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Brainforest is a creative agency located in the Wicker Park/Bucktown neighborhood of Chicago. They have been in business a little over 13 years and currently have 9 team members. They describe themselves as a creative agency rooted in strategy, where the strategic solutions to their clients’ communication challenges come first, followed by targeted, appropriate tangible applications of that strategy. They offer a full range of capabilities, including Brand Strategy, Brand Stewardship and Brand Support. (click here to check out the Brainforest website)

One of the partners at Brainforest was generous enough to answer these questions for the Creative Opera readers:

1. What types of design positions do you have in your company?

We don’t have specialized positions. Our designers are talented in identity, interactive and print work. We do not have in-house positions for programming, animation or video. We partner with outside agencies for those kind of things. We do have one IT/Flash/HTML position, but that individual is not a designer.

2. What are the minimal requirements for a design position like this in your company?

Minimum 4-year degree from a well-respected design program (such as University of Cincinnati or University of Illinois), and at least 3-4 years experience. We expect our designers to have good writing skills, be able to present and defend design concepts, work well with teams and understand a full range of design software programs.

3. Because you are an accomplished firm, it is understandable that you don’t usually hire entry-level designers. If you were to add a designer to your team, what 5 qualities would you be most likely looking for in that person?

Strategic, conceptual design talents
Positive attitude
Willingness to work as a team
Well-rounded capabilities (as described above)
Ability to communicate (verbal and written skills)

4. What are the top 5 things you look for in a design portfolio?

Creative ideas
Honest representation
Careful execution
Breadth of experience (not just one kind of work)
Strategic solutions

5. If a new designer was looking at your company as their dream job, what types of career decisions should they make to increase their chances of someday working with your team?

I would suggest that they work at a place that gives them a wide variety of experiences. Design, production, internal and client meetings, on-press supervision, writing, project management, group brainstorming, etc. We see a lot of talented people who have one skill, ie print designer, interactive designer, etc. That is great for a larger firm, but doesn’t work at Brainforest.

6. What other advice do you have for those new to the design industry or those thinking of entering the design industry?

Be realistic. No one is going to get a job straight out of school and get big identity work. 75% of the work most studios get is not glamorous. Design is a business, not an artistic endeavor. We have clients who we respect and who know their businesses better than we do. Don’t be arrogant and do a good job for both your studio and your client.

I would like to thank Brainforest for taking the time to answer these questions. I hope that those of you hoping to make a career out of identity, print or interactive design will take this advice to heart, and use it to your advantage in your next interview.

A note from Creative Opera: Please do not contact the featured companies in Advice from the Real World posts unless they are actively hiring (open positions have been posted on their website or on a job site). Those who participate are being extremely generous with their time, and have agreed to be interviewed in order to help better the careers of our readers. Please do not bombard them with calls or emails. Thank you!

Do you have design- or career-related questions or topics that you would like to see covered in future Advice from the Real World posts? Please post them in the comments area below. I’ll include the best questions in my next round of interviews!

Are you a design professional with advice that you would like to share with the Creative Opera readers? Please email Creative Opera with some information about your company or profession and an overview of the type of information that you would like to share. I will do my best to respond to everyone in a timely manner, and will work with the chosen companies to create a custom Advice from the Real World post to feature your company and your advice to the design community.