design.IMG
It’s been almost a year since I became a member of IMG as a designer. Come let’s take a dive into the life of a designer at IMG.
The recruitment
The recruitment process began with the problem statement which consisted of problems ranging from colour theories to typography, from graphics to web design, evaluating your skills on a broad scale, followed by the technical and the HR rounds of interview.
First semester
I was warmly welcomed by all my seniors as I commenced my journey here. In the first semester, the developers and designers receive common lectures about HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, PHP, design tools, and design process so that we know the basics that go into building a product at IMG. For designers, the elementary knowledge about development is also necessary for better communication with the developing team while working on a product.
As the semester came to an end I had the summer assignment in hand. I had to design a whole android app right from scratch involving the ideation, flow of the app, information architecture, wireframes and mockups. This was my first time designing an android app, and as I proceeded with the assignment I learned not only about product designing but also about managing my time.
Second semester
With the start of the second semester, we all are given our first major projects. Even thinking about it gave me chills, I was going to design a product that will be used by thousands of people at the campus(wow!). But “with great power comes great responsibility” and with this huge responsibility, I have to be up to the mark. I started researching about my product, reading numerous articles, and not escaping any chance to seek my seniors for help, who were so humble and patient and helped me out with my problems.
How a product is built up
The project is handled by a team of developers, designers and mentors. We all start right away with the first team project meeting, brainstorming on the ideas and features of the product. After this, comes the ideation and the categorization of the features according to the product goals, followed by making the flow and wireframes. All the products are tracked over GitHub for better organisation and easy feedback process.
There are continuous meet-ups to ensure the work doesn’t lag behind the deadlines (Deadlines amuse us!), to provide feedback, or just discuss some new design trend or technology and sometimes meetings end with a dinner outing. :)
Project Meet-ups
The project meet-ups are held between the team members (including the mentors) working on a product. These meetings are for better synchronization between the designer and the developer, which ultimately ensures a better product.
Design Sync-ups
The design sync-ups are held fortnightly and as the name suggests, are held between designers. The progress of each project is discussed, feedbacks and ideas are provided.
Brown bag sessions
These are meetings where we all discuss some new ideas, the latest design trends and tools, problems faced in the assignments. These are sometimes joined by developers also. (They can’t skip this fascinating stuff :P )
The GBM’s
GBM stand for General Body Meetings, which are fortnightly meetings compulsory for all the members of Lab. The progress of every project is discussed, and we all give our deadlines for the next fortnight.
What is IMG for me
When I started my journey here, I knew there was a lot more I will be learning here and after spending a year I say not only I have learned the technical skills but I have also grown as a person, I have overcome my fears, became more disciplined, and I have people in my life now who are always helping me with my ups and downs in life.
Note to juniors
To all my juniors out there I would be advising you, never worry about the results, participate and give the best from your end. Your dedication, determination and zeal for learning matter more than the technical skills you attain. Attend the intro talk, you can visit the lab any time you want (Ground floor, Institute Computer Center), contact us over Facebook or you can ping any one of us, we will help you out with any problems you have.
See you at the recruitments!
