I have been practicing drawing cars, as I feel I'm alright at drawing the robots. I have drawn Lockdown styled-cars, that diverge enough from the original to be new. I usually draw more comic-like designs, so maybe comic books are where I should go.

However, I might not be cut out for toy design, and I could try my hand at something like concept art for the Transformers fiction.

I do more than digibashing. It's just that I can;t show it off since I lack a scanner. Digibashing is an okay start, but I realize it is not what the design process is all about. They DO need deco artists however.

 

It's just like getting any other job, honestly. If you have the ultimate goal in mind of working for Hasbro you have to jump through the hoops first. Go to school to get your degree, gain experience through internships/work, develop a name for yourself in respected field, apply to Hasbro/get recommended.

I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but if you have a goal in mind then start putting in the work and don't stop until you reach that. There are plenty of people who have said "I want to work for [insert company here]" and have busted their ass to get there. You can do it too.

 

Comics is a very tough business to break into. You have about as good a chance of doing that as becoming a pro athlete, because there are tens of thousands of talented kids who would kill to break in, and only a few hundred jobs across the entire industry. Fewer in drawing. And if you are just kinda sorta thinking about maybe doing it perhaps, then it's not the field for you. It's too competitive. The people who are really driven to do it, who have been training their whole lives to do that specifically, and have an understanding of all the different aspects of visual storytelling that go into comics, will eat you alive. Not to be mean, but your posts in this thread make you sound a million miles away from those people.

 

You are right. I'm still trying to figure out what's right for me, and I am a million miles away from work in a such a field. I started this thread because I KNOW it's hard to get into these fields of work, but the people around me don't really seem to understand how hard it is. I realize submitting a portfolio full of my mediocre artwork will get me nowhere. That is why I need to improve, and take art classes at the academy near me. I'd love to work in a field like game design, concept art, toy design, etc. as those are all my passions. However, they all require me being able to draw, and create characters and worlds on paper on request. I draw often, and there are things I like to draw, but I need to step out of my comfort zone a little bit more.

Anyways, the point of this thread is not my life story or my goals. It's more to enlighten those who may be trying to get work in Transformers. It's not an easy path, and I realized from talking to my Grampa that it may be hard to grasp that Hasbro might not care what some amateur has to say. What I and others need to do is make names for ourselves, as there are so many fans who have "ascended" into the realm of the official.

Everyone has to start out small.

 

Forget Hasbro, they will go bankrupt in a few years. Start your on 3rd party company.

 

First off, art and engineering are 2 completely different fields in toy manufacturing, and even within the broad concept of art there are specialized fields like concept art, or finalized toy "blueprints". The engineering side will not be concerned with aesthetics only to the degree that it pertains directly to the engineering side. So you need to narrow down what you want to do.

Simply sending random pieces of art will get thrown away before anyone ever sees them.

 

One does not simply work for Hasbro!

 

Yes, they do. You are 18, you are still a baby and you have plenty of time to establish goals and work towards them. I see no reason why you cannot achieve anything that you want? You have just as much chance at reaching those goals as anybody else just starting out. Sometimes it can take people decades to break in to their dream job, sometimes they manage to achieve it quite early on. It isn't a race through life, take time to figure out what you want and then work out what skills you need to have and then refine them.

Don't take the first "no" as a no, take it as a "not yet" and move forward.

Good luck xxxx

 

THIS.

 

You're 18... I don't think many corporations are in the habit of hiring people directly out of high school in this day and age...

So yeah... focus yourself in a particular field, and get an education that will build your skills and your portfolio in the directions you want to move in. The problem with your Grandpa's advice is that while he says you're "giving up too easy", what he's suggesting is the magical easy route to nowhere. He might as well council you to play the lottery. The real journey involves doing it the hard way... learning your craft and getting the proper skills, building a reputation, etc..

Pick a field...
-Graphic Design
-Industrial Design
-or even some kind of business/marketing program...

As you learn more about the craft, you'll get a better idea of the best way to proceed.

Not true. Hasbro employs more than just industrial designers. They also employ artists and marketing specialists and copy-writers. The guys who make the toys physically are rarely the same guys who do the design sketches, or come up with series content, or do box art, etc...

But yeah, if you want to actually BUILD the toys (usually based on other people's sketches) you'll want some industrial design/engineering background. A LOT of that stuff is done in Japan with Takara's team, so frankly I wouldn't get your hopes up. Also remember that toy design is already a pretty tight field... the odds of getting into Hasbro at all, let alone Transformers specifically are pretty low.

zmog

 

I know engineering is done at Takara. The basic designs and sketches are done at Hasbro. I could work on those basic concepts and sketches, perhaps? I have so many ideas floating around in my head, just like all fans, and just like everyone else, it would be a dream come true for Hasbro to use them.

I have my whole life ahead of me. Nothing says I can't study many different things, and have many talents. There is an arts school near me, but it's art programs mainly pertain to film and video game design, if my assumptions are correct.

I think the best route would be to talk to someone at BotCon. It would be a truly enlightening experience to hear their advice.

Also, if anyone works at Hasbro, or wishes to work at Hasbro, I'd like to hear their stories. This whole thread has been me, me me. XD

 

The best answers have already been posted in this thread, I believe. While in college, one of my art professors was telling our class about his interview with Kenner. Having a "kitbashing' demonstration in class is something I'll never forget as well. That was a very cool day for me.

By the end of my undergraduate career, my interests were mostly aligned with package design, though I ended up not continuing my pursuit for other reasons.

While my choice still remains mostly to not mix "work" and "play", I certainly wish you and anyone else the very best in this endeavor!  

 

Just putting it out there, any guesses as to where someone would have to start to work at the brand planning/story building areas? I know I've been interested but don't have a legit clue where to start.

 

I know this advice like this seems like an old hat, but definitely try and get some kind of college degree. If you like art, get multiple degrees if you can. The work force has changed dramatically in the past 10 years alone. You need to be specified in a particular field.

Also, beware of using your hobby as a job. Sometimes the things you like the most can begin to eat away at you if they become your source of income. I couldn't imagine how frustrating it could be sometimes to work on projects like Transformers. We may all love them, but I'm sure many levels of management could care less.

 

1st of all, kudos to the OP for sharing this. A few things on a career in visual creative Field:

- to work with a multinational ur gonna need relevant papers. But it just gets ur foot in the door. How far youll go depends on the strength of ur portfolio.
- u cant get in hasbro on a robit filled folio. Hasbro is a multi brand with several age group. U have to be versatile that they can put u mlp or gi joe or TF. Its the rare case like a don figoera or that TFA/ben 10 dude get contracted outside of hasbro
- u dont have to wait for botcon to find out how to get in the industry: write in to hasbros HR/hiring dept. Ask what qualification/experience they look for, room for student internship, etc.

That said, 1 thing i remarked from the tone of your posts is the negativity or rather the lack of positive outlook. I get that at ur age ur a bit guarded abt expectations and such, but in the creative field u have to bd a go getter to get notice. A lot of ppl out there have great folios/talented so employers will also look at intangibles/personality. U either are really good to get noticed by employer or great initiative n drive to start things on ur own.

 

Hasbro has brand managers which tend to have design/marketing background. Ot can be Somebody in design that start as a lowly illustrator or even copywriter in marketing.

Hasbro might consult/contract out the flesh out the backstory of a line. But they will tend to decide on a general direction in house. Once they decide a tone n want a profesional input on writing, they might opt to source out suitable writers with related experience in terms of subject and target market appeal.

 

just remember, no matter what you come up with, no matter what toy you design, there is always one truth that will always remain.

it can't possibly be worse, then armada hotshot.

 

 

Armada Sideswipe wishes to remind you of his reigning status as crappiest TF ever.  

zmog

 

The only easy thing is giving up. Nothing worth achieving comes without painstaking effort and time.

What do you WANT to do, though? Where do you want to be in 10 years?