Alec Giorgio: A New Media Artist Talks About Personal Branding
Today, we bring you an interview with Alec Giorgio, a New York–based New Media artist. Alec has created work in a variety of different mediums, from graphic design to screen printing and everything in between. His work is heavily influenced by music, playfulness in art, and community. Additionally, this young man enjoys DIY aesthetics and colorful palettes.
In his own words, he’s interested in creating work that is engaging, joyful, and has a community aspect to it. He believes that the art world should allow room for more fun and show the world that anyone can be an artist.
Let’s see what Alec has to say about himself and why he chose to join the .ME family and create alec giorgio.me!
The Importance Of Community And Playfulness In New Media Art
First, we asked Alex to tell us a few things about himself. What drives him, inspires him, and makes him want to contribute to this changing world?
Hello! My name is Alec! I am a New Media artist based in New York who graduated from SUNY Purchase in May of 2020. I love all things that are musical/fun/new! The act of creation has always interested me. When creating, I’m heavily influenced by music, playfulness in art, and community.
I want to contribute to this world by leaving my own mark on the art world, whether small or big. I love helping people experience art and interactivity no matter what their art history background is!
Alec’s Career In New Media Art
Next, we asked Alec about his outlook on the future and how he sees his New Media career developing.
My dream goal is to work in the music industry doing design, live visuals, and/or interactive experiences. Throughout college and continuing even now, those ideas were at the core of all of my work. I hope to continue following my passions and chasing my dreams.
Are you more inclined to freelancing or working in an agency/company?
When I graduated last May, it wasn’t the best time to graduate, considering the state of the world. I was uncertain of where my career would be heading. Since then, I’ve done a bit of freelance work for the first time outside of school. And it has been very fulfilling!
Long term, though, I hope I can work at an agency or company. My true passion is working in the music industry doing design and interactive work. So I hope one day I can get there (fingers crossed)! But for now, I’m enjoying working on my own projects and freelancing.
Tips For Young People In The New Media Industry
We asked him about advice he could give to anyone who’s starting out as a new media artist. This is what he had to say:
Make art that you enjoy for yourself first! At the beginning of my career, I was always trying to mimic ideas or follow the hottest design trend. But the art would always feel a bit soulless. I think for anyone starting out as a new media artist you need to love what you do. And to create from a place of happiness. Then your work will truly stand out because it has your individual voice, which nobody can copy. Once you find your voice and passion, your ideas will follow!
Point Of Pride
What’s the project, or aspect of your New Media career, that you are most proud of?
The project I am most proud of so far is my Senior New Media Project titled ‘Show Of Hands.’ It’s a set of 20 AR Filters that are built into the Instagram camera. My main goal was to create a variety of different pieces in one medium. That way, I could explore how people can utilize art to bring joy to their lives. People who use the filters can even make creations of their own because I’ve given them the building blocks.
It was a really rewarding project. Almost a year later, they have over 800,000 interactions on Instagram. I would’ve never dreamed of that when creating them! Seeing it grow has been so rewarding. I hope to continue experimenting with Instagram as a medium to bring art to anyone’s phone.
The Importance Of A Personal Website
In your experience, how important was a personal website in acquiring clients? Did it have a direct or indirect impact?
Graduates today have to think about how they’re going to be communicating their work with the world and prospective employers. Social media is nice but having your own website makes you stand out from the crowd. That’s why I created mine, and I think having a .ME domain really adds a personal touch to it. Having a unique personal website lets the viewer know you put care and thought into your work.
In your opinion, what is the most neglected (but very important) part of a personal website?
I think the most neglected part of a website is the homepage. In this digital age, you want to have something that stands out from other websites your future client/employer/friend looks at. That’s why I choose to have a bold splash screen before heading into the main area of my site. All of my information is right at the beginning for you to gloss over. And I think that’s a big advantage to have if you want your site to stand out from the rest.
The Steps To Make A Website
Every creative professional needs a website. However, they’re often hesitant to make one, with the most common excuse being that they’re designers/writers/etc, not developers. Here’s how Alec approached it.
I was definitely using the excuse for a bit. But at the start of the new year, I made it my goal to update my website. It was overwhelming at first. A pro-tip I can share is to organize your work first. Then you can choose what you want to show on the website. And then you pick whatever host you’d like to use, or create the site yourself.
I’m using Squarespace. That’s easy because there’s little coding involved, which is perfect for the low-maintenance site I wanted to create. Also, there are some great .ME alternatives that I’m definitely going to explore that are comparable to Squarespace. I just laid out the content first. Then, I added all of the styling at the end after the bulk of my website skeleton was done. And voilà, after all of that alecgiorgio.me was born!
It seems like a monumental task. But over the course of a few weeks you can definitely get your own website up and running.
A Truly Personal Domain
Of course, we just had to know why Alec chose the .ME extension for his domain name.
I chose .ME as the extension for my domain because I wanted to be original to me and my voice. All of the other extensions I viewed were impersonal. The .ME extension lets people know that you put care into your site and that it’s an extension of yourself. I’ve had it for over a year and don’t plan on switching ever!
Do you know anyone else who has an .ME domain?
A few fellow Purchase New Media graduates also have .ME domains. What’s more fun than a .ME domain? 🙂
Tips On Personal Branding
Finally, we focused on branding. We asked Alec about the most important aspects of a personal brand.
Having a personal brand is very important. If you want to stand out from your competitors, you definitely want to have your own unique voice that represents your brand. That’s why, at the beginning of the year, I chose to rebrand my website and give it my unique touch. Since then, I’ve had more success reaching out to clients and jobs. I think that happened because my website is a reflection of me and what I represent as an artist.
How would you define your personal brand? And how important do you think the personal brand is?
My own personal brand is definitely vibrant. I love using bold colors and creating work in a variety of mediums. I think that is what helps me stand out. Once you click on my website’s homepage you see everything that I created.
It’s not a stock grid-like Instagram or a website template that everyone uses. It’s a splash screen that represents me and the work that I do. I think it’s important for creatives to have their own personal brand because it attracts like-minded people to your work. Everyone has a unique voice and it should be shared with their world.
Wrapping Up
We thank Alec for telling us something about himself. He’s a bright, optimistic young man with a bright future ahead of him and we’re looking forward to seeing his next project.
If you have any artistic inclination (New Media or otherwise), we hope this interview helped you. You can check out Alec’s site if you need inspiration, and he has plenty to share.
You can even follow in his footsteps and use .ME as the platform for your website. In Alec’s own words, having your own website makes you stand out from the crowd, and the .ME domain adds a personal touch to it. We hope you’ll join the .ME family and let us help you stand out from the crowd.
