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Hooray for the Baltimore Design School!

This week, the Baltimore Design School had their repurposing ceremony at the old Lebow Clothing Factory. What is the Baltimore Design School? It is a new public middle-high school offering fashion, architecture and graphic design. The school has its first year under its belt with a 6th grade and 7th grade class. They will be continuing to add 6th and 7th graders to get to a full set of students through grade 12. The redesigned building will include art galleries, studios, classrooms, computer labs and fabrication facilities. Until the building is ready, the students are studying at Winston Middle School. Check out the Baltimore Design School’s website for more information (something to surely keep an eye on)!

Principal Joesph Freed talking in front of the students.

Large cyanotype artwork made by the students for the new building.

March 16, 2012

Converse: DIY

The other night an intimate group met for our Converse night. The topic was DIY. For those of you that couldn’t make it out or decided to spend the evening outside, here is a recap of what we talked about!

Non-graphic design DIY seems to be a great outlet for inspiration for designers.
DIY seems to be something popular with people in their 20s and 30s, but that after some financial stability has formed, people seem more likely to be willing to hire a professional to do the task.
For people that are trying to do graphic design type DIY, they are more likely the clients that wouldn’t want to seek a professional designer anyhow because they are wanting to conserve costs.
It is still bothersome for designers though when designers witness poor Photoshop work or bad kerning, but perhaps we just need to know when to keep things things to ourselves and let the person be proud of what they accomplished on their own.

Converse is our roundtable event regularly occurring on the third Thursday of odd numbered months. Each event focuses on a different topic for discussion. Email converse@baltimore.aiga.org if you have any questions or if you would like to suggest a topic for a future Converse night.

January 23, 2012

by Alissa Jones
in Baltimore, Design, Events, Social Design
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Converse: Social Design

Last week, we had our regular Converse event, and the topic was “social design.” A group of 25 charged and passionate people arrived ready to tackle the subject. Here are some of snippets from the evening.

What is Social Design? Does it need to be defined?
It’s with the idea the end result will bring proactive change.
It’s tackling social issues with design methodologies.
There is often a “giving back” aspect to the project.
Having graphic designers involved early in these projects allows the creative thinking skill set to be utilized in the solution, rather than just at the end to “make things pretty.”
Projects seem to be more successful when they are tackled by groups of people from a broad range of disciplines. The collaboration aspect is key. The designer role is just one part of a larger group.
Keep things as simple as possible and have the audience and users in mind to ensure the project can have longevity.
Make sure you are welcome in the community. Partner with them and ask the community what they want and need. Often, they have the best ideas.
Have an exit plan, so that when the group leaves, the solution can keep running successfully without you.

What topics might be good to tackle for Baltimore?

Bike lanes
Education
Increase manufacturing
Transportation
Trash
Pride for the city
Crime
Unemployment
Improve the city’s brand
Increase city population
Food deserts, nutrition education
Diabetes
Communication without violence
Homelessness
Improve education, health and recreate for teens
Instill confidence and values in children

Thanks to those who made it out, and look out for our next Converse event in March!

October 21, 2011

Show Baltimore why you love design!

We know you love design, so now is your chance to show what you love about it to Baltimore! Check out D Center’s request for entries. They are looking for submissions for their upcoming exhibition, Network (Temporary Permanent Collection). They want a representation of what design means to you. This could be a project you worked on, an advertisement of your organization, a doodle on a napkin, a letter of support, or any kind of visual media or contribution that indicates your relationship to design.

To enter your submission, RSVP by 10/26, and include a brief description of the work (no more than 150 words) and deliver your work or arrange for it to be picked up before November 2.

D Center is located at 218 Saratoga Street storefront gallery, D Center @ MAP.

To RSVP or ask questions, contact marian.glebes@gmail.com or mkamoss@gmail.com.

November 11, 2010

MICA Illustration Event—This Sunday

There’s an exhibit by MICA illustration alumni opening on Sunday. (It also looks like a great opportunity to score some early holiday presents.)

Here’s the info:

WHAT: IL NXT: Illustration Next at Case[werks]

Curated by Whitney Sherman, director of the new M.F.A. in Illustration Practice at MICA, IL NXT is an exhibition of illustration practice today. With our daily lives awash in technology, we crave handmade items as our cultural narratives play out on clothing, personal items and environments. This show—with works by MICA alumni Lauren Castillo, Emily Flake, Pamela Hobbs, Colin Johnson, Elena Johnston, Daniel Krall, Alyssa Nassner, Jess Neil, Jessica O’Brien, Jill Popowich, Joey Potts, Brian Rea, Whitney Sherman, Gina Triplett and Alex Uyeno—represents some of illustration’s new storytelling models interwoven with time-honored traditional methods.

The exhibition is sponsored by the MICA Alumni Association, MICA’s Office of Research and in partnership with Case[werks], a national supplier of archival exhibit furnishings and gallery products located in the heart of the Station North Arts District. www.casewerks.com or http://www.facebook.com/casewerks

WHEN: Sunday, Nov. 14–Wednesday, Dec. 29, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

OPENING: reception on Sunday. Nov. 14, 4–6 p.m, refreshments served

WHERE: Case[werks] Gallery, 1501 St. Paul St.

For more info …

http://www.casewerks.com/news/2010/11/03/illustration-next-opens-nov-14th/

May 10, 2010

by Alissa Jones
in AIGA, AIGA Baltimore, Baltimore, Design, Freelance
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You can do it!

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!

April 29, 2010

by Kristin Sinclair
in Baltimore, Design, Professional Development
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A Day in the Life: YOU can change your audience.

As designers we are visual problem solvers. We work to connect clients with their audiences in a visual way. This was very evident at the Day in the life conference I attended in Baltimore, MD on this past Saturday.

From students to professionals, there were people from non-profits as well as corporations and design firms. There were big ideas and conversations about design and the community that went on through out the day.

Some nuggets of knowledge that people got out of it:

“Great Conference, let’s do it again next year!”

“. . . it’s time to get on twitter!”

“ I am not alone in this business.”

“Baltimore has a beautiful design future — this event proves it.”

This entire event was a hit, and exceeded my expectations. The sessions that I attended were great, and the only problem I had was I left wanting more, but was motivated to do good. I was wishing we had more sessions and the choice of more then 2, and I heard the same from other attendees as well but overall it was a positive experience, High Five to the organizers!

Quoting Ross Nover from free range studios “We can take an idea and make it a valid Credible thing” At free range studio they specialize in designing for social impact not consumption, working to enable and empower their clients to transform their audience.

The discussion was engaging and it was refreshing to see other designers out there similar frustrations, and issues when learning to try and design for their community. There is an idea that you first must raise awareness then engage your audience. Your audience is more impressionable then you think. Some interesting resources and projects they worked on: the story of stuff, no impact project

Another session that I attended: The green movement and the creative industry presented by Eryn Willard from Studio 22. Being a green design firm, they are determined to be sustainable and lower the clients’ footprint at every step. From paper to ink to process, I was educated on the way we print and what is the harm that is done in the process. Learning that there is a life cycle to what we do. When designing sustainably you are impacting the community, environment, and the economy, giving your client and their audience a better life. Here are some interesting resources that were shared during the session: calculate your project footprint, Design ignites change

As designers we have the POWER to influence our audiences and design for social change. Having the opportunity to meet other like-minded individuals and discuss these topics within the confines of a creative space can strengthen our skills and expand our ideas. Here’s to hoping for an even greater session next year!

April 22, 2010

Art & Copy Movie Screening: shag.squarespace.com

ART & COPY, a film about advertising and inspiration.
Introductory remarks by Tom Czajkowsky, art director, Carton Donofrio
May 13, 7:00-9:00pm
UMBC, Fine Arts Building, Center for Art, Design and Visual Culture, 1st Floor, FREE program. All are welcome.

April 12, 2010

Ellen Lupton: Observations and Obsessions from Thinking with Type, Second Edition

April 15, 7:00-9:00pm
MICA, Main Building, 1300 W Mt Royal Ave, Room M110

Info posted at:

http://shag.squarespace.com

SHAG is sponsored by Dolphin Press & Print at MICA and MICA’s programs in Graphic Design and Illustration.
SHAG website is sponsored by AQUENT, the talent agency for marketers and designers.

This email is from Joe Sullivan / SHAG.
If you have questions or want your name removed from the SHAG email list, contact me by replying to this email.

Apr 15 10