wheela Posted October 24, 2004 Share Posted October 24, 2004 Hey, How does a senior student find a list of architectural visualization companies in Chicago? I need to setup an internship, and my school is no help...... Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 Hey, How does a senior student find a list of architectural visualization companies in Chicago? I need to setup an internship, and my school is no help...... Any advice? First try the members list for the ASAI http://www.asai.org there are probably several small firms listed there. Also--there are several much larger firms in Ohio. But rendering firms tend to be small, and therefor they vary a lot in terms of how they are run and what there would be to learn, etc. Do your homework. 10 -15 years ago I went to work at one of Chicago's more well-known rendering firms for a few weeks as a trial to see if I would move and take a job. The outfit was run by a certifiable nut. Not only did I not stay to take a job, the other three employees decided to leave as well right after I did. So be careful. I did take away a love for Chicago, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 i'm not going to be much help as far as finding studios in chicago but... i was in your shoes this time last year, and i found that having a strong portfolio was key to me finding a job. i actually created a flash portfolio on cd, then left it with firms. when i was called in for interviews i ran though it on a projector and about 5 other people. the ability to do one thing better than anyone in my school was the only thing that got me a job. this is within an architecture degree though. another side note...i visited SOM's office a few years ago, just off mich ave i think...they seemed to have some fairly nice stuff on the wall, might want to consider them. my firm is around 90 ppl, and its nice to have someone in house to do renderings. not sure if this helps... chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheela Posted October 25, 2004 Author Share Posted October 25, 2004 Thanks for the advice. It is a good start. One question, how many renderings would you include in your portfolio? I am a student, I want to put together the best portfolio I can, just not sure what to put in it...... What are firms looking for with student work? Thanks again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtutaj Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 I sent you a PM.. let me know if you need any additional details. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 Are you graduating with a degree in arch viz or straight up arch? Take some time and plan out portfolio...be considerate of graphic desgn etc. I personally hate to see stuff made with power point- when you KNOW it was power point. There is a book out there on arch portfolio design. Might have been one of our prof's though. My digital portfolio was broken up into 4 areas. The first/most important was design/studio work, which outlined 4 of my best projects. They each had text explaining design/theory, 2d drawings and renderings. I wanted to scan in some sketches but never got around to it. Don't be afraid to go back and redo some aspects of these projects if need be. The rendering portion had around 20 images of side projects that didn't have much to do with my studio projects. They showed what I could do with the software- mass models, exteriors and interiors. The third part contained construction documents (6)....enough said. Fourth was contact info. For a hard copy I just had 15 or so of my best renderings. This worked for me, but any job comes down to the right qualifications at the right time...good luck! chuck (i know, that rhymed.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheela Posted October 25, 2004 Author Share Posted October 25, 2004 My degree is in interior architecture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernest Burden III Posted October 25, 2004 Share Posted October 25, 2004 Thanks for the advice. It is a good start. One question, how many renderings would you include in your portfolio? I am a student, I want to put together the best portfolio I can, just not sure what to put in it...... What are firms looking for with student work? Thanks again Put yourself in the employers mind. What are they looking for? Figure that out and show it. More importantly, what are YOU looking for in an employer? Do NOT think you have to show them 100% professional work, just like they produce. Why? That makes you competition. Remember--the brilliant prodigy is a threat to the master. Show your skills in the most BASIC images you can. Render something profoundly simple, but well. There is nothing inherantly good about complexity. Show basic lighting, or materials, or composition in simple, understandable images. Do not try to produce full professional renderings as portfolio pieces when you are starting from studenthood. Think about the tasks you would WANT to do in your future job and show that you have the capacity to do them, or better still, the capacity to learn to do them well. That is how you will shape your own future, not walk into someones office and hope they 'use you well'. Do not demonstrate how good you are at cleaning windows unless you want to work as a window cleaner. Think about the interview. That is very important, it is your opportunity to demonstrate how much you want to learn. People who hire want, more than anything else, someone who they can SHAPE into something useful to them. When you show up fully-formed they have nothing to work with. The standard story to illustrate that is that of the coach presented with two players. One gets to base quickly with perfect form. The other gets there about as quickly but with bad form. Who makes the team? The payer with bad form--he can be taught good technique and will be faster than the one who showed up already fully-trained. Please read this several times. It is not my wisdom, but that gatherd over time by many people. I'm just handing it to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vru Posted October 26, 2004 Share Posted October 26, 2004 Very encouranging words, Ernest. I am going to graduate soon and worry a lot about professional quality work. I almost sidelined the idea of learning.....cause I thought my employers would like to see results rather than train me to do something. Appreciate your thoughtful input. Vrushali Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davijin Posted October 28, 2004 Share Posted October 28, 2004 http://www.aiachicago.org/resources_for_clients/search_for_architect.asp that link has pretty much every architecture firm and some archi viz firms in chicago. they also have alot of info on jobs and internships there. I found it looking for internships and other jobs myself also being and architecture student in chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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