Speak Your Mind!

Speak your mind!

AIGA Baltimore will be holding Ink / Pixels 2012, a design conference for students on April 21. Since this is a conference for students only, we thought you might be excited to speak your mind. We are looking for students to submit proposals for PechaKucha talks to be given at the conference. Deadline for proposal submissions is March 12th March 21.

What is Pecha Kucha?
If you had six minutes and 20 images, what would you say? PechaKucha is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images for 20 seconds each. The images forward automatically and you talk along to the images.

Here are some examples to see PechaKucha style in action:

Suggested Topics
These are just suggested topics to get you started. We are open to any topics that involve the subject of design.

  • Design and Social Media
  • Social Design
  • Design and Business

How to Submit
All submissions are due by 11:59pm, March 12th March 21.
Entries received after the deadline will not be considered.

Email the following information to pechakucha@baltimore.aiga.org:

  1. Speakers’ first and last names
  2. School(s) you attend
  3. Email address we should use to contact you if your talk is selected
  4. Title of your proposed talk
  5. Description of your talk in 300 words or less.

Selected proposals will be announced after March 19 March 23 on our blog.

Eligibility
You must be a student and planning to attend the conference. You do not need to be an AIGA member to present. Teams of speakers may submit one proposal if you plan to present together as a group.

Award
We will select up to 5 presentations. It is assumed if you are submitting a proposal, that you will be the speaker(s). Selected speakers will receive a $5 reimbursement when they arrive at the conference.

Questions?
Please email alissa@baltimore.aiga.org if you have any questions.

Student Membership Sale is back!

Student Membership Sale

All students can join AIGA or renew for only $50 between February 1-20.

AIGA continues its commitment to increasing student involvement in the design community by giving students the opportunity to join and renew online during February for only $50! The drive will occur between February 1-20th. Don’t miss out on this great chance to save some cash. Even recent graduates can get in on the savings!

Details and Requirements

  • The drive will occur between February 1-20th.
  • Online only! Paper applications will not be accepted during this drive.
  • Students can join and renew online at my.aiga.org for just $50.
  • Faculty advisers should add the students that join online to the student group roster.

JOIN NOW for access and incredible discounts!

Show off your skills!

Call for entries! (for students only)

AIGA Baltimore is requesting design submissions for a poster to promote Ink / Pixels 2012, a design conference for students. Deadline is February 20th.

Required Content
Ink / Pixels 2012
AIGA Baltimore’s design conference for students

Have your portfolio reviewed
Listen to awesome professionals
And get a chance to speak your mind, PechaKucha style

Saturday, April 21

AIGA student members $10
Non-members $25

Visit baltimore.aiga.org/events for more information and to register!

Please also include the AIGA Baltimore logo (download logo here) somewhere on the design. You can change the color and size of the logo. You cannot crop, skew or distort it. The logo must be at least 3.5 inches wide.

Technical Specifications

  • Size: 12 x 18 inches, portrait orientation
  • Bleed: 0.125 inches
  • Color: 4-color maximum
  • One-sided printing
  • If using raster graphics, the resolution must be 300 dpi.
  • Please keep all fonts editable (meaning do not outline or rasterize).
  • All imagery must be of your own creation. Do not use any images downloaded from the Internet or other resources.

Note about Fonts
Please use only OpenType fonts or fonts that are Mac compatible and make sure to include them with your design file. We may need to update the text on the poster design because we are still finalizing some details about the conference at the time of this competition.

What to Submit
Submit your original InDesign, Photoshop or Illustrator file. Please include all links and fonts needed for the design to display and print properly. Submissions missing files will not be considered.

How to Submit
All submissions are due by 11:59pm, February 20th.
Entries received after the deadline will not be considered.

  1. Zip your files into one single zip file.
  2. Post the zip file to https://wetransfer.com (It’s free!).
  3. Enter studentposter@baltimore.aiga.org as the friend’s email address.
  4. Enter your email address.
  5. In the message box, include your name, email address, phone number and school you attend.
  6. Click on Transfer.

The winner of the competition will be announced after February 27 on our blog.

Eligibility
You must be an AIGA student member to submit.

Award
The winning design will be distributed to schools in the Baltimore area. The designer will receive one free entrance to the conference, 10 copies of the printed poster and a $50 iTunes gift card.

Questions?
Please email alissa@baltimore.aiga.org if you have any questions.

Portfolio Review Tips

Portfolio Review Tips

AIGA Baltimore’s portfolio review is on Thursday, December 1. So, the time has come. You’ve been going to school for several years, working hard on each and every project your professors have assigned, and now is your time to shine. You are about to be pushed into the job market or you are looking for your first internship. But guess what? The thought scares you to death. Here are some tips for for making your portfolio presentation outstanding.

  • Dress professionally. This means no low-cut tops, no torn clothing, and iron your clothes.
  • Arrive on time (better yet, arrive early) and come in smiling.
  • Introduce yourself. Tell the reviewer (or employer) your name and something interesting about yourself (what type of industry you want to go into, why you chose the field of design, etc.)
  • Make your portfolio well contained and organized. Don’t forget, that at job interviews, you may have your coat, a bag/purse, notepad and portfolio in your hands. Make sure you can carry everything and still be able to shake hands when meeting people.
  • Keep it clean! Smudges, hair, work off centered, and inconsistencies; these all just show you don’t pay attention to details.
  • Only plan to show the reviewer 7–10 pieces of your best work. Start and end with your strongest pieces.
  • Be ready to talk about your work. Tell a short story about each piece. Explain how you conceived of the idea, what research was conducted, who the target audience was, etc.
  • Use industry words. Avoid words like “my professor” and “the class.”
  • Don’t rush through it. Speak at a normal pace and give the reviewer time to comment on each piece.
  • Don’t get defensive if the reviewer criticizes your work. They are there to help you. You can filter through the comments later and decide what changes you should make.
  • Have your resume and business card ready to give the reviewer (or employer). Don’t wait for them to ask.
  • Ask the reviewer questions about their job. Take the opportunity to learn about what they do and how they got there.
  • Ask for the reviewer’s business card and followup with a thank you email or a snail mail thank you card.

Breathe, have fun and good luck! AIGA Baltimore’s portfolio review is on Thursday, December 1. Register now and save!

AIGA Student Membership Sale

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.

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

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.

Ideas for Action

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)

News Flash: Referencing Master of Kung Fu in a Career Fair Is No Longer Useful

grabbed from Wikipedia page on Master of Kung Fu (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_(TV_series))

Recently I attended a resumé workshop for an AIGA Student Chapter. A number of professionals sat through the rudiments of resumé writing—all good stuff, of course and in the end, there was a question and answer period. During that time, I ended up answering a number of questions—maybe because I was most willing to be loquacious than anything else, but I was asked a question that in answering seemed to confound the students.

A student asked me what skills does one need to be a “successful solo designer”. Strike successful and this is something I can answer. I kid. I referenced the television show Master of Kung Fu which aired during the late seventies. The show followed the adventures of Caine who walked the earth, having adventures every week in search of enlightenment presumably. (I included the Wikipedia link). Also, note that Quentin Tarantino was a fan of the series, using David Carradine, the series’ star as Bill in the movies Kill Bill 1 and 2.

Well, the series always started with a flashback to the student’s training, always showing the young student mastering some skill and the flashback would always end with the saying “once you take the pebble from my hand, it’ll be time to leave.” So, the pebble-hand thing is like a final and the lessons is like the work. My point—long-winded as it was—is to say that those lessons become the life’s blood of a young designer’s understanding of business. Those lessons, wide and varied, each become part of the skill set that the young designer must use to stay ahead or at very least keep up with the changing nature of business. For that reason, I suggested that a designer who is planning to be solo should at some point be in the opposite situation—work for a time in a corporation or a design firm, to help them understand themselves.

Anyway, that was main point—which with great difficulty—I explained. The students are about half my age, so the show was lost on them and almost the analogy. I told this story to a colleague and she said: Why didn’t you use Batman Begins?

A Random Sampling Of What’s On The Mind’s Of College Students…

Day two of a six-hour class where students are working on a project “ripped from the headlines” I figured I had the kind of time to ask the students a question that gives me something to blog about and also help me have the content that may answer questions for them (and perhaps you).

Out of six students (hardly scientific) the main concern was “how will I find a job?” If there’s anything the powers-that-be should be keeping an eye on is this topic—not simply for graphic design. When those students enrolled into school, we lived in a different world. The job market has tightened so much, it’s a valuable thing for these students to develop a laser focus on what they want, as well as an open mind on how they’ll plan to get it.

Second on the list of concerns: internships. Functional, practical thinking is not amiss here. Part of the value of a MICA flex class is “real-world professionals” something I heard a bit when it came to discussing what they wanted out of the class. But even more importantly where does this lead them? Internships are important as is any real-world experience.

One thing that came up was the desire to be paid for an internship. Here’s where I said have an open mind.

It really depends on the specifics of what a candidate is looking for from each opportunity. One one hand, an internship where one might see a firm that is fairly exclusive and the candidate learns a lot for little commitment (once a week, etc.) one may consider the value of going forward with that particularly if, like many of the students, you’re not sure what exactly they might “actually” want to do.

On the other hand: don’t make the assumption that the paid internship is the best way to go. It’s equally possible to do an internship where they pay you but don’t have the time to teach. So, beware either way… Interview potential internships the way they might interview candidates. Nothing worse than wasting time off!!!

Another comment which was sort of out of “left-field”—in a good way— was a comment on how to manage client-design firm/designer relationships.

For this, I commented that the client/designer relationship is a tug of war. It’s important to realize that the client, or alternatively the designer, views aspects of your credibility while “pulling” the momentum of the project relationship into an equal balance. No firm wants to hire a designer who will not be a good fit by not understanding the business’ fundamentals nor does any designer want to do work for a firm that’s mismanaged its business to the point where the work won’t be produced due to a lack of commitment to the project from the client.

The best relationships contribute trust relatively equally, where the designer understands that the client is expertly briefed in their product and the client understands that the designer knows what they are doing. Holes exist when this balance of trust is off-kilter, in one direction or another. That means each must work at being a good partner in order to make the relationship work well.

Students need to understand that their knowledge of business must be relatively as equal as the opposing client’s knowledge of the value of design, if not more, or run the risk of conceding credibility. How can this be done? Translating experience, gained through projects and internships, into action-able knowledge. Stepping outside of the designer’s comfort zone and reading about business and branding in ways that actively translate to your projects and in some cases being unafraid to allow the client to know their business and allow them to tell you about it, if your dogged research turns up a bit short.

Then, the designer/design firm has to understand that there are times when the client’s fears, internal board politics, needs and other issues may interfere in the successful project. After watching a couple spy movies and looking at the way a spy is supposed to handle his contacts, I reckon that there is a great degree of similarity in the realization that the account management is not unlike working for a spy agency, ferreting out problems before they happen, understanding the client’s motivations, making the client look good for their boss, keeping an eye on the client’s bottom line, etc.

(So, many of these contribute to why clients/firms get fired. Even successful work doesn’t assuage this sometimes.)

But even still, knowing you game may help you get to a point where they respect your input because it’s reasoned and honest, not just because you are a pair of hands, like in one of my favorite scenes from the ’60s drama Mad Men:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y4b-DEkIps&feature=player_embedded]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y4b-DEkIps&feature=player_embedded

Having done the homework of “knowing” the client, the ad man, Don Draper, is confident in the approach and puts it to the client.