Meet the 2015-2016 AIGA Baltimore Board!

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Each year, we ask our members to vote on the entire slate of Board Members, each of whom volunteers for a minimum two-year term, helping shape the direction of our local chapter and the design community at large. Some of these individuals are brand new to the board, and others are in the middle of their term.

The proposed 2015-2016 slate of board members is below. Please take a moment to review the introductions for each board member. AIGA members will soon receive an email with a link to vote either for or against the entire slate. So be sure to cast your vote, as voting will end on Tuesday, June 23rd, 2015!

Interested in joining our team of volunteers? Check out our available volunteer and board member positions and get in touch with us at info@baltimore.aiga.org.

 

Vanessa Ulrich, President
Term ends: June 2017

Vanessa Ulrich is a communications strategist currently working in public relations. She has done freelance work in graphic design, brand development and writing, and is passionate about bringing clarity to complex ideas. Vanessa graduated from the University of Maryland with a dual B.S. in Marketing and International Business and from the Savannah College of Art and Design with an M.A. in Design Management.

She grew up both in Montgomery County and Thailand, and is proud to call Baltimore home. Vanessa enjoys downloading fonts she swears she’ll use someday, going on runs around Riverside Park, and networking with all the amazing people who make Baltimore such a fabulously quirky city.

After falling in love with graphic design in grad school, Vanessa sought out AIGA as a way to stay plugged in and give back to the local design community. As incoming President, Vanessa’s goal is to promote the value of design and design professions, and expand AIGA Baltimore’s presence and relationships within the community.

Chad Miller, Membership Chair
Term ends: June 2017

Chad Miller is a Senior Graphic Designer for MedStar Health and his passion is deep for design and illustration. If you were to follow Chad around on a weekend, you may just find him hiking the great outdoors, collecting designer vinyl, reading graphic novels, immersing himself in pop culture (the geekier the better), enjoying an adult beverage here and there, and spending time with his lovely wife and daughter. Oh, and also drinking coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

As the newly appointed Membership Chair, Chad’s goal is to engage with the chapter’s members, hear their feedback and respond in kind, all in an effort to establish and improve relationships, ensuring a positive membership experience.

Joseph Anthony Carter-Brown, Programming Director
Term ends: December 2016

As a graphic designer and entrepreneur, Programming Director, Joseph Carter-Brown is what you might consider a “jack of all trades.” His breadth of experience (in tech sector consulting and training, apparel design, higher-ed teaching, web design, brand development, publication design and screen printing) has been a key factor in helping numerous small and mid-size companies throughout the DC, Virginia, Maryland and Atlanta areas conceive and execute key branding initiatives. Joe holds a BS in Graphic Design from Full Sail University and has a passion for all things art and design. He enjoys learning as much as he can and takes on new design challenges as often as possible.

As Programming Director, Joe is focused on raising awareness of design and its importance in the larger corporate, social and economic conversation. In his role, Joe works hard to connect designers to broader professional and developmental resources in the Baltimore community.

Jermaine Bell, Programming Chair
Term ends: April 2017

Jermaine Bell is a graphic designer who holds a BFA in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Through his work at Havas Worldwide, he has gained footing in advertising with clients like Michelob Ultra, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Constellation Energy. Jermaine is also a Contributor for the Arts & Culture Blog Bmore Art.

Jermaine Bell is well-suited to his role as Programming Chair because he enjoys planning events that engage Baltimore designers and community members. His unique voice and his passion for inclusivity fuels him to work towards providing a comfortable space for people to talk about design and issues that can be solved through design thinking. Through programming geared towards embracing diversity, Jermaine will also work to give all designers—regardless of their race, gender, or any other demographic status—a more significant voice in the local and national design community.

Kerry Tasch Korrer, Social Design Chair
Term ends: January 2017

Kerry Korrer is a senior art director for an advertising and marketing agency and a freelance designer in her limited free time. She fuels her passion for branding, communications, interactive design and advertising with adventures in the great outdoors, yoga, craft beer, and funny gifs on the interwebs. Originally hailing from the great state of Wisconsin, she is now proud to call Baltimore home.

As the Social Design Chair, Kerry aims to educate, inspire and encourage involvement in social design initiatives. She comes to the role with a desire to connect design to causes that are important to the community, and to showcase the great work that is already being done throughout Baltimore.

Gary Rozanc, Education Director
Term ends: January 2016

Gary Rozanc is an assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where he teaches responsive web design. He received his BA in Graphic Design from Cleveland State University and his MFA in Visual Communications from the University of Arizona. Gary has also presented his research and findings on inquiry and problem-based learning methods at international and national peer-reviewed conferences, including AIGA’s bi-annual National Conference “Head, Heart, Hand” and the “International Conference on Design Principles & Practices.”

As the Education Director, Gary continues AIGA Baltimore’s strong tradition of educational programming, which includes the annual spring student design conference and portfolio review, Ink & Pixels. Gary works to find new opportunities to grow design faculty involvement in the Baltimore design community and increase student engagement.

Vivianna Bermudez, Education Chair
Term ends: March 2017

Vivianna Bermudez is a Graphic Designer for the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. As a strategic communications professional, she enjoys fusing together creative vision, extensive design knowledge and marketing expertise with a passion for higher education. She received a BS in Fashion Merchandising from the University of Delaware, and is currently pursuing an MA in Communications from Johns Hopkins University. From a Blue Hen to a Blue Jay, Vivianna has relished the opportunity to work with talented students, faculty members and researchers, and will continue forging a path towards equality in higher education.

As the newly appointed Education Chair, Vivianna works to promote and expand student and faculty participation in the Baltimore design community. She also helps to provide growth and networking opportunities for design students and professionals.

Kate Lawless, Communications Director
Term ends: April 2017

Kate Lawless is a Communications Designer at the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc. With her BA in English from West Virginia Wesleyan College and her MA in Publications Design from the University of Baltimore, Kate has strengths in writing, making visual connections with words, and translating those connections into fully developed pieces, from flyers to emails to eLearning courses.

Through her role as Communications Director, Kate is able to help strengthen Baltimore’s creative community and grow the design profession by way of making ties with the people in it, both in person and online. She comes to the position with a passion for design thinking and a love for sharing it with others. By serving on the board, Kate is able to give back to the design community both far and wide and keep in touch with Baltimore’s creative undercurrents.

Meredith Burke, Web Chair
Term ends: January 2016

Meredith Burke, Web Chair, is a freelance designer who lives and works in Baltimore City. Having earned an AA in Publication Design from the Community College of Baltimore County and a BS in Corporate Communications from the University of Baltimore, she has a wide range of skills, including print design and production, web design and front-end development, project management, and writing. She also enjoys tutoring and training others in the use of design applications and coding for the web.

As Web Chair, Meredith’s goal is to help improve and maintain AIGA Baltimore’s web presence. She provides front-end web development, content management support, consultation on technologies and best practices, and connections with Baltimore’s web tech community.

Update: Since the time of first publication, we’ve added two *new* board members. Please welcome Leo and Rob to our team!

Leonard Brady, Board Operations Chair
Term ends: June 2017

Rob Schilke, Outreach Chair
Term ends: June 2017

Ben Jenkins Lives Slow and Makes Fast

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Ben Jenkins, founder of OneFastBuffalo, toured the East Coast hitting up six cities in six days to talk to six AIGA chapters about how he evolved his design business and his personal life into a more satisfying and fulfilling one. We laughed, we learned a lot about his concept of work-life balance, and we talked about how designers have a natural inclination to be designtrepreneurs.

“Twitchyness is contagious”

Ben Jenkins started his presentation with a disclaimer: “I can be a bit twitchy, and it can be contagious.” And as he continued through his talk, we watched him go into side tangents, witnessing just for ourselves how twitchy he was. We hung onto every word, anyway, as Ben told us a story about how he evolved his design business and his personal life into a more satisfying and fulfilling one.

About Ben

Growing up in the suburbs of Dallas, Ben Jenkins loved two things: art and baseball. He admitted it’s an odd combination; there aren’t many sports fanatics that are also into art and design. Following his dreams, he got a scholarship to play baseball at Mississippi State University, where he studied graphic design and architecture. After graduation, Ben went on to play for the Phillies in the minor leagues, and out on the road he passed the time working on small design projects for whoever asked him. These projects put him on the path to freelancing after Ben realized that his career as a baseball player was not going to land him in the big leagues. He continued his education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned an MFA in Art & Technology.

Everything is Bigger in Texas (Including Partial Male Nudity)

In 1998, OneFastBuffalo (OFB) was born from the idea that conventional wisdom isn’t always useful. Using his competitive nature as a ball player, Ben grew OFB from a two-person operation to a boutique firm. OneFastBuffalo would move from one office space to another as they expanded, and each time Ben would strive to create the dream office that any agency and their employees would love to have, especially one that would impress clients.

Through the growth of OFB, Ben sought validation as a successful graphic designer. He felt strongly that in order to be considered a good designer, he needed a client list full of the big ones. He was collecting his own design trophies, so to speak. Over time, he would spend more energy managing than designing, more time at the office than at his home, and more time making calls for work. Those 10 years of trophy collecting took a toll on Ben. The man who had been good enough to play in the minor leagues had gained substantial weight and it showed (literally) in the photos his wife took of him just wearing gym shorts.

Slimming the Buffalo (and the Man)

In 2008, Ben realized that it was time for another renovation, and not just one of office space. He turned his work and personal life upside down after realizing that he could work better in a different way. In a period of purging, Ben reduced not only his weight and a large portion of needless possessions, but also the size of OFB as the economy took a downturn.

He even subleased his office space (with the furniture), enabling him to do more with less. Plus this allowed him to spend more time with his wife and three sons. Instead of just heading off to work in the morning and getting home late from the office, he wakes up and has coffee with his wife, takes his sons to school, works in his home office (or wherever he feels like working), and spends time with the boys after school, too.

As Ben simplified the external aspects of his business, his branding process changed, as well. Now, instead of giving clients multiple logo concepts, Ben focuses on just one concept until he gets it right. This allows for more concentration and energy to be put into that one idea, as opposed to spreading the creative energy and time across two or three ideas, he says. And, as an added benefit, the client never picks his least favorite concept. And this process works, too! Since Ben began presenting one concept to clients in 2008, he’s only had to go back to the drawing board a few times.

Since 2008, one logo concept is shown to the client. This allows for more concentration and energy to be put into that one idea.
Since 2008, Ben shows only one logo concept to the client. This allows for more concentration and energy to be put into that one idea.

As his business evolved, Ben also stopped worrying about collecting trophies. He now focuses on creative work to help good people make famous brands, and he’s quickly learned that it’s more enjoyable and more fulfilling to work this way.

Where the Buffalo Roam (Have laptop, Will Travel)

While eating some authentic Mexican cuisine with his wife and kids, Ben came up with the idea of a Mobile Creative Lifestyle. Harking back to his days as a baseball player in the minor leagues and being out on the open road, Ben wanted to combine his passion for design and travel. Buying a 1958 Airstream trailer, Ben began to take his family out on “journeys” (not just vacations) and taught himself to “create big work in the smallest of ways,” by working within the confines of wherever he is at the time.

The OneFastBuffalo 1958 airstream mobile office
The OneFastBuffalo 1958 airstream mobile office.

 

You can now find Ben working on a brand concept in the back of his truck on a lawn chair, parked by a lake, while his wife and three sons enjoy some fly fishing or playing in a nearby playground. This is how “Live Slow, Make Fast” became his new mantra. Ben says that living and doing beautiful things that you enjoy while resting and relaxing will re-energize your work. Working in this way allows him to stay more focused and fill the eight hours (and only eight hours) with a more productive workflow. He uses the 8-8-8 principle to demonstrate this: 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of play, and 8 hours of work make for a much more healthier work-life balance. There’s time to make and time to live, all in one day.

Ben quickly noticed that this new found freedom of working anywhere at any time made his work better, too. The famous brands that Ben used to chase around now just come to him because they recognize the quality of work he produces and the energy and focus he puts into it.

Designtrepreneur

With his new approach to working, Ben found he had the energy and focus to create brands for himself rather than for a client. He believes that designers are still artists at heart and that their ability to create and produce gives them a natural inclination to start their own personal brands. Armed with a passion for baseball, Ben started Warstic Bat Company, which produces handmade wood bats, baseball gear, and apparel. The company was recently featured in the pages of GQ and was even contacted by Coach to sell a limited run of men’s gear in their stores. Some other brands Ben has created are Treadsmith Board Co. (a snowboard producer), and INDIG (a strategic branding company for Native American owned companies).

Warstic_Pic
Warstic Bat Company, one of Ben’s many self-created brands.
The Journey Continues

The takeaway from Ben’s presentation is that a well-rounded work-life balance can be beneficial to re-energizing a creative professional’s focus and drive. He says you do not have to allow the pressure and distractions affect you as a whole. Spending time away from the computer and spending quality time doing things that make you happy will help you to be a better creative.

On June 1, 2015, Ben will shut OFB down for the summer and not reopen for business until September 1, 2015. He will travel around the country on a journey with his family, enjoying some quality time together while resting and relaxing. When September comes back around, with the energy he will have stored up, he most certainly will come out swinging his bat of creativity. And we can’t wait to see what he does next.

Chad Miller is a Senior Graphic Designer for MedStar Health who enjoys all things design and all things caffeinated.

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”

AIGA Washington,DC Presents Post Typography

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Our pals in DC are offering up the ultimate party: a night of design and music featuring Baltimore duo Post Typography. The award-winning designers will present their ‘Greatest Misses,’ then deliver their ‘greatest hits’ at the first-class music venue, The Fillmore Silver Spring. Check it out this Thursday at 7 pm!

The design studio’s principals, Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen, will give a behind-the-scenes peek at the design process, illustrated with projects that fell short, missed the mark, or were blown off-target by the fickle winds of client taste.

Originally conceived as an avant-garde anti-design movement, Post Typography specializes in graphic design, conceptual typography, and custom lettering/illustration with additional forays into art, apparel, music, curatorial work, design theory, and vandalism.

They’ll turn up the volume after the lecture for two sets of music featuring Strals and Willen: first instrumental duo Peals, then fiery punk band Pure Junk.

The lecture and concert will cost $14 and is an all-ages show. Registration for this event closes on January 16th at noon. Tickets will be sold day of the event, at the door, for $16 with an additional $1 service charge.

Get the full low down from AIGA Washington, DC.

AIGA Student Membership Sale

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Student Membership Sale

AIGA is committed to increasing student involvement in the design community. For the month of September 2011, students may join or renew online for just $50! And to make membership even more accessible, part-time students registered for just six or more credit hours are now eligible for membership in AIGA, the professional association for design. To take advantage of this offer, simply join or renew online between September 1–30, 2011. Spread the word and don’t miss out!

JOIN NOW for access and incredible discounts!

Current student members whose memberships are up for renewal August 31 through December 31 are eligible for this discount if they renew before September 30.

My AIGA has new features.

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

The AIGA.org interface has new features which allow members access to enhanced information and features, as well as the means to update their contact preferences and more!!!

Recently,upon visiting the site to edit my payment options, I was able to customize the news feeds on the my.aiga.org landing page. I was able to add the In-house newsletter to my profile, adding “Articles” and lengthening “AIGA News” to the page landing.

Also, I accessed my profile to subscribe to more of the newsletters and initiative postings available: including the In-house newsletter.

Also, I have taken a moment to update my custom AIGA portfolio:

Take a moment and connect yourself with your profile page and get hip with the changes and updates to the AIGA Member landing. … And take advantage of its benefits.

You can do it!

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

The economy will always have its ups and downs, but graphic designers can still find their way. Here are some tips for the new graduates for 2010.

Time to make lemonade.
When you are given lemons, make lemonade. Finding a job right now isn’t easy for anyone right now, but it is a little harder for graphic designers than for some other fields because graphic design is usually one of the first industries to see cutbacks.

In February, I was laid off. I saw the industry I was in changing and design was becoming less and less important, so luckily I was expecting the layoff, and I was already feeling like it was time for a change. So I embraced my layoff and am now successfully freelancing and will most likely take this time to get my MFA. Graphic designers are lucky in that we have the option to freelance, where other professions don’t have that luxury.

Advertise.
No matter how wonderful you are, employers won’t be pounding on your door, so shout to the world online and in-person that you are looking for a design job. They do exist, but a lot of jobs are filled before a job post is even published.

I am a freelance graphic designer, and the majority of the work I have been getting is from me telling people that I was available, not from answering job postings.

Interviewing is a lot like dating.
You set up a meeting (the date). You converse to find out if you like each other, and then you go home and anxiously wait by the phone or check your email waiting for THE call. Chances are you will have to go to many interviews before you find a job that is a good match for you and the employer.

When I have a meeting with a potential client, I prepare. I look up the person and organization I will be meeting with. I select what I think will be the best designs to present, and I think about what questions might be asked of me. After the meeting, I evaluate what I could have done better. View each interview as practice and revise your answers and your portfolio constantly. Even if you feel the interview went great, try to not let it bother you if you don’t get the job. Move forward and look for something else.

You are not a rock star (yet).
You have worked hard for four long years and your professors rave about you, but you need to remember you are just beginning. There is actually still a lot for you to learn. And guess what? Once you learn it, it will change.

When I finished my Bachelor’s degree from SCAD, no one was thinking about being sustainable, designing for good, Web 2.0, iPhone/iPad apps or the design revolution in Asia. Over the years, I have continued to need to learn new things in graphic design, and I expect that will always be necessary.

Develop a thick skin.
Your portfolio review may be tough to hear today. Being a designer, you need to be able to take criticism daily. Your art director, your client, your client’s boss, everyone is going to have their opinion. It is your responsibility to educate these people on the design choices you made, but ultimately, you might sometimes be asked to make changes you don’t like.

When I work with clients, I not only want to provide them a design that I think is fabulous, but even more so, I want them to love it because in the end, they are paying me for my services.

It may not be perfect.
Don’t expect your first job to be the perfect design job. You have many years in the future to find that perfect job and quite frankly, your vision of the perfect job will change and evolve, so even if you find a perfect job now, it won’t be your perfect job in the future.

My first job was for CNN Headline News. I loved it…for the first few months. Then I realized I was doing the same job some people there had been doing for the past eight years. I realized if I wanted to continue to grow and develop in my field, I would need to find ways either in my job or outside of my job to keep myself current. For your first job, look for an employer you think you can learn from. Maybe there is someone that can be a mentor, or maybe you will be exposed new technology.

Value your work.
There are many people out there that want design services for free or for cheap. Make sure you are getting paid what you are worth. There will always be someone out there who will work for less than you. You need to explain to your clients or the employer what else you provide besides good design.

When I meet with clients for the first time, I find out what their needs are, show them my work, explain how I could help them, but I also describe to them the process. This way the client can understand all the work that goes into making a logo and why it will cost a lot more than $50. You need to do the same at interviews. Don’t assume they read your resume. You need to tell them why you will be the best person to hire.

There is still hope.
So, I am sorry to say, it won’t be easy to find a job in design. It is a competitive environment, but take this as a challenge and do all you can to make yourself stand out. Take time to write individual cover letters, tweak the wording of your resume for each job application, and bring the best and most appropriate pieces to your interviews. When you do find a job, you probably won’t love it all the time, but as with all jobs you should be able to learn something. Listen to your boss and your clients and try to find a good solution to the design that can make everyone happy, and lastly, love what you do.

Good luck to the class of 2010!

AIGA Design Leaders Confidence Index Has Industry Looking Up…

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

In April 2005, AIGA began conducting a quarterly survey of design leaders to assemble an authoritative statement on the current conditions within the design economy.

This Design Leaders Confidence Index is modeled on the confidence indices developed by the Conference Board for private sector corporate leaders.

Each quarter we obtain the answers to a few simple questions from several hundred design leaders—the possible responses to the following questions are: substantially better, moderately better, same, moderately worse or substantially worse.

How do you rate present business conditions for the economy as a whole, as compared with six months ago?
How do you rate present business conditions for design, as compared with six months ago?
In looking ahead six months as compared with today, do you think business conditions for the economy as a whole will be:
In appraising the prospects for design, do you think business over the next six months, as compared with today, will be:
Compared to [three months ago], are the chances of hiring additional staff:
Compared to [three months ago], are the chances of purchasing additional hardware and software:
Over time, the responses enable AIGA to develop a confidence index of conditions in the profession that will be helpful to members and their colleagues in judging current conditions nationwide. The index will also help us in advocating the interests of the design community in Washington and with sponsors.

Most recent results
The AIGA Design Leaders Confidence Index for the fourth quarter of 2009 reflects strong confidence in an economic recovery. The index held at 98, up from 51 in October 2008 and consistent with designers’ attitudes during the period 2005–2007.

AIGA anticipates that the real measure of the state of the design economy is likely to come in the first quarter of 2010, as designers experience the effects of corporate budgets that were determined during a weakened economy. However, only 6 percent of the design leaders surveyed last month expected business over the next six months to be worse than current business levels.

Nearly a third of respondents (29 percent) believe they will be more likely to hire new designers in this quarter than last; only 18 percent felt they were less likely to hire new designers. And 44 percent felt their plans of purchasing new hardware and software had increased compared with three months ago.

January 2010’s index is 98.72 compared to 2009 when it was 54.55

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/confidence-index