Kicking off with the Ravens Marketing Team

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Kicking off AIGA Baltimore’s Design Week 2014 at ADG Creative, the Ravens in-house marketing team sent in three of their best to talk about how Baltimore’s own NFL team thinks creatively about design and marketing. Bryan McDonough, Heather Blocher, and David Lang discussed how they target Baltimore football’s wide audience across print, digital, social media, and broadcasting in a fascinating presentation, all while showing off their flashy Ravens World Champion rings.

Marketing the Ravens

Emphasize consistency. That’s the team’s key secret for seamless collaboration. The Baltimore Ravens’ marketing team only joins forces with outside agencies occasionally. Almost all efforts take place in-house, even broadcasting. As a graphic designer for the Ravens, presenter Bryan McDonough described the group as being a “mini agency”.

The marketing team has to “churn and burn”—they’re ready to react. While most NFL creative teams ask “how does this help us sell tickets?”, the Ravens are always sold out, allowing more creative freedom. Each campaign piece still must work across all platforms, including print, digital, broadcast, and environmental. The organization also reaches a wide and inclusive audience of women, men, families, young fans, and seasoned fans.

If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, the NFL has strict geographical marketing regions when it comes to things like print collateral and tv ads. The Ravens are uniquely sandwiched between two neighboring teams: the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. Luckily, there are no borders on the digital front. Even with the NFL limiting Ravens from print and tv in areas geographically associated with other teams, the web provides ways to market beyond these borders without regional terms.

How an idea becomes a campaign

Each season’s new campaign begins after the playoffs. The success of the players on the field decides when to shift focus to the year ahead. At this point, the design team’s first deadline is printing the next season’s tickets by May. During the summer months, the team prioritizes working with Ravens sponsors.

Ravens' 2014 season tickets
Ravens’ 2014 season tickets

From the very beginning of each campaign, the marketing department’s creative process includes senior management, creative, marketing, and board representatives. Several concepts are narrowed down to the best two or three ideas. The public relations, digital, and print teams collaborate to select which concepts should move forward. Polished into solid presentations, the concepts must be clear to the point where the executives—who don’t necessarily have creative backgrounds—understand the direction and ideas.

In charge of overseeing these efforts, event presenter Heather Blocher serves as Senior Manager of Advertising & Branding. Heather started as an intern and officially joined the marketing group as her first job after college, a prime example of how team members are given opportunities for growth.

The one surefire way to win a campaign? Have Coach John Harbaugh buy in. If creative and marketing have his vote, then the players and fans approve. John can be tough, however. Even with free lunch in the cafeteria, Harbaugh recently put everyone on a diet. No more “Pizza Friday.” It’s just salad. At least everyone gets cake after a win, though. On the other hand, losses do affect morale. The next day everyone is bummed right along with the fans—and a lot goes into game day behind the scenes.

How to “Play Like a Raven”

Give it your all, 110%, on and off of the field. That’s what it means to “Play Like A Raven”—the team’s tagline and annual marketing campaign since 2009. Praised by coaches, players and fans, the phrase remains one of their most successful campaigns.

Focusing on the human element and illustrating the off-the-field “Play Like A Raven” concept, new photo shoots show players training and behind-the-scenes. Quotes from Coach John Harbaugh integrate into the final design to reflect this more personal tone. Landscape posters using this imagery portrayed the players as heroes and role models. The posters were envisioned as inspirational collectables distributed at stadium practice events leading up to the season opening.

Their 2014 marketing both hints back to the original “Play Like A Raven” campaign and pushes the idea to the next level. Fan shots became a major part of the previous campaign’s success. The logical next step uses these even more expansively. Updated photography showcases the vast Baltimore cityscape. A new style guide allows visuals to easily translate from print to web, mobile, and broadcast as the team continues to improve the level of consistency.

Taking the campaign online

Hashtags for the Baltimore Ravens were once inconsistent with mixed messages and sources. Fans generated some with others in the marketing department. For example, #relentless is not specifically related to the Ravens alone. Rather than join these existing and wider conversations, their own threads were started specifically for the Ravens’ team. David Lang, as the Ravens’ Senior Digital Media Manager, discussed how he oversees the website and digital presence, including social media and broadcasting.

David Lang, discussed how he oversees the Ravens' website and digital presence.
David Lang, discussed how he oversees the Ravens’ website and digital presence.

Tackling the confusion, the 2014 campaign includes just one hashtag: #playlikearaven. Since the Ravens are a newer team, creating an abbreviation like the Redskins hashtag—#HTTR for Hail To The Redskins—was deemed less meaningful and effective. Instead, #playlikearaven was trademarked. Beginning in 2014, posters and promotional materials added #playlikearaven, and this encouraged players and fans to share virally on social media.

The marketing team found creative ways to involve the players and the rest of the organization as the official hashtag gained popularity. The most positive and encouraging Facebook posts, tweets and photos were printed after sifting through thousands of social media posts. Displayed at the Ravens’ cafeteria entrance, these images help connect the staff and players with their fans. This interactive element that goes beyond an online “like” or “retweet” reinforces the idea that the Ravens marketing is not just a one-way conversation.

Outside of social media, President of the Baltimore Ravens Dick Cass is a driver for old school methods. Even though holiday cards are still printed, the marketing team did take to the streets late one night. With permission, the team stenciled graphics across the city using an environmentally safe paint from Germany to engage with their fans. But most often, the Baltimore Ravens leave street-level tactics to the fans themselves. They’re the ones who do guerrilla marketing best.

Photos by ADG Creative

Shannon Crabill is a New Media Specialist at T. Rowe Price. Outside of the Internet, you can find her dancing, riding her motorcycle and binge-watching home improvement shows on HGTV. Tweet her at @shannon_crabill.

Brian E. Young is an art director and magazine designer by day and artist by night. When not painting, he’s helping unlock imaginations via his blog and The Uncanny Creativity Podcast. Ask him anything: sketchee.com.

Designing How You Hear It: NPR’s Benjamin Dauer

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

“I love being in-house because I am tightly integrated with the teams I work with and have a deep understanding of a product’s full lifecycle.”

Benjamin Dauer is a Senior Product Designer at National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. and was recently the Lead Product Designer at SoundCloud in Berlin, Germany. AIGA Baltimore took a field trip to interview Benjamin about designing in-house for NPR.

How did you get started designing user experiences for audio platforms?

You could say it all began in 5th grade while learning music. As a musician I have always been drawn to the listening experience. Everything from how the sound was performed and recorded, to the equipment used in the process, to the components used to deliver the audio to the user – all of these tools and methods have been designed, ultimately, not to be seen.

While growing up I was a “backseat listener” of NPR. As a musician I have been using SoundCloud since their founding 7 years ago. I am very fortunate to be able to combine my love of sound and design while working with these organizations on their listening experiences.

soundcloud
SoundCloud app for iOS

What would be your advice for someone looking to improve their skills to be competitive in today’s job market?

Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. When deciding which organization you want to work for, examine its maturity. By this I mean, startups typically seek generalists while more established companies have the flexibility to seek specialists. This will help you to focus on which skills are in demand. Then set to work teaching yourself what you need to know and surround yourself with people from whom you can constantly learn.

If I had to leave you with three things, I’d say: be humble – know when you’re right and know when you’re wrong; be honest – with yourself, with your team, and with your time; and don’t be afraid to fail – challenge yourself at all times and learn from every experience, both good and bad.

You recently received an Interactive Design award from Communication Arts for the NPR Music for iPad app. Can you tell me about that process?

From a high level, this was the first NPR app to be completely conceived, designed and developed in-house. As you can imagine, it generated a lot of excitement throughout the organization. While lots of feedback poured in during the process, from all areas of NPR, we remained sharply focused on the user.

Tactically, we operate using Agile/Scrum and Lean methodologies here. We have tight, two-week sprints involving research, design, development, user-testing, and QA. These processes encourage transparency and thus keep us honest and iterating. At the end of each cycle we demo our work to key stakeholders and solicit further feedback. Rinse and repeat until app submission.

NPR Music for iPad
NPR Music for iPad

Do you always design with iOS in mind?

No. For me, context is very important so there will always be some variation in how I approach a particular design problem. Different contexts require different solutions. This helps inform which platform (and/or OS) is most suitable to design for – desktop, tablet, phone, television, car, iOS, Android, etc.

In general my process involves some/all of these elements: framing the problem, asking the right questions, challenging assumptions, researching markets/competition/patterns, sketching, prototyping, designing, testing, iterating, iterating, and more iterating.

You’re currently working on the new NPR One listening experience. What’s your biggest challenge?

There are many. One of the biggest has to be the challenge of transforming a traditional broadcast framework into a digital, on-demand framework. In doing so, we are creating a new kind of listening experience for our audience: a seamless mix of local and national content that learns what you enjoy, allows you to make a habit of those, and relinquishes you from the clock. In this new framework, we can create the best show for you, no matter what type of listener you are – casual, regular, or power.

NPR One on iPhone
NPR One

What do you see is the future of streaming music/audio?

In my ideal universe, I would love to see an environment where organizations can continue to embrace experimentation, especially around the concept of personalization. There are several different approaches to this on the market already, but they all require active input from the listener. Those mood surveys, interest questionnaires, and settings pages full of checkboxes all miss the mark for me. There are lots of signals we can glean from a listener’s more passive activity – how far have they listened through a piece of content, what types of content are they skipping most, at what point during their listening session do they stop, or what have they searched for? All of these put the onus on us to work harder and be more mindful, not the listener.

 Check out Benjamin’s portfolio site www.benjamindauer.is and follow him @benjamindauer.

Learn more about NPR One at www.npr.org/about/products/npr-one/

How to Relax in the Digital Age: 11 Ways to Get Some Balance

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

The latest research suggests that people check their smartphones 20 ba-jillion times per day (appx). That stat completely describes me — I get the shakes if my phone is more than 20 feet way. However, I do accept this despicable condition as one of my own making and do hereby swear to help other digital/phone/technology addicts in their own quests to dial down their obsession… or at least relax a bit. I think it’s pertinent at this point to pull out a great Marshall McLuhan quote that diagnoses this state more aptly:

In the electric age, when our central nervous system is technologically extended to involve us in the whole of mankind and to incorporate the whole of mankind in us, we necessarily participate, in depth, in the consequences of our every action. It is no longer possible to adopt the aloof and dissociated role of the literate Westerner.

When we’re constantly connected to digital media we become thin and stretched in our psyche’s trying to see and sort all the information in all the world all the time. On a good day it’s that we’re fiddling with our phones too much. On a bad day it becomes insomnia and restlessness. So with this technologically extended hyper-state in mind, let me offer some lifestyle tips for tech lovers that might be a good first step toward getting our digital connectivity under control.

When you go to a restaurant with someone keep your phone in your pocket. If you’re a total psycho you can check your phone when you got to the restroom.

Give commercials 100% of your attention just like you do the show. This unifies the experience and (speaking as someone in marketing) gives credit to all the hard work that goes into making commercials. Honor them.

Watch the credits after the movie. Same reason as above.

Don’t channel surf. Spend the time sharpening your axe (aka using the show guide), then watch what you want to watch like you’re showing up to a doctor’s appointment (credit to LL Cool J for this one).

Yield to the largest screen in the room when tempted to play with multiple devices. The more devices you’re fiddling with the less you’re able to separate and absorb the content.

Put your phone in a different room during dinner time. And mute it. Is 30 minutes going to kill you?

Read right before bed instead of scanning Facebook or some other consumption-of-humanity social network.

Pick one day a week not to wear a watch. I don’t know about you but without it I feel lost and afloat in a dark sea of emptiness and inefficiency. But I need that feeling every now and then to remind me to chill the heck out.

Don’t use news apps. Ever.

Have a friend text you for 5 straight minutes but refuse to look at your phone. This will build up your “ignore that ding” muscle. Apple has gone Pavlov on all of us so yes, it’s going to feel great to get a Twitter update or text. Don’t instantly eat that candy.

Get out in nature. Without your iGizmo. Force yourself. Apparently a week in nature will reset all your human/time/sleep settings. If you can’t take a week then just get outside, even just for a walk here and there.

Do you have a tip that’s helped for you?  Share it in the comments the next time you’re multi-tasking on your iPad during a video conference while watching TV.

Jon Barnes is the Director of Communications for ADG Creative and a heck of a guy. Read more over at ADG’s blog, Brain Juice, including that one time when we all went and took a crash course in Letterpress.

Would you like to be a guest blogger for AIGA Baltimore? Email Greg to find out more information!

The Joy of Sketch

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

My design career started with a burning envy of artists.

I was in sixth grade when I read in a magazine (possibly Highlights), that there were kids who had started drawing pretty much as soon as they could hold a crayon. Seeing album art, movie posters, and the covers of paperbacks in the supermarket made me think about how long they must have practiced their craft to be able to create these fantastic works of art without a struggle. At 12 years old, I was, in my perspective, too late to the game. Hell, I couldn’t even trace Iron Maiden cover-art, much less draw it freehand.

eddie shirt
In my defense, I was trying to trace on my t-shirt.

A chance malfunction with my family’s television set combined with the discovery of hundreds of discarded yellow flyers with blank space on the back resulted in a summer of illustration so prolific that I doubt I’ve ever equaled it. I started copying models from my mom’s Vogues as well as each panel from Cracked Magazine featuring the fictional entertainment reporter Nanny Dickering.

nanny pinup

I used to read Cracked for the interviews. Seriously.

Since the magazine was monthly, I would copy the same issue’s Nanny again and again, often until dawn, and pretty much throw them away right afterwards because they looked like sketches. I had to see that slick, finished look of the magazine illustrations in my own work to believe I had this mythical talent buried deep somewhere. I figured I’d be able to express myself better if I just had the tools. I wanted to show the world what was important to me.

Sor b

Keep in mind it was 1989 and I was 12, so this was considered “important”.

Finally, I asked for a legitimate sketchbook after months drawing because some of my work started to look almost fridge-worthy and that yellow paper wasn’t very professional-looking. Unfortunately, that sketchbook actually began a sort of neurosis that I still struggle to break today.

See, those printouts were going in the trash anyway but that sketchbook, with its clean, white paper, was something that needed to be bought. I couldn’t just put anything on there; it had to be finished and worthy to show. Eventually, my sketchbook went almost entirely unused as I continued to work with those disposable flyers. The cartoons became figures and the concepts of perspective and dimension, while primitive, seemed to develop on their own.

nagel print

I quickly advanced to copying Nagel prints at the mall.

Unfortunately, my environment just wasn’t conducive to a career in art. I went to Catholic school most of my life and there wasn’t much encouragement for what I was doing. Plus, nothing I did ever looked good enough for me because, as I somewhat correctly reasoned, I didn’t have access to things like an airbrush or a Linotype machine. They were just too far out of my reach without any support and I wasn’t aware of any other options. So, I pretty much abandoned drawing altogether until about ten years ago when I saw a video of an artist working with traditional-looking brushes and type in Photoshop. All the tools I needed to create professional work were in one package.

dale cooper

Which meant even better robotic pin-up monster women.

A career in art appeared to be a realistic goal once again. I abandoned my sketchbook while obsessing with the software, using the illustration skills I’d developed throughout adolescence as an anchor. It was easy to think of sketching as wasting valuable time because, after all, aren’t I just drawing the same thing, again and again, when I could go right into the software, knock out a design, then start a new, more exciting project I’d been thinking about?

For me, the bane of Photoshop was that while I was creating designs that looked clean, they weren’t as composed as the stuff in my old sketchbooks. With those solid colors and perfect type, I was fooled into a false sense of accomplishment; the exact opposite of what had happened back in school. Some of my earliest digital works show promise but there’s little of the original intent within the finished project.

I was denying the design its sketch-roots. I was denying it a soul.

starship troopers badge

Because nothing needs a soul like my badge honoring Klendathu veterans.

Sketching is also my way of being happily productive on my time off. It’s not everyone’s idea of a good time, I know, and I’ve been accused of being too involved with my work. Sketching isn’t work, though. It’s therapeutic and fun, a secret I keep to myself until I get that random assignment that can benefit from a sketch I might have made years ago. Although, when it comes to beginning an assignment, I often find myself going to the computer first to “save time”.

wikipage

And because my sketchpad doesn’t have Wikipedia on it.

So, I’ve recently deemed a room in my house “The Analog Room”. No Photoshop or Wacoms. No computers at all. There’s only a record player for music because iPhones are forbidden. I’ve even got an old-school desk, much like the one I had at Holy Angels, back in 6th grade. It’s proven to be exactly the sort of seating and surface I need to produce my best work. The increase in quality is noticeable enough to keep me motivated.

enfant of prague

Also increased: Catholic artifacts.

Interested in developing a sketch habit? Check out Mike Rohde’s great, quick read, The Sketchnote Handbook. Here’s a preview:

sketchnote1

sketchnote2

sketchnote3

Greg Jericho is the Digital Publications Chair for AIGA Baltimore.  He also admits that, despite all the posters and t-shirts he had as a teenager, he never actually listened to Iron Maiden.

How to Prepare A Design Portfolio for Ink & Pixels Portfolio Review

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Ink & Pixels Student Design Conference is almost here! Are you ready, students? As you prepare your portfolio for the portfolio review, keep these tips in mind so you can be set for success. Have any other tips to share? Add them in the comments!

Coming to Ink & Pixels but don’t have a portfolio? It’s OK! Just bring some of your recent work to share and our reviewers will give you feedback on how to improve and present it. 

  • Make a good impression by wearing professional attire, smiling, and arriving on time; better yet, arrive early.
  • Introduce yourself and shake hands. Tell the reviewer your name and something interesting about yourself: what type of industry you want to enter, why you chose the field of design, etc.
  • Include 7–10 pieces of your best work in your portfolio presentation. For a lasting impression, your first and last pieces should be your strongest.
  • Showing interactive work? Come prepared with a fully charged laptop or other portable device and make your projects available offline, in case an Internet connection isn’t available.
  • Be ready to discuss your work and answer questions. Explain how you developed the idea, what research was conducted, who the target audience was, and any challenges that you may have faced when creating it.
  • Don’t rush through your portfolio presentation. Speak at a normal pace and give the reviewer time to comment on each piece.
  • Be open to constructive criticism. The reviewer is there to help you. You can filter through the comments later and decide which changes to make. Bring a pen and paper to take notes.
  • Be prepared to give your resume and business card to the reviewer. Also, including a leave-behind with a few examples of your best work will make your presentation even more memorable.
  • Ask the reviewer questions about their job. Take the opportunity to learn about what they do and how they got there.
  • Ask for the reviewer’s business card and follow up with an email or note to thank them for their time and feedback.

Don’t miss out on your opportunity to meet three (or more!) professional Baltimore designers and get feedback on your work and your portfolio. Register now to grab your spot today and you will be entered to win a one-year subscription to Skillshare, a limited-edition poster, or a chance to have lunch with an Ink & Pixels speaker, too!

Lights! Camera! Action! An Evening with Dan Gerlach of Storyfarm

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

How do you decide if you need video production services? Dan Gerlach, partner at Storyfarm, gave an informal talk at our February Blend and shared with us the value that video brings to promotions and how to employ a professional video production agency.

“When compared to text, still pictures, or audio on its own,” Dan said, “video is the most effective in fully engaging an audience because the average person is more likely to recall a message or take action after watching a video.” He went on to list the applications of video for business: presentation openers, product demos, orientations, FAQs, event highlights, and case studies.

“There’s a lot of room to get creative,” he said.

Dan advised attendees to consider what value a video may have for the intended audience before anything is created. “Avoid catering to internal stakeholders, focusing on sales, and exclusively highlighting your brand. Take the time to generate ideas for content that are both informational, entertaining, and ultimately attention-grabbing.”

Once you have a video concept, you should explore production options, keeping in mind that a video only needs to be two to three minutes long. Light-hearted gimmicks that are used for a temporary promotion might benefit from a simple DIY production, such as Vine, while a formal address explaining the cornerstones of a company needs a more professional approach.

“When evaluating an agency for video production,” Dan explained, “first look at their portfolio. The best video production agencies have YouTube pages filled with case studies, allowing you to gauge their quality and output. Next, look at your budget and their pricing. A two- or three-minute video will cost roughly $12-15k for 10 hours of professional production.”

Dan also suggested looking at what potential an agency has for a long lasting partnership, since working with the same company on multiple projects, such as a promotional series, may offer additional perks as well as discounts.

For an in-house or freelance designer, he had this advice: make sure you have a seat at the table while your company is working with a production agency. If you’re acting as the creative director, you will need to ensure that the visual identity and style is being held to the company’s brand standards.

For more information about Dan and Storyfarm, head over to their website and check out some of their production videos on Vimeo.

Joshua Uzzell is a well-rounded graphic designer who previously helped plan AIGA Baltimore’s monthly Blend and Converse events. Check out his work at www.joshuauzzell.com.

Board Spotlight: Vanessa Vichayakul

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Although Vanessa Vichayakul grew up in Montgomery County, she lived in Thailand for six years. She speaks Thai and French, and her two favorite cities in the world (so far), are Paris and Istanbul. Vanessa loves to travel and see how other people live their lives. And, when she has time, she enjoys reading, writing, cooking, and yoga.

Vanessa is tuned into the local design community and says the opportunities to meet people are great. Even though she’s currently employed full-time as a Public Relations Coordinator with TEKsystems, she’s met a bunch of people she’s been able to learn from. Her networking skills are put to great use through her position as Visibility Director on the board.

Outside of her 9-to-5, Vanessa also freelances as a marketing and brand strategist, with some copywriting and graphic design projects thrown in there, too. She picked up graphic design while getting her M.A. in Design Management and fostered a love for organizing a conceptual message into a visual format. “Design is problem solving,” she says, “So you work within constraints and for a purpose.”

When asked about her thoughts about the AIGA Baltimore board, she says, “They’re such a fabulous group of people, and, even though some of us are new, we really work together as a great team.”

We asked her to name her favorite “must see” spot in Baltimore. “Though it’s in plenty of guidebooks, I’ve grown fond of Fort McHenry. It’s so peaceful.” And her drink of choice?

“Before 5pm, it’s a whole milk cappuccino,” she says, “But after 5pm, it’s a good Malbec.”

Converse: An Evening with R2integrated

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

What exactly does a design firm want to see in your resume and portfolio? AIGA Baltimore (and a few very lucky students and professionals) went to the source to find out. R2integrated, the award-winning digital marketing agency that recently joined Baltimore’s skyline, welcomed us to their Pratt Street headquarters for some insight into their hiring process and individual portfolio reviews.

After an exciting studio tour and an introduction to the r2i team, we broke into small groups to discuss job application tactics. There were so many great tips! The advice we heard reflects what r2i seeks from their prospective employees, but it’s also useful for any potential design job. Here’s some highlights:

  • Be memorable…in a good way. Find ways to make a strong impression with your resume, your portfolio, and your interactions throughout the interview process.
  • A sense of humor and the absence of a cocky attitude are key personality traits.
  • Your resume should be concise and easy to skim, because the person reading it usually just wants to get to the good stuff — your design samples. Visual hierarchy is key!
  • When presenting your work online, don’t use a crappy-looking portfolio website, even if it’s got a professional-sounding domain name. The reviewer is looking at your work, not your URL, and if web coding isn’t your strength, use Behance or Squarespace for a better presentation.
  • In an interview, don’t show more than 10 projects. Do make sure to lock down your design story before presenting. Explain your goal for each project, but keep it brief and interesting.
  • You’re not the only person being interviewed — research the company beforehand, and ask questions!
  • r2i appreciates a good print project, but they are web-based first and foremost, so include examples of web design (especially responsive design!)

Check out r2i’s full list of tips here!

Thanks again to the team at r2integrated for a fabulous and inspiring evening!

Psst…are you a design student or recent grad who’s interested in more job search tips and portfolio feedback? Join us for the third annual Ink & Pixels Student Design Conference, on April 12 at Stevenson University. Learn to present yourself and get constructive feedback from the pros. More information is coming soon — join our mailing list and follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the deets!


Meredith Burke is a web & print designer, knitter, and craft beer enthusiast. She lives in Baltimore with her husband and a black cat named Brock Samson. Currently, Meredith’s working on beefing up her front-end dev skills. Check out mdith.com to see her work.

Greg Jericho spends an awful lot of time designing for clients that do not exist. Check out his work at gregoryjericho.prosite.com.

Photo credit: Kate Lawless. When she isn’t scheduling social media and writing blog posts for AIGA Baltimore, you can find Kate Lawless designing communications, digital signs, documentation, and interactive software elearning for University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc., in Baltimore. You can reach Kate on Twitter @katereeez or at socialmedia@baltimore.aiga.org.

Behind the Scenes: February’s Open Board Meeting

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

What is AIGA, and what do we do?

Last month, the AIGA Baltimore board welcomed designers and design advocates to check out our monthly meeting at Heavy Seas Alehouse. AIGA members were invited to grab a beer and be a part of the conversation as we talked about the past month and what we’ve got in store for the future. Spoiler: a lot.

We met up at the Alehouse where our Membership Director, Marisa Martin, introduced AIGA Baltimore and its board members. Shortly after, the meeting was called to order and everyone in attendance was given the opportunity to make suggestions, all of which were discussed with the group and noted by board members for possible action.

Since we had some people who couldn’t make it to the meeting we’re posting a recap of our February meeting here. Take a look and share your feedback on what you might want to see from us.

Marisa started off the evening with a short history of AIGA’s past, present, and future.

If you’d also like to know a little history, our national website is a great place to learn about AIGA and what we do.

How old is AIGA?

  • 100!
  • This year, we’re reflecting on our history and planning our legacy

We’re developing a strategic plan:

  • A national committee is is currently reviewing all current practices and policies, ensuring that we’ll be a strong, respected institution for another 100 years
  • Based on their findings, they’ll develop a five-year strategic plan for implementing the envisioned change

Major recurring themes and recommendations:

  • Members and chapters are the nexus of the AIGA experience
  • Membership engagement is key to viability and loyalty
  • Members expect greater means of connecting with each other
  • We are our members, not an omniscient institution

AIGA Baltimore is celebrating a milestone…!

  • We just turned 25!
  • We had a big celebration during Design Week but, as with AIGA national, this calls for our own period of reflection
  • AIGA Baltimore is taking national’s membership focus and translating it to our chapter and our community

We’re focusing on creating and increasing:

  • Personal connections and engagement
  • Value for our events
  • Inclusiveness and transparency

Next, we shared some insight into AIGA Baltimore’s operations.

Meetings:

  • The entire board gathers every first Monday of the month for about 2 hours
  • We meet in smaller groups as needed
  • Basecamp is the chapter’s current project management tool of choice. Our legacy information is saved in PBWorks and is shared with all chapters
  • Once every 6 months, we have a board retreat, an extended day-long meeting

Leadership Retreat:

  • National conference just for board members
  • Number of attendees depends on the size of your chapter (we send 4 board members)
  • Connect with National and board members from the other 66 chapters

Who are all these people?!

We introduced ourselves, guests and all, which helped provide more context to our conversation. You can find a list of our current board members here. For a personal look at each one of us, keep your eye on our blog for Board Member Spotlights.

Then the board meeting began.

We ran through some important action items for upcoming events and communications. The usual meeting agenda was condensed for our guests’ sake, as the amount of information covered can get overwhelming sometimes, even for us. Board membership is hard work, but we volunteer because we love what we do!

Our State of the Chapter address followed.

Jennifer Marin, Co-President

  • Co-Presidents are in close communications with AIGA National and other presidents across the country (lots of phone calls!)
  • Last year’s chapter goals:
    • Strengthen the chapter by growing size of membership and the board
    • Increase visibility by creating meaningful relationships with area organizations
    • Provide consistent and valuable programming
  • 2014 chapter goals:
    • Ensure the stability of the board through succession planning
    • Diversify outreach by programming relevant events to a wider variety of disciplines

Courtney Glancy, Programming Director

  • 2011: joined during big transition on the board/membership, audit and re-evaluated programming
  • 2012: ran 10 special events (non-recurring events)
  • 2013: ran 15 special events with many attendees
  • We’ve come a long way. In 2013 the membership structure changed; we adapted and figured out how to make events worth it in a way that’s profitable and cost effective
  • All our profits go back into programming and operating expenses
    • Operating expenses: storage unit, web hosting, insurance, board retreats, etc.
  • Premium Blend: look out for these special Blend events
    • Blend used to be a happy hour for designers, but we evolved them into a mini-lecture series: they’re informational, relevant, and, at the same time, very social
  • Ink & Pixels: a student conference that debuted in 2012. We had a loss that year, but made up for it in 2013.
  • Design Week: Also debuted in 2012. In 2013, we increased engagement and attendance. Watch out for DW2014! It’ll be awesome.
  • 2014 goals:
    • continue to evaluating programming for relevance, profit, and value
    • increasing the number of valuable special events
    • listen to members more to hear about what our audience wants to see, so we know what ‘value’ means in programming

Kara Turner, Communications Director

  • What aren’t you seeing that you’d like to see? Let us know: communications@baltimore.aiga.org.
  • Social Media: Won CBS Local Affiliate award for Best Local Art Enthusiasts to Follow on Twitter

Greg Jericho, Digital Publications Chair

Michelle Fazenbaker, Special Events Director

  • Part of the focus for 2014 is to celebrate AIGA’s centennial
    • The goal of this year is to create awareness on a national level and on a chapter level
  • Design a Chair project is one example
    • National got a company to donate chairs and Baltimore had the opportunity to design a chair with children’s artwork from Art with a Heart.
    • Our chair is in NYC right now at the AIGA gallery.
    • We’ll get it back and donate it back to Art with a Heart after the design chair show

Marisa Martin, Membership Director

  • Considering the new(-ish) membership structure and the refined focus on membership, it’s an important, yet challenging, time to be a Membership Director
  • We increased membership by 32% in 2013!
  • We will hold two membership drives in 2014, so be on the lookout!
  • Opening the doors of communication with members and the community
    • Not just growing but maintaining a strong, thriving membership base and design community in Baltimore
  • Defining the value of membership and ways to increase engagement, retention and grow membership
  • Nationwide, we have 1000+ events per year, 100+ per month; global events, too
    • Important that you find them valuable, and we need your input!
  • Members drive the AIGA content, and give us the capital to continue providing what you need
    • 90% of the sustaining memberships (mid-level at $250) goes directly back to the chapter

Sara Blumberg, Volunteer Chair

Finally, we opened the floor for input, questions, and comments from our attendees.

Feedback highlights:

AIGA as a whole is still being considered an organization primarily focused on print-based graphic design, something one of our attendees voiced this evening. As AIGA continues to evolve, our goal is to be more inclusive of all industries related to design; however, we cannot do this alone. By partnering with other organizations like Refresh, R2integrated, ADG Creative, Gilah Press + Design, and Storyfarm (just to name a few!), we can work together to connect our communities. As one of our favorite member attendees stated:

Design is at a certain crossroads; not just print, not just digital. There needs to be a re-education of what design actually is. It’s more than just style and aesthetics. People outside of design don’t really understand that.

Our job at AIGA is to facilitate that conversation, but it’s up to you to spread the word!

And we posed a question for Attendees: If you could come to any AIGA event, what would it be about? Here are some of their suggestions.

  • Code vs design interaction: how do you make the it beautiful and not have a multi-car pile-up in the intersection of design and code?
  • Speed developing: bring in a design and translate it into code
  • Design/development training for clients
  • Portfolio development: possibly submitting a design online, feedback is presented, have an event to show the re-draft
  • Infographics: a workshop series about getting data and creating infographics from it
  • When do you know when to hire your first employee as a design entrepreneur? What kind of employee should you hire? And other challenges from a business perspective

Now what are your ideas? Leave us a comment below or email us at info@baltimore.aiga.org!

Touring through the National Parks Conservation Association’s Brand Journey

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

When Scott Kirkwood joined the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), headquartered in Washington, DC, as the senior editor of National Parks magazine 9 years ago, he knew he had a lot of work to do. The magazine was in desperate need of a redesign, the annual report had been neglected, and the logo hadn’t been revised since dinosaurs roamed the planet. He could sum up the brand in one word: stale.

But he said “We can do better!” Scott buckled down and began making small tweaks to the design department’s production and nearly 10 years later he’s lived to tell the tale of the NPCA’s brand revitalization. His side-kick, Annie Riker (who came on as a designer at NPCA in 2006) joined him on Tuesday, January 28, 2014, to talk to a large audience of brand-hungry design lovers at Groove Commerce’s new digs in Harbor East.

Participants nodded in agreement as Scott and Annie revealed their views on cultivating client and partner relationships and what constitutes engaging content. Check out some of the highlights from our Twitter feed below and some great moments captured above.

Continue reading “Touring through the National Parks Conservation Association’s Brand Journey”