5 DMV Experts Weigh In: How to Start Your Creative Career

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

On Saturday April 23rd, 2022, AIGA Baltimore held a virtual panel discussion for Ink & Pixels, “From Portfolio to Offer: The Art of Getting Hired”. The discussion featured a fantastic group of established professionals while talking about how to rethink and refine your approach to getting hired in the creative industry. There was lots of insight on the dos and don’ts of resumes, portfolios, and interviews as well as the other things to keep in mind that Google doesn’t tell you.

The panel included Nate Brubaker, Owner & Executive Producer at Rock Shore Media;  Jordan Watts, Director of Design at Fearless; Amy Quarles, Creative Director at Visit Baltimore; and Hilliary Turnipseed, Director of Recruitment & DEI at Subject Matter and Founder of Hill Street Strategies, and was moderated by Nhu Nguyen, Vice President at AIGA Baltimore and AVP, Creative Director at Fenton.

Career Values

What do you value? If you don’t know, start thinking about it. What do you value in your career? Some of our panelists noted that experience, respect, and a mission you can stand behind, is very important when looking for a career. Don’t forget to think about values in your personal life—especially a good work life balance. Workplace culture shouldn’t be stagnant. Just like the field of design is always changing, your workplace should be full of people who are also willing to change.

HR Advice

When applying for a job, be prepared and know where you are applying. We suggest having a document of when and where you applied and know about all of them. If you aren’t excited for the job application or if it doesn’t interest you, don’t apply! The interviewer will know if you don’t care or aren’t familiar with the company. Don’t hit apply if you wouldn’t be excited to get a call back.

When you graduate from college, you might not have the career experience you are looking for, but you should have some job experience. 

Think about it:

  • Have you had a job anywhere? Starbucks or anything at all?
  • Have you done any passion projects? These make you stand out from the crowd. 
  • Have you completed an internship?
  • Have you had a career shift? HR calls these nontraditional backgrounds with transferable skills. Talk about what underlying skills you have that will make you effective in this new role. 

Make sure you are being seen, heard, and valued. If an offer comes in and it seems insulting—it is insulting. Negotiate and believe in your worth.

What happens if you miss the job application deadline? If the job is still posted online (such as Indeed or LinkedIn), just apply and go for it. Be sure to look for contact information and email the person hiring to let them know you have applied to the job. 

Embrace the Change: Seize the Opportunities. 

Hillary embraced that you don’t have to explain your career gap in a global pandemic! If the employer asks about your gap, that may be a potential red flag. If you do want to explain—it’s ok to be your authentic self. Nhu noted, “feel free to be authentic. If you need to take time off for family, or for yourself, you can say this.”

Sometimes it’s okay to fake it until you make it. If you are learning something new like photography, just keep welcoming new opportunities (school project, client project, etc.). This is how you can bring your ideas to the table.

Networking

There are lots of ways to network and create connections—make connections in real life at events or online via LinkedIn, Twitter, etc.! Always be in conversation, always be there to support people. Create GENUINE connections. There might not be an immediate benefit, but it can come back around. Connect with them because you share a commonality.

Cover Letters & Resumes

When you are creating your cover letter, make it personal so you can stand out. Make sure to show yourself in your cover letter with your passions, personality, and values. Go deeper into what you have learned and how it applies to the specific company. Go through each of your resume bullet points and see how it can apply to the job. Don’t forget  to address the cover letter correctly, including the right person and the correct company. 

Each of these pieces (cover letter, resume, portfolio) are just one piece of the puzzle. Some employers will look holistically at the candidate, look at the outcomes, and look beyond their title. As Jordan explained, “The cover letter is a great place to explain your “why” and have a personal letter to your hiring manager.” 

When designing your resume, don’t overthink it or overdesign it—assigning a percentage to a certain skill or software is often not recommended (for example, 56% in Adobe Photoshop is confusing). Instead, keep it simple and add your skills/software in bullet points. We also recommend having a PDF copy as well as a simple Microsoft Word copy—sometimes the PDF won’t work on certain applications when you have to apply online. Make sure your resume can be printed, no tie dye backgrounds or lots of color in the background, keep it simple!

Portfolios

A few things to consider when deciding your portfolio platform: What is the cost? How easy will it be to update over time? For you, this might be a PowerPoint presentation, or it might be a website. 

There are lots of ways to present your work (printed portfolio, website, Behance, slide deck/PDF) but you want to showcase your work in a simple and organized way. Make sure you present in a way that is efficient, effective, and clean. When presenting, have something that is ready to go and doesn’t require WiFi. If you’re an animator, don’t have a print portfolio. If you are creating a portfolio with Google Slides/Keynote/PowerPoint, make sure to save and send as a PDF for a more professional look.

If your portfolio is on a website, make sure it’s mobile friendly (you never know what device the employer is using!). The moment a recruiter or hiring manager is faced with a difficulty (such as a website not loading or doesn’t have the PowerPoint software to open your .ppt presentation), they will more than likely move on to the next candidate. 

If it’s a team project, make sure to specify what you were responsible for. Keep in mind that most people assessing your projects are likely not to spend more than 5 minutes looking at a specific project—be sure to be prepared to talk about each project. 

You can find more information about the number of projects, and what to include (don’t forget process and sketches!), in this blog: Best Practices for Creating a Design Portfolio & Preparing for Interviews in 2022.

Interview Tips

When you are being interviewed, it’s not just the employer interviewing you—you’re also interviewing them. You want to make sure that they are a good fit for you. Always ask questions—especially questions about the company’s culture. Don’t forget to do some research on the company! Always be prepared.

What happens if you need special accommodations for your interview? For example, if you are deaf, you might prefer to meet in-person or on a video call. You can ask for accommodations in the comment section of the application or when they email you back. If you can’t find an email or if there is no place to add comments, try looking the company up on LinkedIn and see if you can message anyone. Again, it is totally reasonable to ask for the accommodations you need in order to have a productive interview—whether that is a permanent or temporary condition.

Our panelists shared their top advice for job applicants:

  • Be genuine and authentic: Don’t be afraid to show your personality. Employers want to make sure you will be a good cultural fit. 
  • Know about the company: Show that you’ve done your research on the company you’re interviewing for and show a genuine interest in what their goals are and how you can contribute to their success.
  • Your portfolio isn’t everything: Don’t just “let the work speak for itself.” Your portfolio is only half the battle. Make sure you are articulating your skills outside of your portfolio as well. How well do you work in a team? What leadership skills do you have? Are you good at managing multiple project deadlines?

5 Key Takeaways from Our Panelists

Nate Brubaker
Seize opportunities! When hiring, we’re not just looking for a degree. Looking for the person who took advantage of all the opportunities available. 

Jordan Watts
Look for whether a company is willing to change and embraces change. Recognize imposter syndrome. From his colleague Kelsey Johnston—“if you think you’re 80% qualified, you are 100% qualified.” That remaining 20% is the room for growth, and learning on-the-job is expected.

Amy Quarles
For your portfolio: Think about what you learned from each job/project. Even if the design output wasn’t completely newsworthy, your hiring manager will be looking at it in the context.

Hillary Turnipseed
Only apply for as many jobs/interviews as you can show up for 100%. The interviewer will know if you don’t care or aren’t familiar with the company. Don’t hit apply if you wouldn’t be excited to get a call back. Rejection is Redirection.

Nhu Nguyen
Fight through the fear. Don’t let imposter’s syndrome hold you back. The best opportunities come from taking risks!

 

Meet the Panelists 

Nate Brubaker

Owner & Executive Producer @ Rock Shore Media
Nate developed a passion for entrepreneurship and the creative industry at a young age. According to Nate, the most rewarding part of creating Rock Shore so far has been the ability to grow his team and see them prosper.

Jordan Watts

Director of Design @ Fearless
Jordan has spent his career working to rebuild trust in government and public institutions. As the Director of Design at Fearless he leads a multidisciplinary design practice to help people deliver and get better government services.

Amy Quarles

Creative Director @ Visit Baltimore
Amy began her career as an in-house graphic designer at a labor union in Washington, D.C., and moved to the leisure and tourism marketing space in 2007 where she has been ever since. She works with one full-time, in-house graphic designer and marketing managers in a small group of freelance creatives—photographers, illustrators, stylists, and videographers.

Hilliary Turnipseed

Director of Recruitment & DEI @ Subject Matter
Founder @ Hill Street Strategies
Hilliary is a DMV area-based talent acquisition executive, with a rich background in early-stage technology startups, media and social impact organizations. She seamlessly integrates diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies into her work, with an emphasis on advocating for underrepresented/underestimated candidates and creating two-way interviewing experiences.

About the Moderator:

Nhu Nguyen

Vice President @ AIGA Baltimore
AVP, Creative Director @ Fenton
Nhu brings over 12 years of comprehensive experience within the multimedia, interactive, and traditional design space and creative industry to develop effective and impactful campaigns. She leads the creative team at Fenton, integrating strategy, effective design, and compelling storytelling to create memorable solutions that help grow brands and leave lasting impressions. Nhu has worked in a variety of different industries and is passionate about amplifying voices that are underrepresented.

Thank you to Kristin Kosmides, Nhu Nguyen, and Frances Miller for your help on this blog.

Best Practices for Creating a Design Portfolio & Preparing for Interviews in 2022

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

AIGA Baltimore is here to help you succeed in your design portfolio reviews and interviews! Here is a guide for creating a design portfolio and some tips on how to prepare for an interview.

1. Quality over quantity. Showcase your best work.

We recommend starting and ending with an awesome piece. Don’t be afraid to include self-initiated work to stand out from the crowd. ONLY show your best work in your portfolio. If you aren’t 100% happy with a particular piece, don’t include it. It’s better to have 5-7 amazing projects than 10-15 projects that aren’t so great.

2. Think about how you will present your design portfolio—whether it is a PDF or an online portfolio. 

Traditional portfolios are printed in a flipbook style. If you have mostly print pieces, the traditional route may be the way to go. A bonus of having a printed portfolio is the opportunity to showcase printed pieces and to give reviewers a takeaway. Or if you have mostly web pieces, think about creating a portfolio website.

If you create a traditional printed portfolio or just a PDF, we suggest using Adobe InDesign to create the best design layout! Use 1-2 pages for each project and make sure you have a good hierarchy in terms of typography and images. A good size is 12×18 inches. 

Don’t forget to make your projects pop by placing them in mockups. We recommend keeping your mockup files organized to avoid re-downloading huge files. Some good mockup sites are mockupworld.co, creativemarket.com, graphicburger.com, and unblast.com. If you can’t find a free mockup, sometimes it’s easier to just create your own. 

If you need more design resources, check out this *FREE* Design Resource Guide from YouTuber & Graphic Designer, Kel Lauren.

3. Create a graphic design online portfolio.

It is a good idea to have a graphic design online portfolio so you can easily share it on LinkedIn, via email. Think about using Behance (free to use), Adobe Portfolio (you need a Creative Cloud account), Dribbble (you need to be invited), or a custom website such as Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress. Keep an out on the Creative Market freebies as they sometimes offer free website templates. 

4. Seek design opportunities outside of school.

There are lots of ways to get involved in design outside of school. Join the Baltimore Graphic Designers group on Facebook. It’s a group for Baltimore area-based graphic designers to create community, ask questions, get advice, share jobs, and plan meet-ups.

One way is to get involved with AIGA Baltimore! AIGA Baltimore is gearing up for another year of learning, connecting, and growing, and we need your help! Join board leaders on 1/26 at 12PM to hear about open roles and volunteer needs and find out where you can make a difference.

5. Keep your career goals in mind.

What do you want a career in? Think about all of these categories:

  • Brand Identity Design
  • Marketing & Advertising Design
  • Packaging Design
  • Motion & Video Design
  • Web & User Interface Design
  • Print & Publication Design
  • Lettering & Type Design
  • Graphic illustration
  • Data Visualization & Infographic Design

Learn more about these specific career types on dribbble: https://dribbble.com/resources/types-of-graphic-design

6. Practice how you will present your work. 

Be ready to discuss the goal of the project and how you reached the solution. Consider bringing any process sketches with you as well since reviewers are interested in your overall process.

Make sure that the pieces you include are the ones you are proud of. Make sure you can talk confidently in your meeting, interview, or review. Practice with a professional if you can.

7. Seek expert feedback. Attend Ink & Pixels 2022!

Take the next step towards your design career! Whether you want to make a good impression in interviews, need a new perspective on your portfolio, or want fresh eyes on a current project, we’re here to help. Ink & Pixels is one of AIGA Baltimore’s largest events focused on helping designers prepare for a career or career shift. 

This year, Ink & Pixels will be a 2-part event. The first event will be a virtual panel, From Portfolio to Offer: The Art of Getting Hired on Saturday, April 23rd. The Ink & Pixels portfolio reviews returns on Saturday, April 30th at Towson University. Mark your calendars and clean up those portfolios!

14+ Events to Attend Around the World!

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

9/15-10/15

Hispanic Heritage Talks

AIGA Unidos was created for Everyone!
We highlight Hispanic and Latinx creatives, so we can share their stories and work with the world—that’s you! Our first ever event is a series of talks called Hispanic Heritage Talks, which will take place during Hispanic Heritage Month. It is a series of virtual talks featuring Latinx and Hispanic creatives from different backgrounds and disciplines. ¡Acompañanos!

Join the AIGA Unidos familia, and hear from all the amazing creatives our heritage has to offer. From us to you, with love and a little sazón… who are we kidding? A lot of sazón! We are Unidos for Everyone!

Hosted by: AIGA Unidos
→ Register Here
FREE

10/1-31

Doors Open Baltimore

Doors Open Baltimore is going virtual-only in 2020 with a month’s worth of programming throughout October. Organized by the Baltimore Architecture Foundation (BAF), Doors Open Baltimore is the free citywide festival of architecture and neighborhoods that invites thousands of people to explore the city and make meaningful connections to the built environment. Replacing a weekend of open houses and in-person tours will be a month’s worth of virtual programs. Every week of October will include a new theme and new ways to virtually engage with Baltimore’s architecture and neighborhoods. 

Hosted by: Doors Open Baltimore
→ Register Here
FREE 

10/2-10/9

Phoenix Design Week – PHXDW

Phoenix Design Week (PHXDW) is a week-long celebration of design organized by AIGA Arizona to unite our state’s creative community and provide a forum for sharing best practices, showcasing exceptional work, and gaining inspiration.

Hosted by: AIGA Phoenix
→ Register Here
$25-$49 Tickets

10/5-10/10

St. Louis Design Week

St. Louis Design Week is a seven-day celebration of our local design community, featuring a variety of panel discussions, workshops, presentations, open houses, and other community growth-oriented events. Our mission is to grow design and breakdown design silos through making St. Louis design week all-inclusive, to all designers.

Hosted by: AIGA St. Louis
→ Register Here
FREE

10/5-10/9

Salt Lake Design Week – Dimensional Design

What is “Dimensional Design?” It is the idea that we, as designers and creatives, have to be multifaceted in our disciplines. Becoming a dimensional designer includes exposing oneself to creatives of other disciplines and perspectives to be able to see the broader context of their own work. Experience dimensional design in action during this year’s SLDW.

Salt Lake Design Week celebrates and promotes the impact of all design in Utah. By providing a forum for designers, business professionals, students, and the general public to interact, collaborate, and learn from each other, we build a stronger creative community. We are inclusive of all people and disciplines including; graphic, digital, product, fashion, photography, architecture, interior, and more. From October 5-10, 2020 we will host the first-ever virtual SLDW to celebrate Utah creatives and promote the impact of design throughout the state and beyond.

Hosted by: AIGA Salt Lake City
→ Register Here
FREE

10/7 | 6:30–8pm EDT

And She Could Be Next Virtual Screening

This film follows the grassroots campaigns of six women of color running for political office during the contentious 2018 United States midterm elections. Produced by female filmmakers of color, the documentary offers a behind-the-scenes glimpse of these women leaders whose personal motivations, political coalitions, and ground-level activism steamroll the expectations of their opponents and of the broader public — defying traditional notions of what it means to be a U.S. politician in the process. 

A co-production of POV and ITVS. A co-presentation of Black Public Media and the Center for Asian American Media.  Film running time is 40 mins. Watch the trailer for And She Could be Next.

The screening will be hosted through Zoom. Zoom information will be sent to attendees prior to start time. Event will start at 6:30 PM EST and screening will start at 6:45 PM EST to allow attendees time to log on. 

After the screening, there will be a discussion based on prompts created for the film. Attendees will be grouped into break rooms for open discussion. Discussion time will be 15 mins.

This event is part of Design for Democracy, an AIGA initiative to increase civic participation through design. This event is a collaboration with POV, the award-winning independent non-fiction film series on PBS www.pbs.org/pov

Hosted by: AIGA Pittsburgh
→ Get Your Ticket Here
FREE

10/9

Baltimore Innovation Week

A one-day virtual event series celebrating good news stories and innovation in Baltimore.

Baltimore Innovation Week 2020 is a one-day virtual Innovation Celebration featuring multiple sessions that are focused on showcasing local companies and good news stories that have emerged during these continuously changing and trying times. Save your seat at spotlight discussions with industry experts, workshops from top companies, and networking with local businesses. You’ll have an insider look at the positive effect this city is having on the U.S. and World markets with premier access to the latest products and ideas. 

This annual event series is a unique collaborative effort from industry leaders across seven defined sectors. This is where technology meets science, creatives, students, entrepreneurs, sales representatives, marketing executives, economic developers, social activists and everyone in-between.  The best part? It’s all FREE.

Hosted by: ETC (EMERGING TECHNOLOGY CENTERS)
→ Get Your Ticket Here
FREE

10/14 | 6:30 PM–8:00 PM EDT

Changing the Face of Voting with UX

Join us for a conversation with Kathryn Summers about making voting inclusive and accessible through design. Design has the ability to include or exclude people. Join us for a 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. In addition, Kathryn will be showing us the benefits of using eye-tracking machine and how it helps to analyze the visual behavior of your user.

Hosted by: Ladies Wine and Design Baltimore
→ Register Here
FREE

10/14 | 7–9 PM EDT

Talking Strategy with Douglas Davis

Join us on October 15th as Douglas shares how to turn the rational language of business into the emotional language of design. Douglas’ inspiring journey has taken him from designer to strategist, to now teaching other creatives the business of design. Wherever he shares, he helps provide a framework for the design industry. A framework that can be applied to concept pitches or to how to think about your career. Strategy has been something design schools haven’t focused on, and it’s more important than ever we understand it. After stepping into Harvard Business school, Douglas realized how big the disconnect was for designers. Since then, he’s taught at NYU, HOW Design University, Manhattan Early College School for Advertising, and the City College of New York, all while running The Davis Group LLC. Douglas took it upon himself to fill the void between design and business and teaches left-brain business skills to right-brain creative thinkers with his book, Creative Strategy and the Business of Design. He’s helped creatives across the country better understand business goals, how to set them up, but most importantly, how to measure their success for clients. There is a need to understand more than what looks good for your career to blossom. Join us on October 15th as Douglas shares how to turn the rational language of business into the emotional language of design. You already have the creativity, now it’s time to gain the business insights.

Hosted by: AIGA Charlotte
→ Register Here
$10

10/19-23

AIGA Colorado Presents Colorado Creatives

Colorado’s creative community thrives when its members are able to come together to share stories and experiences, however, the pandemic has moved these communities online and made it more difficult for people to come together in person. That’s where AIGA Colorado Creatives comes in.

The best part? Our project is all about YOU, the AIGA Colorado Creatives. It’s your chance to share your stories, advice, experiences and inspiration in a short video. Selected videos will be featured on an event site and combined with others in a storytelling reel which will be shown to thousands of people.

→ Participate Here
Submit your Video by October 12

10/20-22

Adobe MAX—The Creativity Conference

Make plans to join Adobe MAX for a uniquely immersive and engaging digital experience, guaranteed to inspire. Three full days of luminary speakers, celebrity appearances, musical performances, global collaborative art projects, and 350+ sessions — and all at no cost.

Hosted by: Adobe MAX
→ Register Here
FREE (with Adobe Account ID)

10/30

Creative Mornings Talk – Speaker Lola B. Pierson

Your Home! (part of a series on Stress)

Lola B. Pierson is a highly collaborative artist who was born and raised in Baltimore City. She is a playwright, writer, and director. Her work challenges theatrical form, incorporating elements of social media, performance art, visual art, switcheroos, and boredom. Other words she has used to describe her work in bios include: presence, explore, dynamic, and representation. A graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts, Bard College, and Towson University, she is passionate about the intersections of language, time, presence, and philosophy. She writes new work and messes with classics (that deserve it). She is the co-founding Artistic Director of The Acme Corporation.

Hosted by: Creative Mornings
→ Register Here
FREE

10/31 | 6 PM EDT

Counter Narratives Show: Black Liberation & Queer Resistance

The purpose of the show is to provide a critical examination of society and culture through the intersectional lens of race, gender, and class, more specifically it seeks to provide a COUNTER-NARRATIVE. The Show encourages a reflective assessment and critique of unique standpoints and their potential contribution to popular discourse.

What you can expect from the COUNTER-NARRATIVE:
Quality conversations about critical issues in communities of color, with guests who don’t just talk about the problem they are active in finding solutions.  Guests share their lived-experiences, insights, information, opinions, and personal narratives.

Hosted by: Rasheem
→ Register Here
FREE

AIGA Get Out The Vote

Every four years since 2000, AIGA has activated its community of designers across the U.S. and beyond to Get Out the Vote. The campaign is part of Design for Democracy, an AIGA initiative to increase civic participation through design.

In 2020, AIGA recognizes the centennial of the ratification of the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote in 1920 with a special edition of Get Out the Vote: Empowering the Women’s Vote. It commemorates the first legislation for women’s voting rights. Not until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 were voting rights of all women protected and enforced.

AIGA members–submit your posters today until election day, Tuesday, November 3, 2020, and help us get out the vote! Posters received by National Voter Registration Day (September 22, 2020) and Vote Early Day (October 24, 2020) will have the greatest impact.

Hosted by: AIGA

There are two opportunities. Please see below for the submission portals and galleries:

I&P Panel: Your Questions Answered!

Posted on by Krystal Carpintieri

If you missed the Ink & Pixels Designer Panel last week, we highly recommend you go back and watch the replay. “If I Knew Then What I Know Now” focused on honest, practical advice for new designers as well as those of us in a career transition, on how to navigate the job market during these uncertain times.

We had a vibrant community-led discussion with three experienced designers, who shared unique insights and tips from different perspectives across the design field. Our panelists opened up and gave us a raw and authentic view into their professional lives, as did members of our community who came together to share resources and provide emotional support.

For those who did make it, thank you for your incredible energy and engaging questions. We wish we could’ve answered them all before our brief time ran out. For those of you hungry for more, here’s the next best thing. Our three expert panelists are back to answer a few more of your most burning questions.

Emilee Beeson, Designer, and Illustrator

emileebeeson.com
Etsy | Instagram

Emilee Beeson is a graphic designer and illustrator with a broad creative skill set, contagious enthusiasm, and relentless drive for growth and learning.

What’s one non-design job you had that taught you something important? What did it teach you?
In the summers before I graduated from college I would work as much as I could to pay for my apartment and other expenses during the school year. At one point I was working three jobs. I started at 4 am at a gym smoothie stand, then had a shift at Chipotle, and in the evenings I worked at Coldstone Creamery. While it’s not a unique experience it makes me so grateful to have found a place in the design world. Having a good-paying job that aligns with your passions is such a privilege and it really helps me to find joy in my work when things get tough.

How can we use design for advocacy and social justice initiatives?
I am sure there is a bigger picture answer to this but I want to speak to the actionable side of it. Design is incredibly expensive so your skills can be a huge asset to organizations that can’t afford it. Social justice organizations and advocacy groups need logos, T-shirts, posters, print materials, websites, and social media assets just like any other group or business. A small and actionable way to use design is to volunteer your time and skills to these groups. Reach out to them and see how you can help. There are also a few events locally that you can participate in like the MICA Grassroots Design Fest and Make-A-Mark Baltimore.

As a job candidate, what is the appropriate amount of follow up, and how can you stand out and stay memorable among other applicants?
Unfortunately, there is no magic formula for the amount of follow up you should do. It’s awkward no matter what and each job situation is different. The reality is that your entire world might be hinging on that response and theirs probably isn’t. I personally think a phone call is a bad idea but a quick email doesn’t hurt if a considerable amount of time has passed.

I have found a good way to stand out is to have a leave behind for your interview. For me, that means a small package with my business card, resume, art prints, zines, and stickers. You are usually being interviewed by other designers/creatives that geek out about the same stuff you do. Giving them something physical that might hang around the office is a good way to stand out. I have also been on the receiving end of these leave-behinds and they are always a total delight. Make sure you bring extra in case someone wasn’t able to make it to your interview.

Perry Sweeper, Design Strategist

www.psweeper.com

Perry Sweeper is a 2020 doctoral candidate at the University of Baltimore, studying Information and Interaction Design.

What was your first step after graduation?
My first step after graduation was to take a comprehensive look at the classes that I completed and inventory the knowledge/skill-set that I gained during matriculation. I wanted to get a good understanding of the skills I acquired and the work that I produced. Then I could effectively communicate my experience to seek out the right next career steps. It was very important to me to be able to view my career in a multidimensional way: past, present, and then future.

What’s one non-design job you had that taught you something important? What did it teach you?
The non-design job that taught me something important was working as a shoe salesman. There was a mother that came into the store with her son who was looking for new shoes to wear to an important job interview. To help them I had to deal with many competing needs. The mother primarily sought a presentable shoe, at a good price point, that would make him look professional and would work for him later once he got the job.  But for the son, his main concern was to find shoes that were cool and that his friends would like. Because I knew the product well, I helped them find the right shoe in a sea of options and provided them with complimentary items like the right belt, socks, and shoe care. I also met my sales goals for the day and followed the company standards. When you do your job well in sales,  you increase the possibility that a customer will come back for a second, third, or fourth pair. It is also possible that their family will become lifetime customers and ambassadors for your brand. If you do enough of this, you could get even get a company bonus.

Design jobs require the uncanny ability to please multiple stakeholders, be detail-oriented, use effective communication, creativity, and sometimes serve angry customers. Much like retail and customer service jobs. Retail can be tough, especially during the holiday season. At the least, it can be a motivator to one day quit and move into that coveted design job you desire 😉

What kind of professional development should I be pursuing while in graduate school? Is it better to just focus on grad school until graduation?
In my opinion, it is important to focus on school while you are enrolled. School can require an incredible investment of time, energy, and money. It is in one’s best interest to do well. However, I believe in the value of experiential learning opportunities during academic breaks. They provide a way to apply all that one has learned during the semester in a real-life scenario. The right combination of theory and practice can lead to growth and career progression.

Alex Reynolds, Sr. Recruiter

cargocollective.com/alexanderreynolds
Instagram

Alexander is a Sr. Recruiter with Robert Half and Specializes in placing candidates that concentrate in the technology and creative fields.

What kind of professional development should I be pursuing while in graduate school? Is it better to just focus on grad school until graduation?
It entirely depends on the type of position you are looking to pursue. The easiest way to find out what kind of professional development that can assist in your job search is to look at job descriptions from industries/companies you would want to work for. They list the various software, certifications, or applications they find desirable in their candidates. – I would also seek to develop your professional network by going to Meet-Up Groups, Webinars, or Social Events. If you are more unsure about the kind of positions you are interested especially in the design/marketing space the main focuses (in a more general sense) tend to be Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign, Social Media Management Tools, Email Management Tools, and Microsoft Office/Google Suite.

As a job candidate, what is the appropriate amount of follow up, and how can you stand out and stay memorable among other applicants?
The appropriate amount of follow up for a position you applied for is generally around 1 week if you haven’t heard any feedback – unless they have told you a specific time/date. The best way to stand out is to make sure your resume is able to speak to your skillset and experience and tie it back to a metric or result. Keep your resume to the point (bullet points tend to work best) because recruiters and hiring managers have to sort through a lot of resumes (sometimes in the hundreds) A lot of times hiring managers will just CTRL-F (Find Keywords highlighted in your resume). Make sure you are able to talk about how you have used a software, programming language, or tool and provide an example. A simple list at the bottom of the software you’ve used with no context is not enough.

How important do you feel a Masters’s degree is in the design field these days? Should I pursue it after graduation, or should I focus on looking for jobs and/or clients?
I think a Masters’s Degree tends to be more important if you are interested in teaching – or if you are looking at a specific field that requires one. Most design positions tend to look at a Bachelor’s degree or years of equivalent experience along with a solid portfolio and experience.

Finding Your Creative Communities

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

National and Local Professional Organizations

 

AIGA The Professional Association for Design logo
AIGA: The Professional Association for Design | National
AIGA Baltimore | @aigabaltimore
AIGA advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage, and vital cultural force. As the largest community of design advocates, we bring together practitioners, enthusiasts, and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future. We define global standards and ethical practices, guide design education, enhance professional development, and make powerful tools and resources accessible to all.

AAFB: American Advertising Federation Baltimore logo
AAF: American Advertising Federation | National
AAF Baltimore | @aafbaltimore
The American Advertising Federation of Baltimore (AAFB) traces its roots back to 1918, originally established as the women’s auxiliary to the men’s Advertising Club. In 1920, the women formed their own organization, naming it the Women’s Advertising Club of Baltimore. It was affiliated with the Associated Advertising Clubs of the World, the predecessor to the modern-day American Advertising Federation.

AGI Alliance Graphique Internationale
AGI: Alliance Graphique Internationale | @agigraphic
Alliance Graphique Internationale [AGI] is, as its name suggests, a member-based association of professionals, united by working in the field of graphic design and drawn from across the globe.

AMA American Marketing Association logo
AMA: American Marketing Association | National
AMA Baltimore | @amabaltimore
The American Marketing Association Baltimore Chapter is Maryland’s leading provider of networking, educational programming, and resources for marketing professionals. AMA Baltimore provides extensive opportunities for marketers to expand their networks, grow professionally, and learn about current industry trends.

Creative Mornings logo
Creative Mornings | National
Creative Mornings Baltimore | @CreativeMorningsBaltimore
CreativeMornings/Baltimore is a FREE monthly breakfast lecture series based on the two core principles that everyone is creative and everyone is invited. CM/Bal is one of over 200 chapters around the world meeting each month. Every month, all chapters organize talks based on the same theme. CreativeMornings is fueled by an engine of generosity and is 100% volunteer-run, partnering with great local businesses and organizations. If you’re interested in volunteering, please complete this form.

Baltimore Creative Community

BOPA: Baltimore Office of Promotion & the Arts
@promoandarts
As Baltimore City’s arts council, The Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts provides resources and opportunities to artists and artist organizations to continue to make Baltimore a city for the arts.

BCAN
@baltimorecreates
The Baltimore Creatives Acceleration Network (BCAN) is a 10-year, city-wide initiative providing both strategic and as-needed, just-in-time entrepreneurship support for Baltimore creatives of all disciplines and backgrounds. At BCAN, we define artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs the same way: visionaries who create something new from raw and often limited resources.

Through our Programs—Founder Fellowship, Connect, Help Desk, Mobile, and Pilot (launching in 2020), we’re on a mission to foster a stronger, more equitable creative ecosystem and economy in Baltimore by empowering artists as entrepreneurs!

bfc: Baltimore Freelancers Collective
IG: @bmore_freelancers
FB: @baltimorefreelancers
Whether you own your own business, freelance on the side, work remotely for a large company, or just want to learn more about entrepreneurship—we would love for you to join us at our next event.

Elevate & Cultivate with Illiah
@elevate.cultivate
Nothing combats fear or intimidation like bravery and empathy, so reach out to your competition, ask for a chat—it could change your life! Also, pay attention to when inspiration hits you like a truck, it could be your next big thing. And finally, keep a list of competitors, not to watch, but to reach out to invite them to be your friends and join our community.

The Bmore Creatives
@thebmorecreatives
Hi, welcome to The Bmore Creatives! We are a community platform and a social media brand that celebrates the creatives, the makers, the get sh*t done-ers, the people that make Charm City charming! We promote and connect local artists, small businesses, and avid IGers throughout the city. We want to prove that everyone can be creative when they are open to being inspired by everyday life in our city.

Ladies, Wine & Design
Ladies, Wine and Design Baltimore holds monthly events which are limited to eight creative ladies. We’ll have drinks and casual conversations on a wide variety of topics relating to creativity, business, and life. If you’re a female student or creative and would like to join, please email us. It’s free and reservations are first-come, first-serve. You can follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and if you’d like to host us in your space, teach a workshop, or lead a discussion, please do get in touch.

Made With Love In Baltimore
If you want your product or organization listed, drop a “Made with ♥ in Baltimore” link on your site, and send us an email to hello@madewithloveinbaltimore.org.

Open Works
@open_works_bmore
Our mission is to make tools, technology, and the knowledge to use them accessible to all. We connect you to manufacturing equipment, space, education, and Baltimore’s largest community of maker professionals. With programs for ages eight and up, we can help you make just about anything!

Production Club of Baltimore
@ProductionClub
THE PCB PRINT, PAPER & PRODUCTION SHOW 2020 (Scheduled for October 1)
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 samples 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! Register now!

SoDA | Society of Design Arts
@sodabaltimore
The Society of Design Arts (SoDA) presents a monthly program in Baltimore, Maryland to further attendees’ knowledge of the history of the design arts including graphic design, illustration, architecture, book arts, and photography. Programs are free and open to anyone.

SoDA consists of a planning committee that meets quarterly to discuss future programs. Formerly known as Society for History and Graphics (SHAG), the all-volunteer group has been active since 2007 providing more than 100 programs which have explored such diverse subjects as Bauhaus methodology and practice, Patent Medicine labels, The Real Mad Men of Advertising, Science Fiction illustration, and many others.

Baltimore Cake & Whiskey
Fresh, authentic, purposeful networking events for the modern businesswoman.

Baltimore Graphic Designers
This group is for Baltimore area based graphic designers to create community, ask questions, get advice, share jobs, and plan meet-ups.

Monument Women’s Creative Alliance
@monumentwomen
Our mission is to support women creatives by cultivating a community that enables connection, inspiration, and education.

Baltimore Tech Community

Baltimore Women Techmakers
Calling all Baltimore women that use tech! Whether you are a Product Manager, Designer, Developer, or a tech hobbyist, this group welcomes you! This is the local chapter of Google’s Women Techmakers.

Baltimore Womxn in Tech
@BmoreWomenTech
Through networking, mentorship, and collaboration, we aim to empower womxn in our community. No matter your role in our ecosystem, we want you to thrive.

Baltimore UX Meetup
@BaltimoreUX
Calling all those who create excellent user experiences for sites, systems, applications, software, and hardware! From the startup to the enterprise. From user research to implementation. If you’re designing and building great experiences in the Baltimore area, please join us.

Code for Baltimore
@CodeForBaltimore
We are a community of volunteers who develop open-source projects as a Code for America Brigade by focusing on open government, open data, great design, and social good in Baltimore.

Code in the Schools
@CodeintheSchool
We empower Baltimore City youth to thrive in the 21st-century economy by expanding access to quality computer science education and building pathways from school to jobs and higher education. By focusing on youth traditionally under-represented in technology fields, we work to eliminate structural barriers and inequities in education and industry.

Hack Baltimore
@hack Baltimore
Baltimore is a unique and vibrant city, and though there are many reasons why we’re called Charm City, we tend to make the news for our flaws rather than our strengths. And hackathons are a great way to engage the broader community to explore technology as a way to help solve them.

Technical.ly Baltimore
@TechnicallyBMR
Technical.ly Baltimore is a local technology news organization dedicated to how innovation is impacting the region.

Creative Job Boards

AIGA
designjobs.aiga.org

Creative Hot List
www.creativehotlist.com

The Creative Group (TLC) | A Robert Half Company
www.roberthalf.com/employers/creativegroup

Creative Mornings
creativemornings.com/jobs

Working Not Working
workingnotworking.com/search/jobs

Behance
www.behance.net/joblist

If You Could
ifyoucouldjobs.com

Krop
www.krop.com

Talent Zoo
www.talentzoo.com

Media Bistro
www.mediabistro.com

Authentic
authenticjobs.com

Coroflot
www.coroflot.com

Smash
jobs.smashingmagazine.com/jobs

Ink & Pixels 2020: Going Virtual!

Posted on by Bryan Burke

Ink & Pixels Goes Virtual!

Take The Next Step Towards Your Design Career

Thinking about the job market during these uncertain times can be daunting for designers at all levels of experience.  Whether you want to make a good impression in interviews, need a new perspective on your portfolio, or want fresh eyes on a current project, we’re here to help. Ink & Pixels is one of AIGA Baltimore’s largest events focused on helping designers prepare for a career or career shift. Due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and our current Stay-At-Home mandate, AIGA is transitioning our in-person event, (originally scheduled to be held at Morgan State University on April 18) online! Now more than ever, we believe in the importance of finding alternative ways to come together in the community and share the knowledge and resources we have with each other. All events are free to attend!

Virtual Ink and Pixels (VIP) is now a series of events hosted online:

1. If I Knew Then What I Knew Now – Designer Panel

Saturday, April 18, 12:30–1:30pm

Join us via Zoom for an informative virtual discussion between AIGA Baltimore’s programming chair, Vaibhav Sharma (moderator), The Creative Group (TCG), and two experienced designers representing different aspects of the design field.

Our panelists include: 

Alexander Reynolds, Senior Creative Recruiter at TCG

Perry Sweeper, Design Strategist

Emilee Beeson, Designer and Illustrator

→ Register Today

2. Roundtable Workshops

Saturday, May 2, 10am–12pm

Here’s your chance to get (virtual) face-to-face answers to those questions you’ve been Googling. Join our Zoom roundtable discussions with experts on a variety of topics such as Freelancer Finance, Finding Your Creative Community, How to Get Hired, and Building Your Social Media Following.

→ Register Today

3. Portfolio Reviews

Portfolio reviews are designed to give you advice and insight that will improve the way you present yourself and your work. AIGA Baltimore will match you with three reviewers and provide contact information so you can meet virtually on your own time for portfolio critiques. Practice your interview skills and receive honest feedback about your work and resumé through Google Chat, Zoom, or whatever online platform you choose. More details will be coming soon!

Can You Teach Yourself How To Be A Graphic Designer?

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Looking to learn graphic design? You’re in the right place.

What a time to be alive! The internet is an amazing resource, the likes of which has never before existed in human history. This entire catalog of knowledge, gathered over thousands of years, can now be accessed in a matter of seconds from anywhere in the world.

Information used to be a huge barrier to entry in most professions, design included, but those walls have largely come down. Skillsets which previously could only be gained through an apprenticeship –– or years of study at certain prestigious schools –– are now available to everyone who knows where to look.

Information is cheap. In fact, it’s often free. It’s so freely available that it brings a whole new set of challenges. Just because it’s all out there, doesn’t mean it’s easy to sift through the noise and properly absorb the most important parts. You will still face a steep road ahead to reach your creative and professional goals, but it’s very doable.

Knowledge and information is a huge piece of the puzzle, but it’s not everything. Applying what you have learned consistently, practicing and failing, is the second piece that transforms information into real skills. Many people will fail here. They’ll watch hours upon hours of YouTube videos, get super excited about their newfound passion, but never enter the next phase of applying what they’ve learned.

‘Learning’ can quickly fall into the realm of ‘entertainment’, if you are not taking an active role in getting involved with the material. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Considering all the media content that we consume these days, there are certainly less enriching and educational things we can waste our time on. But if your goal is to hone your craft and move closer to your professional goals, it’s important to be honest with yourself and admit when you’re just being a passive spectator.

4 Tips for Self-Taught Designers, From a Self-Taught Designer

teaching yourself graphic design

1. Embrace your unique journey

Unlike a fully structured college syllabus, the road ahead is going to be completely up to you. The good news is that you can cut through a lot of the fluff and focus on the topics and skills that you can apply immediately. The bad news is that nobody will be holding your hand and guiding you. It’s very easy to get lost in the weeds of information overload, distraction, and “shiny object syndrome.”

First, be crystal clear with your short, medium and long-term goals. Actually spend the time to sit down and think about this and write it out. Yes, that means you. No, you can’t skip this step. If you set the right targets, you can catapult yourself up the learning curve and get ‘pretty good’ at a particular skill in a matter of weeks or months. If you have unclear goals about what you want to do in graphic design, you could wander aimlessly for years before giving up… thinking you somehow lacked the innate talent to be a success.

What is your next logical step? Should you be building a portfolio? Are you missing a skill needed at your dream job? Can you learn something new and use it to help someone in your life, for free, to build up your confidence and network of references? These are some examples of excellent targets you can aim your learning journey towards.

learn from other designers

2. Model yourself after the designers and artists that inspire you most.

Figure out who’s doing the work you wish you could do and try to recreate it yourself. No, I’m not saying to plagiarize someone else’s work and pass it off as your own to others… but purely as a learning tool, it’s perfectly ok.

Try to ‘reverse engineer’ every element of their work and understand why they made the creative decisions they did. If you want to showcase this piece in your portfolio, then you will need to put your own spin on it and not blindly copy. However, don’t worry if your work is ‘derivative’ at this stage of the game. Finding your unique creative style is something that comes later, after you’ve learned the fundamentals.

There’s a reason behind Picasso’s classic quote, “Good artists copy, great artists steal.” Don’t take it too literally, but there is a lot of truth in it. Model yourself after those who are successful to help ‘catch up’ in your skill level, before taking it to the next level on your own.

Dedicate a lot of time each week looking at design from experts. Yes, this might make you feel a little bad about your relatively amateurish creations, but it’s something you need to do. This helps you develop ‘good taste’ which is the driving force that will help you close the gap between where you’re currently at and those at the top of their game.

Depending on your specialty, there are several good sites for this. Dribbble is a good example, across the board. For motion design, Vimeo is the industry standard and as a bonus allows you to go through pieces frame-by-frame. Pinterest is another classic source of inspiration for many designers.

aiga design community

3. Join a community. Online is great, in-person is even better.

One hurdle you will run into on this path are ‘gatekeepers’. People who will say you cannot do it, or who make things seem overly difficult to discourage you from even getting started. Often, these people are insecure about their own position, fearing that more competition could cost them their livelihood.

Also, they are afraid that the spread of free information will undermine their own education and experience, rather than seeing the opportunities to enrich their own careers by using these resources to continue their own education.

Don’t be discouraged if you run into a few naysayers. The internet can bring out the worst in people. Keep this in mind, try to develop a thick skin, and keep on moving.

You will also find supportive communities that are welcoming to newcomers and more than willing to help in any way they can. AIGA is one such example. Make sure that you are willing to give back and add value to others, even if all you have to contribute is a positive attitude. Be respectful of others’ time, be humble and willing to learn, and people will point you in the right direction.

Find Your Community With AIGA Baltimore ask for feedback

4. Ask for others to critique your work.

This is a tough one. None of us want our egos bruised, especially when we already feel like imposters and amateurs. But constructive criticism is the best way to refocus your efforts and move up the ladder quickly.

Websites for learning graphic design

youtube

This is obviously everyone’s first go-to when looking for short video tutorials. Surprisingly, there is a lot of high-quality content here… it’s just a matter of sorting through all the junk to find it. Unfortunately, YouTube is full of distractions, misinformation, and worst of all… people trying to sell you something under the guise of free help.

Overall it’s an excellent resource to look up any specific knowledge when you need it. If you’re just starting out however, you may do better with a more structured and well-curated source.

Find Design Tutorials on YouTube skillshare

Skillshare has over 18,000 online classes and continues to grow every year. The classes are project-based, and there is a vibrant community of fellow students to help provide feedback and critique.

The projects are fun, highly relevant to the latest design trends, and taught by some big names that we all know and admire.

Baltimore’s own Ellen Lupton has several classes on the platform. Her typography classes are a great foundation for anyone serious about learning graphic design.

Overall, the course format is a little more bite-sized, than the more intensive format of courses on LinkedIn Learning and others. This is great to hit the ground running on a project after only a few hours of tutorial, but may lack the broad foundation needed by a total newcomer.

AIGA members can receive a free two-month trial.

Learn Design Skills on Skillshare lynda

Lynda has a smaller catalog of courses than Skillshare, but they are far more intensive. Where a Skillshare course can be 3-5 hours of learning material, Lynda might be 20-40 hours. The potential downside is the time commitment, and the possibility to lose focus and enthusiasm, especially if a large portion of the course is reviewing the basics.

However, Lynda’s deep dives can get you up and running on the latest technology and trends in your industry even if you’re coming in as a blank slate. If you dive in and treat these with the same commitment as you would a college course, you will be rewarded with a solid foundation of knowledge.

This is also a monthly paid subscription, with a free trial that allows you full access to all of the courses.

Expand Your Skillset With LinkedIn Learning adobe

If you’re serious about Graphic Design, there’s a good chance that you are already using Adobe’s suite of products. With yearly updates, the software is constantly changing. Luckily, Adobe provides a large library of free tutorials that will help you find your way around the basics in all of these programs.

These tutorials are generally pretty short, so if you want to learn about every facet and feature of the latest Photoshop, for example, the above-mentioned Lynda might be a better choice.

Explore Design Tutorials With Creative Cloud pluralsight

Like Skillshare, with a smaller library of short-format courses. I’d probably check out the others first, then consider a free trial here to see if there’s some particular topic or teacher that interest you and isn’t on the other sites.

Check it out on Pluralsight udemy

Here you will find a similar deep-dive format as Lynda, but instead of an unlimited access monthly subscription, you pay by the course. This might make sense if there is only one particular course that interests you, or if it will take you several months to complete since there is no time limit once you’ve bought the course. Unlike some of the other sites, you won’t automatically be billed monthly regardless of your progress.

Learn More on Udemy

Online Design Programs & Courses

If you feel like you’ve gotten everything you can out of all of these sources, and you want to further hone your craft with an advanced level of online education, there is another tier (price-wise) of courses that exist.

For motion design, the two most prominent examples are School of Motion and Mograph Mentor. SoM’s courses start at around $1k, and MM at about $2k. There are other similar companies for other specializations.  These big-ticket courses are a long way from the ‘free’ information on YouTube.

Are they worth it? Maybe… To be honest, most of the information itself that is presented in these courses is probably available elsewhere, but they offer a higher level of personalized attention. These are 6-10 week ‘bootcamp’ intensity courses, usually focused on one large project that can be used as a showcase portfolio piece.

If you’re already 90% of the way there, the personalized feedback and coaching through every phase on the project could take your skill level from advanced to elite. If you’re still a hopeless newbie, you’re probably not going to get that much out of it. You will not be magically transformed from someone with no knowledge to an expert just because you shelled out a lot of money for a course.

Feedback and mentorship can be had for free elsewhere if you ask nicely and respect peoples’ time. And the amount you can actually learn and absorb in 6 weeks is limited. If you have the money to spend, and you feel like putting serious cash down will motivate you to work harder, go for it.

Education is a lifelong road, not a finish line that you cross once.

Education is a lifelong road, not a finish line that you cross once. Those who stop learning risk falling behind and stalling out in their careers. This is especially relevant now as technology advances as an accelerating pace. If you’re not learning something new every year, you’re probably already behind where the industry is headed. 

The good news is that where there were once walls, there are now an endless number of ladders. You don’t have to feel stuck doing something that doesn’t excite you. Life’s too short, and you’re never too old to change directions or decide you want to try something new. You can make a lot of progress in learning something new, in a relatively short amount of time, if you know how to sort through the information overload and focus clearly on your desired destination.

Can you teach yourself to be a graphic designer? Absolutely.


About the author:

Vaibhav Sharma headshot

Vaibhav Sharma

Vaibhav is an NJ native, who has called Baltimore home since 2013. He loves motion design, cooking, cats… and most of all, being a dad. Vaibhav is an introvert but loves to make new friends. Feel free to say ‘Hi!’ on Facebook, Dribbble, or in a comment below this article.


How I Landed My Dream Design Job Right Out Of College

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

An Ink & Pixels Testimonial

Hi all! My name is Sammy Smith. A recent graduate of Stevenson University (Spring 2018), I majored in Visual Communication Design. I am currently a Junior Designer at Design B&B, a design and branding agency with locations in Baltimore & Chicago. I was fortunate enough to be offered an internship the summer before my senior year, and was ecstatic when it turned into a full-time job offer after graduation.

But how did I land this amazing internship and job? Well, I have Ink & Pixels to thank for that.

Ink & Pixels is an amazing event to get your portfolio reviewed by working design professionals, work on interview skills, and network. Being very active and even President of Stevenson’s AIGA student group, I made it a point to attend this event every year. (Even though I’m a slight introvert, and would rather stay home and watch Netflix.) I knew the value of this event, that there was no debate about whether to attend or not. It was a definite “okkk, fiiinne.” pauses Netflix & gets off couch

*pauses Netflix & gets off couch*

Ink & Pixels 2017

During Ink & Pixels my junior year, I had the pleasure of sitting and meeting with Shelly Boggs, a Principal of Design B&B. We had a fantastic conversation and review, which ultimately led to an internship offer. She told me that they don’t usually hire junior year college students as interns, but made an exception for me because she was so impressed with my portfolio. Woww, flattered! I interned at Design B&B that summer and they even kept me on throughout my senior year.

Two months before graduation, when all seniors are frantically looking for jobs, Shelly offered me a full-time position. I was so humbled and grateful for this opportunity to continue with such an amazing company and TO HAVE A JOB OUT OF COLLEGE! Whoooo!

Ink & Pixels 2018

So, take my advice.

Pause Netflix.

Get yourself and your work out there. NOW! You won’t regret it. Now, obviously, it is not a guarantee that if you attend Ink & Pixels, you will be offered an internship or a job. I was just lucky, I guess. But who knows; you won’t find out unless you try.

Sign Up For Ink & Pixels Today!

Behind Design Week 2018’s Branding; A Discussion With idfive

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

AIGA Baltimore was thrilled when local Baltimore design studio idfive agreed to be our Branding Sponsor for Design Week 2018.

Since 2013, we have reached out to a local design agency to partner with us and bring Design Week alive visually. Past partners have included Fastspot, Orange Element, Gilah Press + Design, Eye Byte Solutions, and Exit10.

This year, we want to bring you behind the scenes with our Branding Sponsor, idfive, to learn more about their inspiration for this year’s branding for Design Week, their work outside of AIGA Baltimore, and what their company is all about!
design week baltimore

What was the inspiration for idfive’s Design Week Branding?

I wanted to take this creative opportunity to address what I think is the central issue in Baltimore – the “two Baltimores” – by attempting to build a visual system that would unify, represent, and complete the “feel” of Baltimore. I thought about the disparate ways our City has been represented visually – a sort of mishmash of the old (cobblestones and gas lamps), the new (modernist/brutalist architecture), and the forgotten (formstone, Waters-esque camp, The Wire).

I kept getting hung up on was the source of many of our current divisions – the 1937 Federal Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) “redlining” map. So I suggested to our designer Heather that we re-use, re-purpose, and “break” shapes and forms from that tragically unjust document as a way to acknowledge our City’s past and represent its current divisions, while still looking with hope toward a more unified future.

The tagline was a natural extension of this visual theme, tied back to design.

What were the steps involved in creating the branding?

We divided a volunteer squad of six creative team members in to three teams of two (a copywriter and a designer), hashed out rough concepts separately, and came together under the guidance of Courtney Glancy to critique and tweak.

I can’t speak to the other teams’ processes, but for me and Heather, beers, dinner, and doodles on some cocktail napkins in Hampden were all it really took to come together on concepting. Heather and I have complementary strengths and work together well. I’m very analytically minded and always try to zoom out to process everything on the level of overarching themes and concepts, and she lives in the nitty-gritty of the execution phase where she’s amazing at expanding and exploring concepts within a consistent visual language.

aiga baltimore design week branding idfive

What was the inspiration for being a part of Design Week 2018?

Courtney asked us, “wanna do it?” And we said “hell yes!”

What was the goal of the Design Week branding?

Try to answer the questions:
“What is Baltimore design?”
“What should Baltimore design be?”
“How can we represent Baltimore in a way that feels like Baltimore?”

AIGA Baltimore Design Week 2018 logo by idfive

Could you explain an exciting idfive project completely unrelated to AIGA?

We’re currently redesigning the website for Maryland Food Bank, which distributes 37 million meals every year to people in Maryland. You can’t ask for a more inspiring client than that. As a copywriter, any time you find yourself shedding tears while you’re writing, you know you’re on the right track. Whoever’s reading this should donate.

What are your typical process steps? Do they differ from the work you did for AIGA?

Usually I start with a task list item, then go back and research the brand or the industry until I find an angle of entry, then organize my thoughts into buckets, and execute. I typically think slow and work fast. The process for AIGA was similar, but since the task wasn’t laid out with really any specificity, I also got to jumpstart my usual process with my own questions – “What do I want this task to be?” “What don’t I want this task to be?”

Your firm recently made a big move to the MICA campus. What’s your favorite part about the new location?

Anytime I need a boost or a break, I can walk through a gallery space and see something interesting, or pop into the library and flip through art books.

baltimore design agency idfive brands baltimore design week

How do you typically find your clients?

I let the new biz team handle that, and my focus is on doing high-quality work that makes their job easy.

What’s an ideal day at the office like?

A nice varied mix of tasks, some deep workflow where time has no meaning, some lightning round problem solving whack-a-mole, some positive client feedback when you check your email, some solid belly laughs with other team members, and that feeling at the end – when you fill out your timesheet – of “I just knocked this one out of the park.” And also idfive bought us pizza.

What is idfive’s mission? How did it come about?

Our whole thing is helping mission-driven brands do good better. So we do things like no-commission media campaigns, and website redesigns that are built to drive action AND help build more efficient governance structures. The whole setup is pure Andres, who is without a doubt the best boss I’ve ever had.

aiga baltimore design week

If you could describe your team and work philosophy in 5 words, what would they be?

How can I help? Oooohdonuts!

What’s your vision for Baltimore? For Maryland?

I’d like to see Baltimore, Maryland, and America transcend its entrenched divisions, build sustainably and fairly, and keep on being weird and wonderful.

idfive baltimore design agency logo png

Save The Date: AIGA Baltimore Design Week 2018

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Celebrate & examine design beyond the margins

What boundaries does design face in Baltimore? What boundaries have we overcome? How could we do better?

This year’s AIGA Baltimore Design Week is an exploration of these and other topics related to the boundaries – real and artificial – that constrain, separate, protect, and define us. As designers, as Baltimoreans, and as people.

Join us, along with luminaries from Baltimore’s academic and design communities, for a series of events and discussions as we look back at developments that shaped Baltimore design over the last year, and look ahead to what’s next.

Stay tuned for full event details, and join the discussion on social media with #BMOREDW18

Event Lineup Preview