Converse: I love print, but I need to do websites too!

Last Thursday, we had our monthly Converse event. Converse is an opportunity for lovers of design to come talk casually about a specific topic. This month’s topic was “I love print, but I need to do websites too!”

In case you missed it, here is a little bit of what was discussed that night:

• Web design and web development are two different things.
• Don’t try to become a developer. It is a completely different set of skills. Would you ask a developer to design a brochure or logo?
• Do understand that you are designing for something interactive, its not static like print. Otherwise, the process is all the same.
• Find a good developer to partner with on projects. You might be able to find them at CMS conferences. You need someone who you can have good communication and respect for a good working relationship.
• Bring your developer early into the process. Ask them what kind of design files they prefer and bring them into client discussions to talk about functionality and design.
• Don’t take a job that wants the “everything” type designer. That type of employer does not have realistic expectations or an understanding of the web design process
• It is necessary to educate the client about all of the planning needed to design a website well

And here are some possible resources to consider:

• A List Apart
• A Book Apart Series
• Missing Manual Series
• Code Academy
• Bmore Awesome
• Aquent Summer of Learning (registration is closed for this however)
• Lynda.com
• Adobe Muse: some developers feel this is better for prototyping sites
• WordPress: some developers feel this is better for blogs and not commercial sites

Thank you to b.Creative for sharing their space and their wealth of knowledge with us!

Converse is our roundtable event regularly occurring on the third Thursday of each month. 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.

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.

Ink/Pixels 2012

We had a great time at Ink/Pixels 2012! For those of you that missed it, this was our first student conference. Students had their portfolios reviewed by professionals in the morning, and then in the afternoon, folks got to hear presentations from working professionals and students. The day was capped off by a talk titled Heart, Mind & Gut by Todd Harvey of Mission.

We are considering making this a regular event, so look out for it in Spring 2013!

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And the student presenters for Ink/Pixels are…

Thanks to all of the students that submitted talks to be considered for Ink/Pixels. Here is the list of the students that will be presenting!

Colleen Roxas from the Maryland Institute College of Art will present “Embody,” a presentation on typography explored as unique, abstract form.

Colin Dunn, also a student from the Maryland Institute College of Art, will discuss exobrain and a web-based tool in development in his talk “Outsourcing Our Brains to the Internet.”

Malcolm Rio of Towson University will present “A Postcapitalist Design,” a condensed version of a presentation he completed for Left Forum Conference.

Jasper Crocker from the Maryland Institute College of Art will discuss typographic legibility in his presentation “Breaking Univers.”

And lastly, Erin Good from Millersville University will present “Do What You Love,” a presentation on her relationship with graphic design.

And if you haven’t registered, do it now so you get into the session you want! We hope to see you all in a couple of weeks!

Revinylize in Baltimore!

On March 10th, we had a great time at Revinylize. This event was co-sponsored by AIGA Baltimore and the Irvine Nature Center.

Every year, over 600,000 tons of billboard material is created in the US, and all eventually ends up in the landfills. To help repurpose this waste, AIGA Salt Lake City chapter created the Revinylize Project. By reclaiming local billboard material, the once giant images, are transformed into smaller works of art in the form of unique vinyl messenger bags. Participants that attended made their very own no-sew bag just with some simple cutting and weaving of the straps.

Here are some photos from the fun day!

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.

Ink/Pixels registration is open!

Ink/Pixels registration is open and spots are filling up fast!

What is it?
A design conference for students

What can you do at it?

• Have your portfolio reviewed
• Listen to professional designers share their wisdom
• Hear from your peers talk about design (there is still time for you to be a speaker!)
• See Todd Harvey of Mission give a good talk

Where is it?
MICA Brown Center, Baltimore, MD

How much is it?
$10 for AIGA members
$25 for non-members

How can I go to the conference for free?
We have 10 spots open for volunteers, so if I you don’t mind working for an hour before and an hour afterward, email our volunteer chair, Meghan Marx

Visit here for all of the details and to register
http://www.etouches.com/inkpixels2012

Deadline extended

The deadline for PechaKucha talks has been extended to March 21! Check out the details if you’d like to be a speaker at the Ink/Pixels conference.

See Paula Scher for FREE!

Society of Design (SOD) has offered AIGA Baltimore Members a great opportunity to listen to Paula Scher for free on March 29, 2012. This offer is only available for the first 20 members that register.

Visit SOD’s site for more information on the event and to register.

IMPORTANT: To register for free, choose the “Member” option on the registration page for the event and include a note in the Comments field that you are an AIGA Baltimore member.

Complimentary registrations should be completed by March 22.

Event Details
Society of Design presents Paula Scher
Thursday, March 29, 2012
6:00 p.m. Registration; 7:00 p.m. Presentation
Whitaker Center, 222 Market St, Harrisburg, PA

And the winning poster design is…

This design is by Emilee Hunt, a senior from Millersville University. This poster will be printed and distributed to the local universities in the Baltimore area. Thank you Emilee for your hard work!

When asked about the design, Emilee had this to say:

This design expresses the relationship that ink and pixels has in design. I used a process of printing and scanning techniques to distort a print of my original graphic. This way it passed through a series of steps from print, to screen, and back to print. We live in an exciting time when ink and pixels can have a beautiful co-dependence.

After Emilee finishes her degree, she plans to move to the Baltimore area and pursue a career in Graphic Design and Illustration.