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.
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!
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!
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.
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:
- Speakers’ first and last names
- School(s) you attend
- Email address we should use to contact you if your talk is selected
- Title of your proposed talk
- 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.
Open-Call for Board Applications
As we have mentioned in recent months, the AIGA Baltimore Board has been in a period of transition. We have revised the structure of the board, which has created several new positions. If you have ever wanted to play a greater role in the design community, now is your chance.
Being on the board is more than just a resume builder, it is your opportunity to have an impact in the Baltimore design community. By being on the board for the AIGA Baltimore Chapter, you are joining a group of dedicated professionals who are supportive of each board members’ initiatives. These positions are new, so the descriptions are just a starting point. Should you accept a position, we would want to work with you to help define the role further. If any of these positions interest you, please click the button below to download the application packet.
Open Positions
- Education & Professional Development Director
- Social Design Director
- Print Publications Chair
- Digital Publications Chair
- Web Chair
- Membership Chair
- Sponsorship Chair
- Networking Chair
- Converse Chair
We are looking forward to this new exciting year. Please contact us if you have any questions about the open positions.
Best Regards,
Alissa Jones, President
Brian Ghiloni, Vice President
Style or No Style?
This was the topic of our Converse event this past Thursday at Teavolve. It was a rousing topic, and the group brought up some great points.
- Some designers seem to have less of a style, but rather a methodology.
- Some felt they were hired/not hired because of their style or lack of style.
- Illustrators and photographers have a style, but this aids in predictability for that art form.
- Some see style as just a sales tool.
- Maybe the time for a designer having a style is over and the real art is in the process, methodology and the designer’s approach.
Thanks to those who made it out, and look out for our next Converse event on social design in January!
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.
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!
You don’t know Jack: A conversation with Jack Anderson
In a world where we are constantly bombarded with information, taking a look at everything from afar – it is often good to get up out of your comfortable setting and listen to others speak to their experiences and have an in-person conversation. Last week, I had the privilege of attending ADG’s event: Branding With Jack Anderson, which was both motivational and inspiring.
Jack Anderson of Hornall Anderson is one who is inspired by the people at his office and strives to help create new environments giving people the ultimate human experience. He describes himself as a student, a designer, and a strategist – commenting on the fact that designers are not just part of the service department anymore, but that we are vital in the collaboration process. We all can be creative no matter who we are in an organization, and when you foster an environment with no fear and give employees the permission to fail – your people grow.
The Hornall Anderson Experience Lab (HAX) is brilliant. It is a space created for the fostering of creative ideas with multiple technologies and the space to test them. Yes, not every company can have one of these, but we can take the concept and foster creativity by listening to the main ideas Jack commented on in his talk:
• Anyone can be creative. The next best idea for your company can come from the receptionist. Hornall Anderson’s receptionist came up with the idea of a culture wall, a wall of photos of all the employees showing different expressions. Maybe someone has an idea for ping-pong tournaments or company retreats, etc. Letting people be able to express their ideas in an open environment with no fear keeps the moral positive.
• Don’t love your ideas to death. As creative beings, we sometimes try too hard to keep an idea and love it so much it fails. Push for quick no’s and prototyping. Let ideas come and let them go – understanding that not all of your loved ideas are going to be the ones that make it.
• Create your own story. You make your own success. Don’t let others write it for you. If there is something you want to do, go for it. Pave your own way, but understand that it will not always be easy.
• Give the permission to fail. Make mistakes and make them on purpose, giving yourself or the staff the ability to think quickly and effectively. Giving people the permission to fail allows a weight of fear to be lifted and helps open the doors to more creative collaboration and a better flow of ideas. It allows people to take risks they may have been scared to take before.
• Open environments. Get people off their butts and into meetings and out in the open. Take field trips, build space to allow for creative collaboration, and allocate a budget for ideas.
• Even ground. Even though Jack is the CEO of Hornall and Anderson, when in a room his voice does not carry anymore weight than any other person in the department. Allow for good ideas and creativity to come from anywhere.
• Recommended Reading: Good to Great By Jim Collins. This book changes how we think about success, talking about a Hedgehog concept and helps the reader learn how a good company can become a great company.
Thank you to ADG and Jack Anderson for an inspiring and motivational event, where we have grown our knowledge in understanding of creativity, branding, and appreciation for those that inspire us to do more. Here’s to all of our ongoing education that feeds our sense of curiosity.
AIGA Baltimore Blog 