Wentworth Screen Printing
Owner/President and Art Department
We are a busy screen print shop running a 10 color automatic press, a 6 color manual, and various heat-presses for garment decoration. We also have an automatic flatbed press and one manual vacuum-table press for printing flatstock.
Soft Skills
Below are some pf the many soft skill I employ
Project Management is about keeping track of all on going projects and what stage each is at. Throughout my career in graphic design I have always been in the midst of multiple projects, so I've had to learn how to not only manage each project, but to communicate with others who are either collaborating or are my managers. At Wentworth, for example, we have at least 20 jobs going at any given time and I have to be able to keep track of all of those to be able to manage my employees or communicate with clients. I've developed a skill at creating paperwork that helps me keep track of the jobs and all of the various tasks, and it helps communicate to my employees what they need to know. At Play It Again Sports the owner wanted to add a downhill ski rental program to his stores. He put me in charge of creating every aspect of this project, and to implement it in his 6 stores. I had to create intake forms, liability waivers, a sizing method for sales associates to employ, and internal paperwork to keep track of each rental.
Time Management is about using time efficiently, staying on track, and meeting deadlines. When your docket is full of multiple projects, you really need to be efficient with your time by ganging together similar tasks, knowing how long each task takes, and what the priorities are. When working in a freelance capacity you also need to keep track of your time so you can bill accordingly. As an employer, Time Management takes on a new spin, you need to keep track of what anybody is doing at any given time and plan for what they need to be doing next. As a manager I take a hands-off approach, trusting my employees to do what they know needs to be done - however that does not mean I don't have to pay attention to what they are doing.
Teamwork is a usefull skill in just about every endeavour in life. Every job I've ever had has involved multiple people working together, even on separate tasks, that added together complete the task. I've been in design teams consisting of an Art Director, designers and developers. I've worked in audio for video where there are Directors, Camera Operators, Creative Executives, Make-up artists, and cast. At Wentworth there are Press Operators, Production Assistants, and Production Managers.
Communication is vital in all professional activities. It can be the message a brand or company is sending out, it can be the way in which a team works together, it can also be the way a print shop like Wentworth keeps their clients apprised of the job status, or even lands clients. But communication isn't only about what and how you say it, but is also in the ability to listen and comprehend. At Wentworth I need to be able to hear what my client is wanting, understanding how that relates to what we do, and asking any questions that would affect what we do for them. Oftentimes, my clients relay information in multiple locations; one bit of info in an email, another in the paperwork they provide, and also over the phone or via text or messaging apps. I need to collate those multiple streams of communication into one result - the completed project to their desired specs.
Problem Solving is something I discovered that I am good at while at Music Tech learning to be an Audio Engineer. There are basic principals to solving problems, and at the heart is having a strong understanding of what's needed, the process and how to dissect the steps to determine where the breakdown is. Sometimes that means fixing the issue, and other times it means sidestepping the troubled process. In graphic design, problem solving can be used when you have a lot of information to relay and only a finite amount of space to tell it. Or, limits of the process (browser window size, the inability to utilize layers like in html email, etc.) force you to consider new ways to achieve the desired affect.
Critical Thinking requires the skills of communication and problem solving, taking in information and understanding the situation and being able to run different scenarios to overcome challenges.
Leadership requires not only communication, conflict resolution and problem-solving skills, but you need to be comfortable making decisions, carrying them out and bear the responsibilities of those decisions. It also takes knowing the morale of your team and being able to determine what they need to hear or see to be able to work effectively and efficiently, and not being afraid to say what needs to be said - but in the way that gets the results needed.
Reliability is more than just dependability and work-ethic, it's making yourself a dependable resource for other team members, becoming an integral and well-liked part of your team.