A Message Regarding AIGA Baltimore Events and COVID-19

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Dear AIGA Baltimore Members and Community,

In an effort to ensure the health and safety of our members and community, our chapter is temporarily suspending all in-person programming until further notice. Our volunteer board has given this significant consideration and, after reviewing recent guidance from the State of Maryland, the CDC, and other local and national health institutions regarding COVID-19, we believe this is the right approach in order to help flatten the curve. We would love to hear from you on how we can support you during this time, so, please fill out this survey and as always, reach out to us if you would like to get involved.

Stay healthy
We encourage all of you to stay informed about COVID-19 and take the necessary precautions to stay healthy. While there is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19, these steps can help stop the spread of this and other respiratory viruses.

Isolated, yet not alone
We’ve had our ears to the ground, and know that many of us will be experiencing a time of isolation while working remotely and avoiding large gatherings. On the bright side, we’re welcoming more time with our families and pets! We encourage you to join us and tap into online groups such as the Baltimore Graphic Designers Facebook group, Baltimore Womxn in Tech (BWiT), Elevate and Cultivate Design Collaborative or Monument Women’s Creative Alliance (MWCA) to stay connected to your community online. These groups are not affiliated with AIGA, but you will find many of our board members in the groups.

The Annual Ink & Pixels Portfolio Review Day
Our annual Ink & Pixels professional development and portfolio review day is currently scheduled for April 18th at Morgan State University, but we are reviewing our options. Morgan State has announced that all classes will take place online until at least April 2nd, and many Maryland colleges and universities will be encouraging students not to return to campus until early or mid-April. The AIGA Baltimore board of volunteers is dedicated to serving emerging designers each year, so we are in the process of developing a plan to host the portfolio reviews and talking sessions online and/or at a later date.

At this time, all options are on the table. We will be reaching out to educators, student chapters, and our general audience to better understand the needs of our community during this time. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if you have any feedback.

Thanks for your attention and feel free to reach out to AIGA Baltimore leadership at info (at) baltimore.aiga.org and @aigabaltimore on all social media channels.

Sincerely,
Valerie Anderson, President; Frances Miller, Vice President; and our fellow board members

 

Resources:

Reducing Anxiety
How to stop a Coronavirus anxiety spiral, from Wired Magazine

Up-to-date info on COVID-19
Visit the CDC and WHO websites.

Teaching Remotely
The AIGA Design Educators Community (DEC) will be hosting a webinar on teaching remotely. Information on this virtual roundtable for design educators can be found here.

COVID-19 Freelance Artists Resources
An aggregated list of FREE resources, opportunities, and financial relief options available to artists of all disciplines can be found on the COVID-19 & Freelance Artists website.

Working from Home with Kids
Keep children occupied and learning at home with this schedule and tips from Di is Organized.

Baltimore-area Babysitting Service
To find a babysitter, check out the Baltimore-based Napp app at nappnetwork.com.

PSA Generator on Hand Washing
A teenage developer from the U.K. named William has created a tool that will make you a hand-washing how-to poster accompanied by any song you like. Check out WashYourLyrics.com.

Free Creative Cloud Tools for Students & Educators
With Colleges and Universities moving to online classes, Adobe will be offering free Creative Cloud access to those schools who who currently make Creative Cloud apps available to students who login through on-campus labs and are impacted by COVID-19. Learn more here.

Adobe Distance Learning Courses, Articles, and Blogs
Find virtual webinars, tutorials, and more here.

Additional Resources for Parents with Small Children:

While Maryland schools will be closed for at least two weeks, not every school district in the country is sending home resources for kids to work on at home. Here is a list one teacher sent her 1st graders’ parents. Most links include resources for all grade levels.

Various Subjects – All Grades/Levels

Art for Kids Hub – Art videos for kids to follow
Mr. Nussbaum – Fun games for practicing skills for K-5 and up – All subjects
Brainchild – Science educational programming on Netflix
Starfall – resources for every subject & grade level
Xavier Riddle – cartoon versions of the Ordinary People Change the World­ book series
Khan Academy – Educational video lessons on all kinds of things for all ages

Math for All Ages

SplashMath – multi-grade math resource
Math For Love – math games for all grade levels
Math Playground – Math games for students through grade 6
Sheppard Software – Math games for all ages
XP Math – Arcade games to practice basic math skills
Mathwire – Math enrichment games (ex. SuDoku for kids)

Feature image by Scott Webb on Unsplash.
Scott Webb

20+ Events for Creatives in Baltimore: March 2020

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

There are a plethora of amazing events in our area for creatives and creative professionals, so we’re shining a light on these events by groups like AMA Baltimore, BCAN, Baltimore Print Studios, AAF of Baltimore, Ladies Wine and Design Baltimore, and more. Do you know of an event that belongs on this list? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at promotions@baltimore.aiga.org with your event information.

Each month we will be featuring a Baltimore Designer, Photographer, or Artist! For March, our inspiration is coming from Courtney Glancy, Art Director at idfive. In her free time, she explores taking photos in Baltimore on her Sony A7III & Pixel Smartphone. In a recent post of the Patterson Park Pagoda, she said, “Way back in college, we had a photography assignment called ‘quality of light.’ I think I’ve been obsessed with light ever since. To me, this photo is the definition of when someone says that light is spilling or pooling.” Check out Courtney’s Instagram, @charm_city_gal, for more amazing Photography.

March Events

 

3/3

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She-Suite Marketing Leadership Panel
Get ready for a few of the area’s female marketing powerhouses to drop some serious knowledge. On Tuesday, March 3rd, during Women’s History Month, AMA Baltimore will host a signature event, the She-Suite Marketing Leadership Panel. Taking place from 6 to 8 pm at Price Modern, the event will kick off with networking followed by a panel featuring marketing leadership from the non-profit, higher education, and technology sectors.
Hosted by: AMA Baltimore

→ Get Tickets!

3/4

Women’s Leadership Forum
Join over 300 women for an exciting day of empowerment, learning workshops, networking, and vending. WLF is a venue for women to come together and experience other positive, influential and uplifting women from all walks of life. Women are able to acquire knowledge, obtain resources, and make connections that will help them elevate to reach their goals through various learning methods. Our vision is to be an event that brings inspiration and transformation to all women in a safe space.
Hosted by: Notre Dame of Maryland University

→ Get your Ticket!

3/5

American Advertising Awards
Gone are the days of the three-martini lunch. Or are they? Get ready for a truly special experience as Baltimore’s advertising community reunites to celebrate 100 years of the AAFB. Don’t miss this year’s extraordinary celebration, hosted at Port Discovery—a veritable Wonderland in its own right. On March 5, we invite you to tumble down the rabbit hole and join us in commemorating 100 years of the American Advertising Federation of Baltimore (AAFB).
Hosted by: AAF Baltimore

→ Get your Ticket FAST!

3/7

MICA Grassroots Design Fest
MICA Grassroots DesignFest, sponsored by the T. Rowe Price Foundation, is an amazing opportunity to contribute to the social change movement in Baltimore while collaborating face-to-face with other designers and nonprofits. Teams of volunteer designers work with grassroots nonprofits to prototype logo designs, website updates, branding strategies, and more – all in one jam-packed daylong event.

Comics & Zines on the Risograph
Learn how to use the Risograph to its greatest strength, high-speed, affordable color publishing of zines and comics. The Risograph is an affordable, eco-friendly high-speed duplicator, made in Japan. In true punk-rock style, we’ll create analog layouts using collage materials, hand-written and hand-drawn elements, creating literary and visual multi-page publications.
Hosted by: Baltimore Print Studios

→ Register Here

3/9

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Representing Baltimore–A Spotlight on Local Creatives
On Monday, March 9th, AIGA Baltimore will host the first in a series exploring the need for more diverse representation in the design industry and our city’s creative spaces. Join us at Flatform Studios for a night of inspiring presentations followed by a panel discussion on representation—as it pertains to the unique perspectives of the creative entrepreneur—featuring Jermaine T. Bell, Kaya Gordon-Levi, and Caprece Ann Jackson, and moderated by Charlotte James.

We all know Baltimore has a rich cultural heritage of innovation in the arts, music, and fashion, largely shaped by the immense contributions of the African American community. Unfortunately, this same community has been disproportionately underrepresented in the professional world of design and many other creative professions.
Hosted by: AIGA Baltimore

→ Get Tickets!

BCAN Help Desk – Building Your Cooperative Business
Co-op curious? Join Emily Lerman and Aishah Afadhalah for a drop-in discussion on worker-owned cooperatives and how their team is using a co-op model to build Mera Kitchen Collective. You’ll learn more about what a co-op is, why they are important, and gain resources for building and starting a co-op of your own. They’ll offer pro-tips on using the business model canvas as a startup tool, mitigating risks, starting a small food business, and managing finances.

At Noon, we’ll kick off a more structured lunch & learn discussion on capitalism, cooperatives and why we hope to see more co-ops in Baltimore and beyond. You bring lunch – we’ll bring the desserts!
Hosted by: BCAN & Mera Kitchen Collective

→ Register Today!

Screenprinting on T-shirts
This half-day, hands-on workshop covers all the basics of t-shirt printing. This is a followup class to our Intro to Screenprinting workshop. Attendees will learn what is unique about printing on apparel, appropriate inks, and mesh, how to set up multi-color prints and have a chance to print many different designs. No experience is necessary, but since this class is intended as a followup to our other Screenprinting workshop, attendees must take both classes before renting time in our studio.
Hosted by: Baltimore Print Studios

→ Register Today

3/11

BriarLevit lores for blog

Graphic Means, film screening and Q&A with Briar Levit
Graphic Means is a feature-length documentary about the history of graphic design production after the letterpress, focusing on the phototypesetting era and the transition that occurred as a result of the Digital Revolution. A discussion/Q&A with Director and Producer Briar Levit will follow the film.

Briar Levit, the 2020 Graphic Design Juror for YCP’s Annual Juried Student Exhibition, is an assistant professor at Portland State University in Oregon, where she teaches typography, page layout, and studio design classes. She graduated from San Francisco State University, with a BA in Graphic Design, and from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (UAL, London), with an MA in Communication Design. Her passion is designing for content-driven projects—primarily in the publishing and cultural institution sphere. Her clients include Museum of Contemporary Craft, Flooded Fox Den Distillery, Sasquatch Books, Critical Craft Forum, Timber Press, Counterpoint Press, Seal Press, Bitch Media, and Cicada Books.
Hosted by: York College Art Galleries

→ Sign-Up for the Free Event!

3/12


Changing the Face of Voting with UX
Design has the ability to include or exclude people. Join us for an “Intimate Conversation” with Kathryn Summers about making voting inclusive and accessible through design. We will be discussing the implication of bad design and its implication on the voting process in the wake of the 2016 election and the coming 2020 election.
Hosted by: Ladies Wine and Design Baltimore

→ Get Tickets!

3/14

Icon Design Workshop
AIGA DC has teamed up with Scott Fuller of The Studio Temporary for a brand new icon design workshop! In this 4-hour class, we’ll be focusing on a very interesting subject…you! We’ll start with a walk through Scott’s personal work process, exploring the research, inspiration, and execution of a few of his icon design projects. Then comes the fun part: sketching and ideation of your own personal icon set! It’ll be a hands-on experience, so please bring notebooks, pencils (or pens, if you prefer) and a laptop with Adobe Illustrator.
Hosted by: AIGA DC

→ Sign-Up Today!

Intro to Screenprinting
This one-day, hands-on workshop covers all the basics of screenprinting. Attendees will learn first hand how to properly coat, expose, print from, and clean a silkscreen. Differences in inks, printing substrates, screen mesh, and film work will all be discussed, and various multi-color registration techniques will be covered. This class will provide you the skills to return and rent time to print your own work during our regular studio hours.
Hosted by: Baltimore Print Studios

→ Register Today

3/19

BCAN Connect – We Own This!
There is no doubt about it, the future of entrepreneurship is certainly female. Join BCAN to celebrate the unique spirit of Baltimore’s female founders. To start off the evening, attendees will enjoy a networking cocktail hour, followed by an intimate moderated discussion with female founders from Baltimore City. The evening will conclude with mingling and treats from local women-owned businesses! For all the female founders, entrepreneurs, and business owners out there, this one’s for you!
Hosted by: BCAN

→ Register for Free!

3/21

BCAN Help Desk – MDVLA Art Law Clinic
Are you a painter, musician or any kind of creative entrepreneur that lives or works close to the Baltimore / DMV area? Do you have legal questions or concerns? Come visit our Art Law Clinic in collaboration with the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts on March 21st, 2020, 1-4pm at BCAN HQ!

For our March clinic, you can snag a FREE 30-minute consult w/ one of our volunteer attorneys to sort out any general issues or questions you might have!
Hosted by: BCAN

→ Book Your Session!

3/25

SoDA Classic: Conversations In Design History | Reception
SoDA Classic is an exhibition celebrating 13 years of programs by the Society for History and Graphics (SHAG) and it’s reemergence as The Society of Design Arts (SoDA). View the past programs from a selection of the best posters and a look forward to the future of presentations and presenters as we explore new horizons in design.

→ Attend the Event at Stevenson University!

Excellence In Print
Get Your Tickets to Excellence in Print. The biggest event of the year. The competition is fierce. Who will bring home the wins?  You have to be there to find out.
Hosted by: Printing and Graphics Association MidAtlantic (PGAMA)

→ Get Your Ticket!

Tech Happy Hour Mixer
Baltimore Womxn in Tech is hosting a tech happy hour mixer on Wednesday. March 25th at Spark Baltimore. This event coincides with The Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC), which is hosted in Baltimore this year.
Hosted by: Baltimore Womxn in Tech

→ Save the Date!

3/26

Glass Blowing & Networking
Join Monument Women’s Creative Alliance on March 26th at 6pm for networking with a creative twist. You will be led in an activity where you’ll make a unique one of a kind pendent. Keep it for yourself or gift it to a friend and add one of the chains we provide. Enjoy a spread of great bites to eat from the Abbey Burger Bistro, as well as wine provided by Vectors Southand beer from O’Connor Brewing Co. All food and drinks are included in your ticket price.
Hosted by: Monument Women’s Create Alliance

→ Get Tickets!

3/29

Intro to Letterpress
Our one-day letterpress workshop covers all the basics of letterpress printing on a Vandercook and a C&P tabletop press from our collection of antique wood and metal type. Attendees will learn how letterpress printing works, how to hand-set wood and metal type, mix ink, print from type and polymer plates, and how to troubleshoot printing and press issues.
Hosted by: Baltimore Print Studios

→ Register Today

3/30

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AIGA Design Conference 2020
The 2020 AIGA Design Conference brings the design community together in a once-in-a-lifetime, cross-disciplinary exchange of ideas about the changing world of design. Recharge your career with thought-provoking presentations, professional training, and meetups with design luminaries while taking in the City of Bridges.

March 30–April 1, 2020, in Pittsburgh, PA.
Hosted by: AIGA | The Professional Association for Design

→ Get Your Ticket!!

April Highlight

4/2

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Flourish: PCB 2020 Production Show
The demands on creatives and marketers continue to branch out into new directions. Your clients want solutions faster, cheaper, greener and more unique. And without a sense of the latest production techniques and technologies, project timelines and budgets can get out of control, leaving even the most seasoned designers and production specialists in the weeds.

Join the Production Club of Baltimore, along with hundreds of other local creative and marketing professionals, for an evening of networking and fresh production ideas from the mid-atlantic’s very best printers, paper suppliers, image producers, and technologists. Grow your swatch book collection and sample library. Cultivate new vendor partnerships. Seed your future project timelines with new media. Dig into deeper relationships with fellow creatives by face-to-face networking. This is a time to flourish!!
Hosted by: Production Club of Baltimore

→ Get Tickets!

Got an event you think belongs on this list?

We’d love to hear about it! Email us at promotions@baltimore.aiga.org with your event information.

Baltimore Creative Community Events: February

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

There are a plethora of amazing events in our area for creatives and creative professionals, so we’re shining a light on these events by groups like the Society of Design Arts (SoDA), LinkedIn Local Baltimore, Baltimore Museum of Industry, Baltimore Print Studios, and more. Do you know of an event that belongs on this list? We’d love to hear about it! Email us at promotions@baltimore.aiga.org with your event information.

February Events

2/4

Book Bash: What Designers Read
Join the Society of Design Arts at Greedy Reads Bookshop for a preview of some new books and review a few old favorites selected by our members. We will talk about our own personal design collections and pass them around for all to see. Bring your favorite design book!
Hosted by: SoDA (formerly the Society for History and Graphics)

Check it out

2/8

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African Fabric Workshop
Celebrate Black History Month with an intergenerational workshop on the meaning behind African printed fabrics led by Baltimore-based designer Akos “Sunday” Regal (Regal Clothes). Akos was featured in our Design Week Fashion Show! Registration fee includes museum admission for the day (open 10:00 AM-4:00 PM), a 90-minute workshop, and a fabric swatch to take home!
Hosted by: Baltimore Museum of Industry

Register Today!

Valentines on the Riso
Attendees can make their own, 100% custom and one-of-a-kind, 2-color valentines. All art-making and printing supplies are provided, just bring your creativity. Cards will be printed on our high-speed Risograph machine, and every attendee will leave with 30 cards of their own design.
Hosted by: Baltimore Print Studios

Sign Up!

2/12

Valentine’s Printmaking Workshop
As part of this class, you will receive a take-home linoleum block for you to create your own ‘mini printing presses’, use of all materials to create these blocks, and 10 quality cards and ink to print your beautiful Valentine’s! Aprons and gloves will be available. It’s a good idea to wear clothes that you may not mind getting ink on. Join us for this special event to tap into your creative side and release your inner artist.
Hosted by: Night Owl Gallery

RSVP on Eventbrite

2/16

Botanical Art at Rawlings Conservatory
Escape the winter chill and spend the morning in a tropical oasis at the Howard Peter Rawlings Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland. Built-in 1888, the Conservatory offers a wide variety of plantings from throughout the world. Join Emily Carter Mitchell in learning how to develop an artistic eye with flowers and greenery as your subject.
Hosted by: Emily Carter Mitchell Photography

RSVP

Black Arts District Brand Launch Party
The Pennsylvania Avenue Black Arts and Entertainment District is officially launching its brand! In observance of Black History Month, we are celebrating the accomplishments the arts district has made and what is yet on the horizon. Come meet Tia Newton, the creative director behind the new brand, and the arts district team! There will be Dollar Skating and Bowling, DJs Spinning, Brand Inspired Giveaways, and more.
Hosted by: Black Arts District

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2/19

LinkedIn Local Baltimore
Join us on Wednesday, February 19th at The Alexander Brown Restaurant for our next #LinkedInLocalBmore Event! Learn how to beat the burnout and be your best self with Rachel Druckenmiller, Founder & CEO of Unmuted. Together we will explore ways to start 2020 more intentionally and become fulfilled and energized at work and at home.
Hosted by: LinkedIn Local Baltimore and Strategic Factory

Register Here

2/22

Intro to Screenprinting
This one-day, hands-on workshop covers all the basics of screenprinting. Attendees will learn first hand how to properly coat, expose, print from, and clean a silkscreen. Differences in inks, printing substrates, screen mesh, and filmwork will all be discussed, and various multi-color registration techniques will be covered. This class will provide you the skills to return and rent time to print your own work during our regular studio hours.
Hosted by: Baltimore Print Studios

Register Today!

2/27

Power Lunch Webinar with AIGA Baltimore and The Creative Group (TCG)
Briana Quetel is an Account Manager at The Creative Group (TCG), a Robert Half company, who has several years of experience recruiting and hiring for creative roles, and this month she is sharing some of her knowledge. She’ll sit down with a fellow recruiter from her office and give some insights into what they are looking for when recruiting for creative roles, portfolio do’s and don’ts, and how to set yourself apart during the hiring process. Registration link coming soon!

MICA Mixed Media Lecture Series: Palesa & Siphiwe Ngwenya
Representing the multi-award winning participatory tourism social enterprise, Maboneng Township Arts Experience, the South African creative place-making duo, Palesa & Siphiwe Ngwenya will be sharing their experiences regarding inclusive social design, emancipation mapping, and developing destinations in an African context. The public panel discussion with Baltimore industry peers and the attending public will strive to fuel a curiosity about the kind of creative place making that induces economic emancipation for neighborhoods while achieving social cohesion through new and innovative models.
Hosted by: Maryland Institute College of Art and MICA Center for Social Design

Get your free ticket!

2/29

Write Notepads & Co. Headquarters – Open House
The Write Notepads & Co Factory is celebrating its 7th year in Baltimore with an open house on February 29th, from 4–10pm. Stop by to see where and how their products are made, packaged, and sent. You will also have the opportunity to get the first crack at the new Limited Edition they will be revealing at the event. There will be tours of the manufacturing facility, as well as food, beer, and fun for all that show.
Hosted by: Write Notepads & Co.

Register Today!

3/5

Wonder Land: 2020 American Advertising Awards
American Advertising Awards
Gone are the days of the three-martini lunch. Or are they? Get ready for a truly special experience as Baltimore’s advertising community reunites to celebrate 100 years of the AAFB. Don’t miss this year’s extraordinary celebration, hosted at Port Discovery—a veritable Wonderland in its own right. On March 5, we invite you to tumble down the rabbit hole and join us in commemorating 100 years of the American Advertising Federation of Baltimore (AAFB).
Hosted by: AAF of Baltimore

Get your Early-Bird Ticket!

Got an event you think belongs on this list?

We’d love to hear about it! Email us at promotions@baltimore.aiga.org with your event information.

Top 3 Skills UX and UI Designers Need to Know in 2020

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

Thanks to Kelly Strine, owner of Left-brained Creative, LLC for writing this blog post!

The AIGA Baltimore community had the pleasure of sitting down with Fearless, a full-stack digital services firm, this January to discuss current trends and skills user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) designers need to know. And it’s not as scary as you might think.

Meet the Players

Held at Fearless headquarters inside of Spark Coworking Spaces in downtown Baltimore, the event was a panel-style Q&A. Panelists included:

Jordan Watts, Lead UX Designer, UX Coach
Antoine RJ Wright, Lead UX Designer, @ARJWright
Amanda Mancuso, UX Designer
Tyler Bolchoz, Product Designer
Rachel Petrucci, Product Designer
Daedriana Harvey, UX Designer

fearless tech baltimore designers seated for panel discussion
Photography Credits: Krystal Carpintieri

The Landscape

The UX/UI space is constantly changing as technology advances at lightning speed. Designing for non-traditional interfaces (smartwatch, eyewear, ring, etc.), voice user interface (VUI), and augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will be the shiny new skills UX and UI designers will be homing in on. However, as technology changes, it’s often challenging for designers to gain experience in the latest and greatest and break into the UX/UI field.

What we learned from speaking with Fearless is that yes, UX and UI designers should have experience in design, code, content, research, and strategy (at varying levels of each, and that’s okay!); but that it’s equally important for UX and UI designers to possess super-sleuth soft skills and a fierce desire to learn. That’s far less daunting.

Photography Credits: Krystal Carpintieri

Skill 1: Collaborate Well with Others

In the past, there’s been clear segregation between designers and programmers. Designers would figure out what the “thing” (website, landing page, app, etc.) would look like, then hand it over to the programmers to code and be done with it. And as you can imagine, there’s bound to be some friction with this process.

“It’s not really a design hand-off, it’s a design implementation.”
—Rachel Petrucci, Product Designer

These days, the concept of a “hand-off” has vanished. At Fearless, as with many other agencies, designers and programmers work together in a very integrative process. Designers and programmers come together for scrum reviews and standup meetings, and developers are invited to design reviews and product testing. As Rachel put it, “it’s not really a design hand-off, it’s a design implementation.”

That means whether you’re a designer or a programmer or a magical unicorn who does both, you must possess strong communication skills and a willingness to collaborate. Designing in a technologically advanced space means you’ll need to rely on others to create a successful product. Designing at this scale does not happen in a vacuum. As Tyler said, “you’re doing the product a disservice if you just hand it over, but if you’re collaborating everyone is engaged.”

audience listening to panel discussion on UX design
Photography Credits: Krystal Carpintieri

Skill 2: Learn How to Build Empathy

We asked our Fearless panel what steps they take when asked to build a website from scratch. Across the board, step one was research. Before design is even a consideration, learn everything you can about the needs of your client. Do they need a website, or would they be better served by an app? The research phase also includes market research, identifying pain points and opportunities, and sitting with the users—it can take weeks.

“Your perspective is not the default”
—Jordan Watts, Lead UX Designer, UX Coach

But the critical part of researching is gaining the ability to build empathy for your users. Putting yourself in the shoes of the user is the most effective way to create successful UX and UI design. As we discussed inclusive design, Antoine suggested starting a design with the least-sited person in mind, then build up. Can this person use the product on a watch, how about on a mobile phone, tablet, non-touch computer, touch computer, etc.

Jordan summed it up best by saying, “your perspective is not the default.” Having empathy for users and being able to tap into how others will use the product (via user testing, research, etc.) will help you reach every user and create a better product.

AIGA baltimore attendees at spark coworking spaces
Photography Credits: Krystal Carpintieri

Skill 3: Be Hungry to Learn

As technology continues to evolve the only way designers and programmers can stay relevant is to stay hungry…to learn. Without a constant desire to learn, the skillsets of those in the tech industry will inevitably turn stale.

When we asked panelists what the top characteristic trait was that they look for in a new hire, Rachel and Amanda said they would hire someone who is curious and actively seeks out opportunities to learn and develop new skills. Antoine and Jordan discussed the merits of cross-functionality—and yes, there is value in knowing how to design and code—but it is equally important to understand your area of expertise.

So, if you’re looking to impress your current managers or are looking to break into the UX and UI space, take the initiative to develop your skillset. Attend hands-on boot camps and workshops (rather than lectures) to develop your skills, portfolio projects, and gain experience. As Amanda put it, in an interview she would rather hear about what you learned from failed experiences, rather than hear a candidate prattle on about what they think she wants to hear.

valerie anderson and alice rambissoon smiling for photo
AIGA Baltimore President, Valerie Anderson with the Interior Designer of the Spark Co-Working Space, Alice Rambissoon. Photography Credits: Krystal Carpintieri

What Did We Learn?

It’s no big surprise that the UX and UI fields are growing, and the demand to create beautiful, interactive products for numerous interfaces will continue to grow as well. Being on the cutting-edge of these technologies means possessing the technical skills, yes, but equally as important is being able to demonstrate how UX and UI can add value. That means learning how to be a strong communicator (and listener!), being empathetic toward clients and teammates, and being a dedicated, lifelong learner.

If you’re interested in learning more about Fearless, head over to fearless.tech; and if you want to join the Fearless team, check out fearless.tech/careers. 

Follow Fearless on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook at @fearlessbmore. And follow AIGA Baltimore—@aigabaltimore—on all your favorite channels so you never miss great events like this one!

 Share your thoughts below on what skills should be on the minds of UX and UI designers as we move into 2020!

Design & Dine Recap: Debbie Millman’s Perspective on Social Media & Personal Branding

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

Thanks to Kelly Strine for writing this blog post!

The 8th annual AIGA Baltimore Design Week kicked off with a special Design & Dine with the legendary Debbie Millman on Friday, October 11, 2019, at Topside’s beautiful Garden Room. Founder and host of the Design Matters Podcast, Debbie has interviewed over 500 artists, designers, and industry experts. This special Design & Dine was no lecture. Instead, it was Debbie’s signature conversational interview style with 30 of Baltimore’s industry professionals. Had it been recorded, it could’ve been the next episode of Design Matters.

The casual discussion explored how we portray our lives on social media and in our own personal branding. Debbie has “very, very strong feelings about people as brands,” and why we sometimes hide the truth––or downright lie––in the social media versions of our lives.

Personal Branding

Debbie has studied the evolution of branding, and how we’ve grown with it, for the past 17 years. At its core, branding is about mark-making and building consensus around that mark. Through quality and consistency, shared views and opinions regarding products and services can be accomplished.

If we fast-forward through the history of corporate branding, we come to a more recent phenomenon: personal branding. Personal branding is the practice of marketing people and their careers as brands, with an intentional effort to influence public perception. Sound familiar in the design industry where everyone wants to position themselves a certain way in the marketplace?

Photography Credits: Bryan Burke
Photography Credits: Bryan Burke

Humans are Messy

As Debbie so bluntly put it, “Humans are messy.” We have a lot of feelings. But brands don’t have that kind of depth. Sure, brands can evolve, but brands are rooted in consistency. If humans run the emotional gamut and can reinvent themselves, but brands are built on consistency, can personal brands be successful? Can consensus be built?

From a technology standpoint, we’re living in an ever-connected environment. We’re always just a tap, click, or voice command away from whatever we need. Yet we’re oddly disconnected in our interpersonal relationships. Why? Isn’t social media supposed to make us feel more connected?

Our Online Personas

In many cases, people use social media as a highlight reel. We share what we are proud of and the happy moments and hide what we are ashamed of. That’s natural, right? But if you’re only seeing the highlights of other people’s lives, it’s much easier to feel left-behind or alone in your own life. The things that we don’t share tend to be the things that build a better connection with others.

For those of us who maintain a personal brand, Debbie challenged us to consider how social media impacts our branding. If we hide certain aspects of our lives to position ourselves a particular way, we start to pull away from our authentic selves. We start to create an online persona who is our ideal selves, but ultimately this can lead us to feel even more disconnected from ourselves and others.

Photography Credits: Krystal Carpintieri
Photography Credits: Krystal Carpintieri

How do we combat the disconnect? Here are a few ideas:

  1. Digital minimalism: More and more people are disconnecting from social media to live their lives IRL (in real life). Taking a break from social media or ditching it altogether is one way to reconnect and build better relationships with others.
  2. Be authentic: Rather than showing only the highlights, show your authentic self—challenges and all. People connect with honesty. But the key is to help; not commiserate. If you’re going through a difficult time, chances are someone else is going through it too. Share resources or seek support, rather than just complain.
  3. Set an intention: Ask yourself, why am I posting this? Am I looking for self-validation? Sympathy? Is it a humble brag? Being honest about why you’re posting sends a clear message to your audience. Did you land your dream client after working your tail off on the pitch? Yeah, I’ll celebrate that win with you. But do I care about your “picky” client? Nah, I don’t need your negativity.
Photography Credits: Bryan Burke
Photography Credits: Bryan Burke

Social Branding

As Debbie notes, branding is always evolving. The most recent anomaly is social branding, which is marketing for social change. Social branding projects, such as the Me Too Movement and Black Lives Matter, are designed to change a culture. So, whereas personal branding fails at the individual level due to the complexity of human emotions, social branding succeeds due to the social change people can rally around. Social branding builds consensus.

Continue the Conversation

Where do you stand on personal branding? Is your personal brand a true brand in that it builds consensus, or is it more of a brand identifier to set you apart in the marketplace? Do you tend to hide the truth on social media in hopes of creating an ideal online persona? Share your thoughts in the comments below, we want to hear from you!

About the Speaker:
Debbie Millman
Twitter & Instagram: @debbiemillman

Named “one of the most creative people in business” by Fast Company, and “one of the most influential designers working today” by Graphic Design USA, Debbie Millman is also an author, educator, curator and host of the podcast Design Matters.

Baltimore Creative Community Events: October 2019

Posted on by Frances Miller

October is here. Temperatures are dropping (only to 85 degrees, apparently), pumpkin spice flavors are prevailing, and most importantly, DESIGN WEEK IS ALMOST HERE!

When you think of October, you likely think of Halloween and sweater weather. Ask an AIGA Baltimore board member what we think of when October arrives? Design Week! The annual celebration occurs during the third week of October, and 2019 marks the 8th Baltimore Design Week.

This year, we’re reaching out to the community to broaden Baltimore Design Week into Baltimore Design Month. There are a plethora of amazing events in our area for creatives and creative professionals, so we’re shining a light on these events by groups like the Society for History and Graphics (SHAG), AMA, PCB, Monument Women’s Creative Alliance (MWCA), AIA, and more.

EVENTS LIST

 

Jump to:
WEEK 1WEEK 2WEEK 3WEEK 4WEEK 5

10/1

Design Cuts Live: Free Online Design Conference (October 1-15)
Design Cuts is celebrating their 6th birthday! Get in the spirit with two solid weeks of festivities: free sessions from top industry speakers, 800+ products at 92%-99% off, competitions, freebies & fun!
Hosted by: Design Cuts
Check it out

10/3

aaf baltimore hulu networking happy hour
Hulu Networking Happy Hour
Join the American Advertising Federation (AAF) at Producers for an evening of Networking and fun brought to you by our friends at Hulu! Complimentary beverages and snacks will be served, and two lucky attendees will go home with a Roku.

Hosted by: AAF Baltimore
RSVP Here

Fells Point Art Tours
Take a guided tour through historic Fells Point, enjoying light fare while meeting artists and gallery owners. We’ll visit a variety of local art venues including photography, paintings, sculpture, pottery, gift items, and more!
Hosted by: Luann Carra Gallery
RSVP on Facebook

10/5

Doors Open Baltimore (October 5-6)
Doors Open Baltimore is a free citywide event that invites the public to explore buildings and sites in Baltimore.
Highlights Include: Tours of the Hoen Lithograph Building, SNF Parkway, AVAM, and Sewlab USA
Learn More

Baltimore Innovation Week (October 5-11)
Baltimore Innovation Week is a unique opportunity to showcase the city’s creative minds and forward thinking organizations who are part of the thriving innovation and entrepreneurship community. The week aims to highlight positive messaging within Baltimore’s growing reputation as a hub for innovation across the United States.
View Baltimore Innovation Week Events

 

Edgar Allen Poe Festival and Awards
Poe Baltimore invites you to darken Poe’s chamber door at the second annual International Edgar Allan Poe Festival and Awards, October 5 & 6, 2019. This free, two-day outdoor event will feature Poe-themed performances, art, vendors and food, celebrating Poe’s life, works and his influence in the arts.
Tickets are required for tours of the Edgar Allen Poe house.
Register Here

 

10/6

Doors Open Baltimore: Hoen Lithograph Building Tour
During the tour, guests will learn about the history of Hoen Lithograph and its importance in the printing industry in Baltimore, as well as the overall vision for the existing buildings, future tenants, and surrounding community.
Right This Way

Baltimore Innovation Week (cont)
Edgar Allen Poe Festival and Awards (cont)

 

10/7

Design Thinking for Schools: Students, Teachers, & Community Collaboration
When people talk about Baltimore City Public Schools, we often hear about the problems. In this workshop, high schoolers, teachers, and community members will come together to view problems in BCPSS as opportunities to make our schools better.
Hosted by: Baltimore Innovation Week
Get Tickets

 

10/8

Have A Nice Day Project - pigtown
Have a Nice Day Project – Pigtown
While enjoying good food, drinks, and conversation, we’ll be tasked with filling those sleeves with positive message, quotes, jokes, fun pictures and more. We’re donating them to locally owned Cafe Jovial (Pigtown). They will use those sleeves until they are gone, distributing them with coffee orders to their patrons throughout the week. How awesome will it be for someone to go to their favorite coffee shop, place their usual order, look down and see a fun message from you?

Hosted by: Have a Nice Day Project
RSVP on Facebook

biofabrication-baltimore innovation week

Biofabrication: Building with Life at the Intersection of Art, Science, and Technology
Join artist Ryan Hoover for an artist talk and backstage tour of the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Bio Fab Lab – where student artists and researchers are building in collaboration with life, blurring the boundaries of art, science and technology to innovate futures that employ biocement sculptures to restore oyster populations and grow hair follicle germ cells to create synthetic animal-free wools.

Hosted by: Baltimore Innovation Week, MICA, and Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network (BCAN)
Get a Ticket

 

10/9

An Introduction to React Native
React Native is a modern open-source framework for native app development developed and maintained by the team at Facebook. React Native is a cross-platform development tool, but unlike previous options, React Native uses native platform-specific interface components, making it both easy to program and highly performant.

Hosted by: Baltimore Innovation Week
Read More

 

10/10

pumpkin succulent workshop maryland
Pumpkin & Succulent Workshop
Get into the fall spirit by coming to decorate one of our Heirloom Pumpkin Succulent arrangements with custom calligraphy.

Hosted by: Eventi Floral & Events
Register on Eventbrite

Baltimore Innovation Week (cont)

 

10/11

design & dine with debbie millman 2019 design week
Design & Dine with Debbie Millman
Join us for a casual discussion led by the wonderful Debbie Millman, in which we’ll explore how we portray our lives on social media. Named “one of the most creative people in business” by Fast Company, and “one of the most influential designers working today” by Graphic Design USA, Debbie Millman is also an author, educator, curator and host of the podcast Design Matters.

Hosted by: AIGA Baltimore
Get Your Ticket Now

Data & Technology in Social Innovation
It is generally accepted that data and technology serve as critical tools for innovation. However, we experience shortcomings in how we make these tools accessible to change agents and residents. In this session, we will explore platforms that are working to make data and technology more accessible and relevant.

Hosted by: Baltimore Innovation Week
Read On

 

10/12

Makers of Maryland Fall Meet Up
One of the best days of the year is almost here! The Makers Fall Meet Up will be filled with music, fun, food, drink, and hanging out with your fellow Makers! You will have your choice of ticket but everyone will be receiving a Swag Bag filled with goodies donated from your fellow Makers, a new Makers tee, & automatic entrance into winning one of the amazing giveaways we will have! Come enjoy a fun day with the Makers!

Hosted by: Makers of Maryland
Read More about the Makers Meet Up

10/16

Climbing the Corporate Ladder

Climbing the Corporate Ladder: Extraordinary Stories of Paving Your Own Way
There has been a strong push to highlight gender inequality within tech, yet the question still remains: Why are there so few women in tech and in executive leadership roles? According to a recent Thomson Reuters study, 30% of 450 technology executives stated that their groups had no women in leadership positions. Only 25% of the IT jobs in the US were filled by women and 56% of women leave IT in the peak of their career. We all know the path to success is not a straight line. Baltimore Women in Tech has put together a stellar panel of noteworthy professionals to discuss this and their own journey of rising in tech. This event is open to all genders.

Hosted by: Baltimore Women in Tech
Get Your Ticket Here

 

10/17

“Legacy of Innovation” The Glasgow School: 1900-1910
Join SHAG at the Walters Art Gallery for a talk on design history, on Thursday October 17th. This event is free and open to the public.
Hosted by: Society for History and Graphics
Registration link to follow

mwca yoga wellness event
Restore Your Core
Monument Women’s Creative Alliance is a women’s group working to inspire, educate, connect, and unite Baltimore’s creative community. This class, Restore Your Core, is a proven + comprehensive core and pelvic floor strengthening method that targets your whole body in order to regain function. It helps you learn to move better, exercise better, uncover movement compensation patterns, and create new patterns of strength, mobility, length and support.

Hosted by: Monument Women’s Creative Alliance
Learn More about MWCA

 

10/19

Intro to Screenprinting
This one-day, hands-on workshop covers all the basics of screenprinting. Attendees will learn first hand how to properly coat, expose, print from, and clean a silkscreen. Differences in inks, printing substrates, screen mesh, and filmwork will all be discussed, and various multi-color registration techniques will be covered. This class will provide you the skills to return and rent time to print your own work during our regular studio hours. If you have any questions, please contact us at print@baltimoreprintstudios.com

Hosted by: Baltimore Print Studios
Tickets Available Now!

 

10/20

Beginner’s Lettering Workshop 
Join Ashley Tiburzi of The Artsy Apple (@artsyapple) for her first ever in-person beginner lettering workshop!
Learn More

 

Baltimore Design Week: OCT 21-27

 

Environmental Graphics Painting Workshop

Have you ever wanted to play around with neon glow-in-the-dark paint or graffiti markers? Are you tired of hiding behind a computer screen day in and day out? Yearning to get a little messy? Join AIGA Baltimore and Jubilee Arts for a workshop in which we’ll create props and graphics to display at Saturday’s Fashion Show!
Save Your Seat

10/22

Stress Addiction talk 10/22 with taylor cashdan

“I work best under pressure.” “No worries—I’ll get it to you ASAP.” “It’s fine, I can handle it.” Sound familiar? It did for designer Taylor Cashdan as well, until he woke up one morning with the intent for a normal day. And instead, found himself in the cardiac wing of his local hospital for a short stay that included a lot of “we’re not sure why this is happening.”

Join AIGA Baltimore and Raleigh, NC. native Taylor Cashdan on Tuesday, October 22, 2019 at Co-Balt Workspace to discuss the dangers of ignoring stress, the toxicity of the ‘hustle mentality’ and burnout culture, and their overall contributions to living ‘the creative life.’
Get Your Ticket

10/23

SHAG AIGA Baltimore Application House
Come join The Society for History and Graphics (SHAG), AIGA, and Morgan State University’s School of Architecture and Planning for a talk and workshop about how we might make space in the future. Application House is a speculative design project for a future house and neighborhood, after a brief talk about that project, you’ll have the chance to participate in a collaborative workshop in which we’ll draw a whole city.
Save Your Seat

10/24

Creative Communities event
Creativity. Collaboration. Community. Join us on October 24th at Pixilated to learn how to find your community AND make the most of it, with Illiah Manger of C&V and Rachel Davis of Your True Tribes. Register now for this free Design Week event – tickets are going fast!
Learn More

10/25

design week studio tours
Join us for an exciting day of tours through four of Baltimore’s innovative design and advertising agencies: Gilah Press, idfive, Jellyfish, and Mission Media!
RSVP Here

10/26

AIGA Baltimore fashion show design week 2019
This Design Week, we’re taking the conversation out of the screen, off of the paper, and onto the outfit. Join the Baltimore creative community on October 26th at Baltimore Artists Union as we experience a conceal and reveal fashion show, featuring a panel of five local design talents!
Join Us

10/27

Problem Framing - Design Thinking Workshop
There are so many versions of design thinking processes out there, from IDEO to Google Design Sprints. However, many don’t dig deep enough into what Rachel Davis calls step 0: Problem Framing. Problem Framing is about asking ourselves, “What Else?”

Join us at iNovex’s brand new offices in Columbia for this workshop as a part of Baltimore Design Week 2019. Lunch will be provided, courtesy of our hosts at iNovex Information Systems.
Get Your Ticket

10/29

Tobias Frere-Jones
Tobias Frere-Jones is one of the world’s leading typeface designers, creating some of the most widely used typefaces, including Interstate, Whitney, Surveyor, Tungsten, and Retina. His typeface Gotham was used in the election campaigns of Barack Obama.

Hosted by: MICA and AIGA Baltimore
Registration link to follow

10/31

impact hub success coaching
Success Coaching Skill Share
Do you find yourself juggling too many things and feel like you are not making progress? Do you ever feel stuck? Do you feel like work is always on your mind even when you are with family and friends? Would you like to spend more time working “on” rather than “in” your business? Then check out this free Skill Share event at Impact Hub Baltimore!

Hosted by: Impact Hub Baltimore
RSVP on Eventbrite

Got an event you think belongs on this list?

We’d love to hear about it! Email us at promotions@baltimore.aiga.org with your event information.

Meet The Speakers: Illiah Manger & Rachel Davis

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

We are so excited to have Illiah and Rachel join us for Baltimore Design Week. Together, they bring us insights into creative communities with their In Perfect Harmony–Choosing Creative Communities event on October 24th.


Here’s what they have to say about the event: “We can’t wait to meet everyone during our Creative Communities event. This isn’t a typical talk where you leave with a numb bum because you sat in your seat the whole time listening to someone talk at you. We have some amazing activities planned for us to explore values and aligning those with communities.”

Choosing Creative Communities

Rachel will also be facilitating a Problem Framing Workshop on October 27. Rachel gave us a little insight into the event: “I view problem framing as step 0 of Design Thinking. Many times we jump right in because we believe we know the pain points and the user and we are ready to empathize with them, but we haven’t examined the “What Else?” There may be perspectives––or even users––we haven’t considered when we don’t explore other frames.” Join Rachel as she guides us through how to approach problem framing as we wrap up Baltimore Design Week. 

Haven’t grabbed a seat yet to these events?
Grab a FREE ticket to the Creative Communities event HERE.
Snag a seat at the Problem Framing Workshop HERE.

Problem Framing Workshop-Baltimore Design Week

Now, let’s get to know Illiah and Rachel a little more…


What’s your favorite quote/philosophy?

Illiah: “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity, and change” – Brene Brown

We are each a wealth of knowledge, creativity, power. Our stories make up who we are, but it requires courage and vulnerability to be innovators, thinkers, designers. Brene Brown’s writing and talks inspire me to live fully and continue to do the work I’m called to.

Rachel: Everyone is creative. One of my favorite books is Creative Confidence by Tom Kelley and David Kelley. This whole philosophy of everyone is creative is what drives my brand Your True Tribes. One of my favorite quotes from this book is, “What we’ve found is that we don’t have to generate creativity from scratch. We just need to help people rediscover what they already have; the capacity to imagine—or build upon—new-to-the-world ideas. But the real value of creativity doesn’t emerge until you are brave enough to act on those ideas.”

Doesn’t matter if you are a designer, a copywriter, an accountant, a dentist, seriously whatever you are an expert in you are also creative. You have the ideas in your head it’s about working with those individuals who can help you organize those thoughts, and help you make them come alive in the world.

What is your biggest challenge as a designer/creative?

Illiah: That debilitating fear that comes with not thinking your ideas are good. That low-feeling you hit when you think the client won’t like what you’re designing is always a challenge. This leads to putting the work off because you don’t know if you can do it justice, and that procrastination just forces you to work under pressure when it’s not needed.

Rachel: The ever-present imposter syndrome. Any time I have creative block, or can’t get out of a creative slump, or just get into a funk. It’s that little voice in the back of my head that wants to tell me, well maybe you aren’t good enough to be doing this. Creative communities have actually helped a lot with this—being able to have a sounding board, a place to talk with like-minded people, a place that gets me back on track when that little imposter syndrome troll throws me off the bridge into the water. This is what I value in communities and close friends who help me come back to my true focus. 

A close second is communicating the value of design. That’s a huge challenge. How do you help the rest of the world “get it” when it comes so easy to you and other creatives to know the value and benefit of good design?

What’s on your desk that you could not live without?

Illiah: I get so many questions about color from both designers and clients. The Pantone Solid Coated & Uncoated swatch book is definitely something on my desk I cannot live without. It’s the most comprehensive, up to date color tool available. For me, it’s nearly impossible to choose colors for any brand design project without it, because the color formulas are consistent across all mediums. There’s always going to be differences from printer to printer and screen to screen, but choosing from Pantone as a starting place helps a lot.
And my earl grey tea latte. 

Rachel: Oh, this is a good one because I just bought something new I couldn’t live without. I get tense when I’m focused, I mean physically, my body—especially my hands. When I type I seem to think that pinky needs to go straight up in the air on my right hand as if I’m having high tea with the queen. Why? Heck if I know! But because of that, I invested in a gel stress ball, small enough to fit in my tiny hands. It helps me not have a hand that’s in pain for a week after a day of focusing and typing. This tiny gray hand therapy stress ball is my savior right now.

What sparks creativity for you?

Illiah: Weekends away from screens, art museums, walks, new experiences. Innovative Design.

Whenever I have creative block, it is because I don’t have enough information. My client is my main source of inspiration, always. Great design cannot be created in a vacuum. I need as much info from and about the client and the project as possible. 

Also, creativity takes practice. The more creative you are, the more you have. When I’m not designing, I’m crafting with my daughters or coloring in a coloring book. 

Rachel: Reading. For sure, reading. I have a list a mile long right now of books in my queue, both Kindle and ones I can actually hold in my hands. On my Kindle, I am addicted to the highlight tool for quotes or passages that spark something for me. In an actual book, I have stickies that go right next to quotes or things I want to come back to. There’s a time and a place for fiction, but my love is nonfiction, with some of my favorite authors being Seth Godin, Austin Kleon, Tom and David Kelley, Pat Flynn, and Tina Seelig. But there are so many more that I have on my list! If I’m at a block, I take a moment, pick up a book, head over to a room with no electronics—I mean except my Kindle if it’s a book on there!—I sit down, take a moment, clear my head, and just read.

What advice would you give to your 20-something self?

Illiah: Embrace fear, take risks. There’s never a time again when the stakes aren’t as high. Listen to your intuition, and let it be your guiding force.

Talk to and connect intentionally with designers (or anyone who’s living your dream) who are ahead of you. Community and connection is how you’ll reach your aspirations. Watch them and learn. 

Rachel: Progress is better than perfection. Have grace with yourself—change and mistakes are part of the process. It’s all about failing intelligently because failure is going to happen you just need to learn from it. And for that grace piece, seriously just give yourself a break. Did you make a spelling mistake in a post? Is it the end of the world, of course not——ask yourself will this matter in an hour, will this matter tomorrow, will this matter in a week, will this matter in a year?

Illiah C&V Creative

Illiah Manger

Creative Director / Owner
candvcreative.com // elevateandcultivate.com
@c.and.v // @elevate.cultivate

Rachel Davis

Rachel Davis

Content + Brand Strategist / Owner
yourtruetribes.com
@yourtruetribes (IG + Twitter)

Meet The Speaker: Taylor Cashdan

Posted on by Frances Miller

Taylor is a North Carolina-based multidisciplinary creative and community builder who’s passionate about people, design, and all the intersections in between.

He brings to the tables a burning desire to collaborate with others to create exceptional work “for people who give a shit.”

This October, we’re welcoming Taylor as a part of Baltimore Design Week 2019. His talk, titled “Stress Addiction: From Morning Coffee to the Cardiac Wing,” aligns with our recent efforts to engage with our community and peers about mental wellness and self-care.

Read on and get to know Taylor – from how he got started in design to what he’s digging right now. Then, join us in person during Baltimore Design Week!

Stress Addiction talk 10/23 with taylor cashdan

Where do you draw inspiration from?

Taylor: The people and things around me, and by extension, the Internet. I’m not one of those people that’s anti-Internet for sourcing inspiration. Never in the history of man have we as individuals had the reach we do now thanks to the Internet–you’d be foolish not to take advantage of it.

What advice would you give to your 20-something self?

Taylor: What you’re doing is working, so relax, continue to lean into authenticity, and remember is okay to take a break sometimes–your brain (and friends) will appreciate it.

When did you first realize you wanted a career in design?

Taylor: I can track all of my major “career” decisions back to people telling me “no, you can’t do this”. My first step in the direction of becoming a designer was during a 9th grade elective-fair (where you could come and learn about all the classes you could choose from for high school). The journalism teacher said “sorry, we don’t allow freshmen on our staff”…3 months later, I was the first freshman.

What’s your favorite quote or philosophy?

Taylor: There’s a book called “The Subtle Art of Not Giving A F*ck” that has a lot of quick, punchy lessons. But the one that’s stuck with me the most goes something like this: “you may not be directly responsible for what happened, but you are responsible for how you react to it.” I’ve defaulted back to that statement during times of stress or conflict and it has helped me not over or underreact.

What’s the harshest criticism you’ve ever gotten about your work and how did you handle it?

Taylor: I was told in an interview debrief via a recruiter that “I’d make a better design manager than an actual designer”. And at the time, it hit me hard. I was thinking “wow, they’d rather me be the one talking to the designers than actually making things–I must really suck”. Fast forward a few years, I now realize it was a compliment–the consideration and perspective I was viewing and presenting my work from was both at the 10,000-foot level and in the weeds, and the position I was applying for would have been too mundane. The lesson here is: it’s not always about you, sometimes, it’s about what an organization/client/person/etc needs or doesn’t need.

Is there any designer or piece of design that you’re digging right now?

Taylor: I’ve been leaning into monoline illustration heavily lately. It’s nice because you can pull in SO much detail, but it can also scale well with subtraction. Brian Steely has been a huge source of inspiration for me–and of course the simplicity of Draplin’s “thick lines” mantra.

Stress Addiction talk 10/23 with taylor cashdan

Q&A with Crayligraphy Founder, Colin Tierney

Posted on by Frances Miller

Hand lettering and calligraphy are having a major boom today, as seen from logos to magazine covers, and from mass-produced home goods to painstakingly-handwritten wedding invitations.

When looking at work by the likes of Jessica Hische, Lauren Hom, and Jon Contino (just a few of the letterers helping to spread the craft today), it can feel like there’s no way your own hand could do that. Calligraphy, in particular, is intimidating to get into. Choosing and buying tools, and getting over the hurdle of giving up when your first few tries don’t look totally Instagram-worthy.

Crayligraphy was founded in the Summer of 2015 by Colin Tierney in (guess where?) Baltimore, Maryland. Offering in-person workshops, online guides, and a community of other learners, Crayligraphy delivers helpful content for anyone interested in learning. AIGA Baltimore is excited to cohost a workshop right here in Baltimore, so join us on Saturday, May 11th, 2019! Read on to learn more about Colin’s journey in developing this group and resource.

Sign up for the Crayligraphy workshop!

So, what exactly is Crayligraphy?
Colin: It’s a concept I dubbed several years back—a neologism combining the words “crazy” and “calligraphy”—to help people learn the beautiful art of writing through the magical world of those nostalgic, childhood friendly markers. Because let’s be honest, calligraphy with markers is pretty crazy.

Essentially, Crayligraphy is a space for people to try their hand in the ancient art form in the least intimidating way as possible. No longer do you have to spend an arm and a leg on traditional supplies before determining whether or not you enjoy the process. Broad-line markers are cheap, easily accessible and most of all, fun!

Where did the name Crayligraphy come from?

Colin: Crayligraphy began as a way to experiment with calligraphy through a marker. In this particular post, a Crayola marker. Hence the original name “Crayoligraphy,” which yes, I dubbed as well, but that’s a whole other story 🤫🤐

I changed the name to “Crayligraphy” shortly after realizing I wanted to turn this idea into a learning platform. The name not only rolled off the tongue easier, but it didn’t limit people to thinking they had to use Crayola’s brand. There are so many quality broad-line markers out there–– Target’s Up&Up, Crazart, Roseart to name a few—–that it seemed silly to be exclusive to just one brand.

At the time, did you think this would grow to what it is today?

Colin: At the time, I had no idea how big this idea was going to be. I was simply responding to my audience after several years of emails and DMs, requesting that I teach hand lettering and calligraphy.

One year after coming up with the idea of Crayligraphy, I posted this same image announcing the launch. People who were interested in learning how to stylistically write with a marker, were able to sign up to our newsletter, being the first to know when my series of tutorials would begin.

After the first 24 hours, we had 2 thousand people sign up to our newsletter list 😱. Before the announcement, I didn’t know how to teach. I had to better my knowledge and skillset before proclaiming that I was proficient enough to take on that role. Basically, I had to learn to teach.

Originally, you were traveling across the country to host workshops in different cities. How did you balance this along with your family and other work?

Make no mistake: doing all of these workshops solo was no easy task.

We get hundreds of requests to visit different cities all around the world. Back when I started teaching workshops, I was a one-man show on the road. My wife Lindsey organized the events and made sure everything was scheduled and set up so that I could fly into the city on a Friday, wake up the next morning (like a lost puppy in an unfamiliar territory), teach the workshop and hop back on a plane to return home early Sunday (early as in 3 or 4 in the morning early 😩).

I had to do this at the time. I lost my job, my family didn’t have a home (it was on the market when I lost my job) and we were about to welcome a baby boy to the world. We already had 2 girls under the age of 4! Life was a bit Cray to say the least 😐 And while it wasn’t a sustainable living situation, it was necessary.

So after some time passed, I decided I couldn’t go at this alone anymore.

Hiring can sometimes be as daunting as doing all the work yourself. How have you built a team of educators?

Throughout my visits to these cities, I reached out to local artists who have shown interest in Crayligraphy while also having an understanding of the art. I asked these artists if they had any interest in co-hosting a workshop with me in their respective cities. I did this for a few reasons. One, having two instructors to teach a workshop adds so much more value for the attendees. Two, it adds some local flavor that the students can relate to.

Most importantly though, I was able to train these local artists to teach the Crayligraphy material. We call them “Educraytors.” So, whenever a city’s interest arises, I am able to call upon an Educraytor who represents that region, to host the workshop. This allows me to focus on Crayligraphy’s bigger picture and spend those precious moments I would otherwise be missing during travel, with my family.

Does Crayligraphy define a specific style of lettering, or does each artist put their own spin on it?

Our team of educraytors is a great example of how you can produce wild results with one simple instrument. Check them out on Instagram! Veronica Ruiz of @veronicaletters is based in Denver, CO. She has a wide range of styles, but you know Vero’s work when you see it scrolling through Instagram because it always stops you in your tracks. Terence Tang of @tinlunstudio comes from Houston, TX, where we hosted a workshop last year with AIGA Houston. He has now integrated what began as a serious hobby into his professional design workflow, where magic markers are now among his go-to tools for designing logos and lifestyle goods.

I’ll be co-hosting Baltimore’s workshop with Natalie Downey of @nataliedowneydesign. She’s one of the best out there when it comes to Crayligraphy. Her fragmented style (broken strokes) is something to watch over and over again while scratching your head in awe of how she does it. We like to call Natalie The Ninja-Wizard ⚔️🧙‍♀️of the team because her strokes are so quick and unbelievably accurate.

What sorts of techniques are taught in a Crayligraphy workshop?

We’ll go through the two different methods to create your letters. We begin with the fragmented method; that’s breaking down each character into basic strokes so that we see the makeup of these letters as shapes and pieces to build upon. So, after each stroke, you lift your marker and place it down where the next stroke needs to be marked.

Some of you will be able to learn a little quicker and if that’s the case, you might be ready for the fluid method. That’s not to say we leave those who don’t learn as quickly in the dust. We just have another option to practice for the people who might have an easier time understanding the fragmented method.

The fluid method entails keeping your marker on the paper and transitioning between thick and thins based on pressure and release through the fingertips. This method allows for a more elegant or smooth aesthetic where the fragmented method is based on broken strokes that appear sharper and quicker.

Sign up for the Crayligraphy workshop!

Wanna get a design job? Think like a hiring manager.

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

If my experience at Ink and Pixels taught me anything, it is that young designers continue to face the permission paradox—you can’t get a job without experience, but need a job to gain experience. Each of the five students whose portfolios I reviewed voiced this same set of concerns: Lots of applications are sent, but little-to-no feedback or opportunity exists after hitting send. Just about all students recognized that there was a glut of applications, and thus it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. And while the concerns are valid, I’ve begun to wonder if students fully understand the business side of the equation.

Hiring is a complicated and time-consuming process. To hire a new employee the business has to shell out costs, often in the form of man-hours and marketing costs. In business settings where a Human Resource Department is involved, there is time cost associated with posting, reviewing, and interviewing potential candidates. In addition, there is the time design managers and creative directors have to set aside to review and interview candidates. For a business, this time falls into an un-billable category, and thus represents lost income. A company is willing to put up with this lost income if they can identify and hire the right candidates, who are likely to stick around for a few years.

HR and the design team members eliminate candidates quickly—they have to—and they do so without prejudice. As a young designer, it is crucial to show (or tell) potential employers exactly what benefit, what problem they can solve when they are applying and interviewing. Sure, this is a gross over-simplification, and there are no absolute ways to achieve that goal. But as young designers often throw a lot of different types of work out to be reviewed (and I definitely believe this is a good thing), they should tailor their work to the needs of the potential employers. If the job is print heavy, show some print work first. If the job leans more towards a digital space, show some digital work first.

The importance of events like Ink and Pixels shouldn’t be overlooked. While not every reviewer or panelist will have jobs to hand out, talking to pro’s in this setting is a very structured form of networking. One-on-one time with a handful of design professionals can only help young designers understand the difference and challenges in each unique design environment. Talking to the attendees at Ink and Pixels was the highlight of my weekend (I mean, I live in a house with two toddlers), and I commend AIGA Baltimore for once again putting on this event.

About the Author:

RobMaguire_HeadshotRob Maguire has over 15 years’ experience providing graphic design and marketing services to businesses of all sizes. After changing gigs each time his wife switched jobs and cities, Rob decided to begin his role as an independent creative. His experience working as an agency art director, and later as an in-house senior package designer has cultivated a knack for understanding the unique needs of each client. Today, Rob works and lives in Maryland with his wife, kids, and dogs.

About Ink & Pixels:

Ink & Pixels is one of AIGA Baltimore’s largest events focused on helping designers prepare for a career or career shift. This year’s Ink & Pixels event was held on Saturday, April 13th at Stevenson University.

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