Putting on an event at a professional football stadium for high school marching bands, their parents, major sponsors and the community is a huge graphics monster! Tackle it right, and everywhere you turn, you see your work staring back at you. Program books are being hocked everywhere. Jumbo displays flash with giant imagery that was born out of your tiny computer screen. And there are an endless number of credentials, passes and signs that whirl around you at the event like a design tornado.
My set up included moving my entire Mac G5 tower to the site and getting me up and running with my software, remote server access and other tech goodies.
My three day on site set up.
Lucky me, I get to share my computer with everyone else save a few people who have their computers. It's great when PC folks use your Mac because they leave all the programs open, not realizing that closing a window doesn't equal quitting the program. So when I get back to my set up, I have to run offense and close everything so I don't crash what I need. I also quickly made a sign that told people to use the web interface to check their mail, NOT my email client and sign in as their account. To make it easier, I removed my key programs from the dock (once I set it back to the place on the screen I like it to hide) so that people wouldn't just see them and use them. That helped, but my web browser had all sorts of gems left by other people, like their Gmail account logged in, a college website with school registration info and weather reports (indoor event!)On site (day-of) design production is very interesting, constant, trying and rewarding. While you are tethered to your computer to create printed media, you also get the chance (opportunity) to run your newly printed items to the person or location in the facility that needs them. Such wonderful design needs include, but are not limited to, credentials no one made, misplaced credentials, corrected typos, signs to reduce confused patrons, and signs made bigger so that people at the end of the ticket line can read prices. Not having a color printer on-site makes you plan ahead but it also is a pain when you have black and white print options. We make up for it by printing blank templates of the color media and printing customization or stickers we apply to it. 90% of the time it works.
90% of the time, has been enough so far ;-) This is 4pm of day two of four. Tomorrow we go live at 5:45am with our first band stepping into their first official prep rooms. More crowd flow assistance than graphics from here on out (is the prediction) but we're ready for anything.
If I get a chance to work a position like the info booth again, I'd be thrilled. It was so quiet I got to write this blog. Until then, I'll go back to being on-call design guru.
CM
(Editor's Note: Three days after this major event, 20% of the workforce was laid off due to budget cuts. Nothing says thanks for all your hard work like two weeks notice. For more on that, see January 23, 2009 post)
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