimately received a BFA in Photography.
No Interns or Junior Designers
It just doesn't seem ethical for the paying client or for the eager student. Interns are not free labor they are students needing practical work experience. Our clients can rest assured that their work is being done by a senior designer.
Instead of having interns fetch coffee or work on paid projects for free, ROBOT has established programs like GEAR (Graphic Exchange at Robot) to pair student designers with nonprofit organizations. We train the interns, they have a valuable learning experience and the non-profits get free design work. It seems like such a logical exchange.
Not Only Graphic Designers, but also Fine Artists
Designers can come from any number of different backgrounds: art, marketing, communications, or journalism. While striving to create a multidisciplinary team, we've found that there is one thing that every GREAT designer can say, "I am an Artist".
We look for designers who have serious fine art experience both on and off the job. Our designers are artists. They can draw. They are visually creative, visually trained and dedicated to visual skill both at work and in their outside endeavors. They are passionate about what they do and driven to make every piece a success. Being a fine artist isn't just a benefit, at Robot, it's a requirement.
International Travelers with Overseas Study Experience
We love San Antonio, it's our home, but it isn't exactly a design center of the world. There are no industry leaders here, so to be current in our industry requires an outward-looking approach. We think creative team members need to experience life outside San Antonio and even outside the United States to be at the top of the industry. This means so much to us, that it has become a requirement. And if your business is thinking beyond San Antonio, it should be a requirement for you as well.
Half of our creative team moved to San Antonio from another city, and all of us have been overseas. Our team members have traveled to sixteen countries and studied in four of them. Lara studied in Germany and Austria to become fluent in the German language. Laura studied Fine Art in Florence. Brittany worked on her Fine Art major in Ireland. Other countries we have visited include Indonesia, Mexico, Canada, Taipei, Switzerland, Japan, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, England, Lapland, and Sweden.
Passionate Continual Learners Both On and Off the Clock
ROBOT has a budget set aside each month for education, and our designers have even committed to outside projects and training. This includes one day a month when we get together as a group to work on a creative project that will help us identify trends affecting our industry.
It is important to stay up-to-date on the latest equipment, programs, techniques and products. Marketing and design are quickly evolving fields and Internet technology requires continual, rapid education. ROBOT has made educational commitments to ensure that our clients will always have the edge in their marketing.
Why does this matter to you?
When you interview design firms for your next project, ask about the design team that will be working on your project. Ask about the background and skill sets that each member brings to the table. At ROBOT, we are committed to building the best creative team possible, because we believe the difference is evident in everything we produce.
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