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.

Alabama Design Summit

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

At the end of July, Brian Ghiloni had the pleasure to attend the AIGA Alabama Design Summit in Birmingham. The workshop-style conference brought together more than 50 attendees from across the country and across multiple disciplines. Their challenge was to use design thinking to address social issues affecting rural Alabama and other parts of the country.

Over three days, four multi-disciplinary teams tackled a variety of regional issues from overcoming Nature Deficit Disorder to Eco-Tourism as a source of economic regeneration. Working together, each team needed to understand the problem, define an objective and develop solutions. The conference concluded with team presentations of actionable ideas, which could be implemented in 12–24 months.

As designers, our contribution has been traditionally limited to identities, collateral and websites. The AIGA Alabama Design Summit is an early preview of a new AIGA initiative called Design for Good. With this new initiative, designers have an opportunity to engage in these types of important social issues in a deeper way than ever before.

This last March, AIGA Baltimore organized Ideas for Action. The event brought together area creatives, community leaders and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health to address social issues affecting Baltimore. AIGA Baltimore is committed to furthering discussions about the role of design and the potentially larger impact it can have on communities.

If you want to become more involved in the community or you have an idea for a Design for Good project, send us an email. We want to hear from you!

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The Alabama Design Summit was produced in partnership with AIGA and Alabama Innovation Engine. Local participants included representatives from Freshwater Land Trust, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, US Fish and Wildlife, Cahaba River Society, Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, International Expeditions, Auburn University Urban Studio, and University of Alabama Center for Economic Development.

Alabama Design Summit, people working together
Marshall Anderson and Jessi Arrington explain solutions to combat Nature Deficit Disorder. These ideas could be implemented within 12-24 months. Implementing any one could have a measurable effect to offset healthcare costs related to obesity.Today 1 out of 3 adults in Alabama is considered obese.
Alabama Design Summit, lots of sticky notes!
Idea prototyping's best friend… the sticky note!

Presenting: The Standard 4, Scoring & Folding FOLDED INSPIRATION

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore


AIGA Baltimore, Sappi Fine Paper and Lindenmeyr Munroe invite you to the debut of

The Standard 4, Scoring & Folding FOLDED INSPIRATION
A Members’ Only Event Presented by Trish Witkowski & Daniel Dejan

The Standard 4: Scoring & Folding

When: Thursday, July 14, 2011
Where: Matthew’s 1600 Restaurant
1600 Frederick Road, Catonsville, MD

Time: 5:00 – 6:00pm Cocktails & Hors d’oeuvres
6:00 – 7:30pm Speakers/Presentation
7:30 – 8:00pm Questions & Answers

Members, in Advance – $10

2011 Leadership Conference – Minneapolis – Feeling “Activated” !

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Downtown Minneapolis

Three board members from AIGA Baltimore attended this year’s
leadership retreat – ACTIVATE – an interactive, inspiring, 3-day
gathering of leaders in chapters across the US. Jennifer Dodson, Bob
Gillespie and I (Elizabeth Brady) trekked to Minneapolis for an
incredible few days where we gathered momentum for the upcoming year
in Baltimore and got to see great design, touch the Mississippi, and explore
the Walker Art Center… to name a few things.

The conference began (at the visually inspiring, Graves [601] hotel)
with a display of all of the fantastic design samples and products
from chapters across the country. Each chapter brought a series of
trading cards to share and exchange at events throughout the
conference, offering a great opportunity to hear what makes other
chapters “tick”. The creativity was astounding.

See some examples here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25988873@N02/sets/72157626911717642/

Retreat Attendees Spell It Out For YouAfter an inspiring kickoff about the state of the association by AIGA
executive director Ric Grefé, we divided and conquered different “Spark” sessions and shared back. At our various sessions, we learned more about the power of design to create change, rock-star board structures that work for members, the value of membership to our design community, all the while gaining inspiration for design competitions, and new partnerships and opportunities. My eyes were opened to the vast impact our chapter has and the resources we can offer, as well as, design’s capacity to benefit business and society.

One theme that kept resurfacing? Create solid events with community input! We as a team from Baltimore spent a lot of time discussing different ways to find out what our members (you!) and local designers /agencies want from us, and returned to Baltimore with a
renewed desire to hear from you.

Here are a few links to national or local initiatives that inspired me!

AIGA austin design ranch 2011
http://vimeo.com/25680717

http://clockwork.aigablueridge.org/

http://onedayfordesign.org/

http://www.cause-affect.org/

I, personally, was particularly inspired by our incoming national AIGA president,
Doug Powell and his focus on Design for Good, an initiative to motivate design professionals and AIGA members towards impact, advocacy and cause. I came back with a renewed knowledge of the power and impact of design on society, and a lot of inspiration for social initiatives in Baltimore.

Keep an eye out for other new initiatives and events this year and be
in touch with what activates you, as a student, designer or creative
professional. Or email me at elizabeth@baltimore.aiga.org if you have ideas
to share or want to be more involved in social or green initiatives!

Becoming a Part of the Creative Workforce. Pointers for landing that first job.

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

As we move closer and closer to the summer months, there are those of you that are putting the finishing touches on your portfolios, creating small masterpieces that you will put on display showing how hard you worked, the thought and creative prowess (minus the dark circles under your eyes and studio tac in your hair) and the passion behind why you decided to graduate with a degree in a creative field.

Last week April 30th 2011 was AIGA Baltimore’s Student Portfolio Review, where many of you test drove your creative work to reviewers, peers and board members alike. There was an array of work and styles and it is always refreshing to see the excitement and passion that many students have coming out of school (keep that!).

Our panel discussion addressed a lot of issues and gave many helpful hints in order to land your first position in the creative field. Showing that having a passion for what you do is extremely important, but knowing how to structure that passion to sell yourself to a position where you feel you can be a valuable asset is key to success in any job.

Key Pointers

  • Show great work. Make sure that you talk to your work, how did you solve the problem, why did you choose the colors and typefaces you did?
  • Not about a 9-5. Be hungry, show you care, and go above and beyond.
  • Be Part of a team. Be willing to communicate and work with others to accomplish a project.
  • Look People in the eyes. Do not stare off into the clouds. have an ability to engage a person in conversation.
  • Dont just grab anything that is out there. Show you are committed. Find something that fits what you want to do, just cause it pays the bills does not mean its the right fit, show you want to be part of a team.
  • Don’t typecast yourself. Don’t take a job to take a job, make sure you maintain your sanity. Don’t settle keep building your portfolio, don’t let a job you hate define the rest of your career.
  • Cold calling – NO. Send a physical resume (we love paper/printed things. so show it.), interact and be personable, show more than just an email, show you are committed top to bottom and that you understand the work that the company does.
  • Network – YES. Get to know who is in the field. Know the people as people (not just possible employers.) Become friends, break in and work hard at introducing yourself in person and in the industry. GET INVOLVED.
  • Individuality. BE CREATIVE, this is what you do and love so show it. Know who you are and find a way to stand out. Instead of a resume send a shoebox.
  • Cover letter. It is HUGE. tailor it to the position, know the company, make sure you follow-up with people when sending out your work.
  • My Design Firm. Thinking of starting your own business right outside of school? No. Go an learn on someone else’s dime, take the time, make the mistakes, you need a continuation of a learning process. How do client teams, technology, account management interact? Freelancer = your training wheels!
  • Research. You are also interviewing the employer. Find out about the company and ask questions during the interview (it can be impressive). Find a company will stick up for good design, and respect the process.
  • Explain and Defend your work. Articulate your creative work, and have the reasons to defend it that make sense. Who is your audience, is your creative appropriate? (don’t be shy about saying you do not have enough info! ask questions!)
  • Don’t take criticism personally. Clients can be difficult, sometimes you have no control over it. Sometimes there are off the wall comments, however this is the joy of what we do. If some one makes a comment that impacts everything you have done, it is a new challenge, you have another problem to solve. It is not always a bad thing if someone does not like something, there is probably a good reason. Client feedback = Good.
  • Online portfolio. URL = important you want to be able to show your work instantly, we want to know if you qualify for your interview.
  • KNOW WEB DESIGN Many people are unprepared on the interactive front. There is a huge advantage to understanding interactive design, user interactivity, and architecture.
  • Last but no least: Create your own content. Look within, if nothing is working create your own content, generate it yourself. Think about what you can do creatively to keep yourself in design. Make something out of your experiences.

Remember, everything falls back on you. You are responsible for making your work the best it can be, and making sure that you take the opportunities that are presented to you. Just because you may not get a job right away, does not mean you can’t still be creating valuable content that you can use for the future. I wish all the future professionals out there good luck, in finding the job that fits and works for you.

Stevenson University & AIGA Baltimore Present: Dan Pink, May 25th!

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

A conversation with Dan Pink about his recent book, DRIVE… (100 copies of the book available to the first 100 registrants)

Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people—at work, at school, at home. It’s wrong. As Daniel H. Pink explains in his new and paradigm-shattering book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today’s world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.

Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does—and how that affects every aspect of our lives. He demonstrates that while the old-fashioned carrot-and-stick approach worked successfully in the 20th century, it’s precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today’s challenges.

In Drive, he reveals the three elements of true motivation: Autonomy- the desire to direct our own lives Mastery- the urge to get better and better at something that matters Purpose- the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves Along the way, he takes us to companies that are enlisting new approaches to motivation and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are pointing a bold way forward. Drive is bursting with big ideas— the rare book that will change how you think and transform how you live.

About the Author – Daniel H. Pink is the author of the long-running New York Times and BusinessWeek bestseller A Whole New Mind, as well as The Adventures of Johnny Bunko and Free Agent Nation. He has written for The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wired, where he is a contributing editor.

He has provided analysis for CNN, CNBC, ABC, NPR, and other networks in the U.S. and abroad. Pink lectures on economic transformation and the new workplace at corporations, associations, and universities around the world.

ADVANCE
AIGA Members – $15
Non-Members – $30

DOOR
AIGA Members – $25
Non-Members – $40

Adobe CS5 InDesign Workshops Follow-Up

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore
Professionals at the April 23rd InDesign Workshop

During the month of April, the Baltimore chapter of AIGA hosted two Adobe CS5 InDesign workshops focused on various aspects of digital publishing and publishing for tablet PC formats, like the Apple iPad. The events, moderated by Scott Citron of scottcitrondesign.com, covered a vast array of epublishing topics (April 7 at the Irvine Nature Center), and a more in-depth focus on iPad and digital publishing development (April 23 at MICA). Approximately 40 folks came and shared strategies for digital publishing at both events.

Choosing the winner…

Also, of note, Adobe gracisouly offered a free copy of Adobe CS5 Premium to two registrants for attending the workshop and filling out an evaluation form. Drawings for both copies were made from the two groups’ evaluation forms, were two winners, Mike Ring and Kristi Mathias were chosen at random by Scott Citron.

Ideas for Action

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

AIGA Baltimore recently held a collaborative workshop called Ideas for Action at the St. Francis Neighborhood Center. This was an opportunity for a diverse group of medical researchers, community outreach workers and leaders, as well as designers and undergraduate and graduate design students to work together to address social concerns in the Baltimore community.

Bernard Canniffe, Professor and Chair of Design at the Minneapolis College of Art, guided the group of 13 through a series of activities, exercises, field trips and brainstorming sessions. Canniffe feels these workshops are a way to use design to engage locally and through ripple effect, generate an impact nationally. The diverse backgrounds from each of the participants allowed topics to be viewed from multiple perspectives. At times, this proved to be challenging, but in the end the group created a strong network to initiate community projects in the future.

This event is hopefully just the beginning for this group. AIGA Baltimore looks forward to seeing what projects might evolve and hopes to be an active partner with the community to make Baltimore a better place for all.

From left to right: Bernard Canniffe, Javier Rios, Ande Campbell, Michelle Stidham, Laura Evans, Michael Trush, Noel Cunningham, Aura Seltzer, Yvonne Hardy-Phillips, Barbara Bates-Hopkins, Nick Hum, Pat Tracey, Nick Sprouls and Brian Ghiloni (not pictured: Malcolm Rio and Alissa Jones)

Doyald Young, Master Typographer

Posted on by AIGA Baltimore

Read about this legend who passed recently. Former president, Joe Wagner notes, “I had the honor as President of AIGA Baltimore of spending 2 evenings with Doyald Young. A soft spoken gentleman with a natural talent as a Master Typographer. His real gift was his genuine love of people and  typography as an art. I have always valued the signed book he gave me, “The Art of the Letter”. Over the past 8 years we stayed in touch through letters, cards and email. A true gentleman, I will miss you my friend.”

Read more at http://www.neenahpaperblog.com/2011/03/the-letterman-doyald-young-1926-2011/