RE:MEMBER .Issue 39

WELCOME

Welcome to the May issue of Re:Member!

Spring is in the air! The sky is bluer, the grass is greener and best of all—the weather is warmer. And what better way for AIGA Chicago to celebrate than with our Business of Design II event which highlights the successful t-shirt business of Threadless. This event is only a week away and space is limited. So register now to save your place!

Have a case of Spring fever? Dying to get out of the house? Then be sure to meet up with friends at Clear Space III at The Fifty/50, details below.

And finally, those of you who weren’t able to make it to Fresh Talent, Tools of the Trade I or Clear Space II can catch up on what you missed in our new “This Past Month” section.

“There is nothing so stable as change.”
—Bob Dylan

UPCOMING EVENTS

Business of Design II - Jake Nickell and Jeffrey Kalmikoff of skinnyCorp/Threadless

Tuesday, May 13
Alliance Française
54 W. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
7:30am doors open
8-10am presentation and q&A

The Business of Design series brings together Chicago’s businessthought leaders in design, marketing, communications, strategy and research. We’ll tap the genius and the lessons learned from inspiring business leaders who understand the value of design and integrate design throughout their organization.

Jake Nickell, founder and CEO of Chicago-based, community-business-centric skinnyCorp/Threadless and Jeffery Kalmikoff, partner and CCO, have used their entrepreneurial skills to turn projects such as Threadless into a thriving multi-million-dollar t-shirt business. The Threadless business model, which uses a "call for design submissions" technique, is one of the first successful stories in using concepts such as crowd sourcing and user innovation. Since its founding in late 2000, Threadless has grown to a community that has over 650,000 registered users and sells more than 90,000 t-shirts per month. In addition to Threadless, YayHooray is another skinnyCorp community-driven project that provides a "just-for-fun" forum on design and technology.

Register now!

This event is sponsored by Appleton Coated, The Curious Collection, JohnsByrne Company and Getty Images.

Small Talk III: Thirst
Tuesday, May 20
Thirst
1440 W. Hubbard Street
Floor 2
Chicago, IL 60622
6pm registration
6:30-8:30pm presentation and q&a

At Small Talks, attendees visit local design community members at their place of work. Throughout the year, Small Talks take us to a variety of firms, including boutiques, in-house departments, cross-discipline studios, start-ups and large agencies.

Thirst was founded in 1987 to pursue the elusive ideals surrounding experience, art and design: intelligent yet accessible, experimental yet expert.

Register now!

This event is sponsored by Artisan, Dupli-Graphic and Getty Images.

Clear Space III
Thursday, June 5
The Fifty/50
2047 W Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
6pm

Clear Spaces are agenda-free opportunities to mix with fellow members of the design community.

The Fifty/50, located on West Division Avenue near Damen, is an accommodating up-and-coming tri-level spot that is great for an after-work cocktail, or a tasty dinner. A large outdoor patio area is the highlight of spring and summer evenings, and a great place to relax with a group of friends. The menu is composed of comfort food favorites, and along with a full bar, the Fifty/50 features a weekly rotating 40-ounce bottle served in its natural habitat - a brown paper bag. The versatile atmosphere makes this a great place to mingle with peers and make new connections.

Registration is FREE, but necessary.

THIS PAST MONTH

Fresh Talent summary
Fresh Talent took place on April 9 at Loyola University’s Rubloff Auditorium. The event showcased three young designers in celebration of their place within Chicago’s design history: Sue Daly of the Renegade Craft Fair, Dawn Hancock of Firebelly Design, and Alisa Wolfson from Leo Burnett. Rick Valicenti was the moderator.

The evening began with a few words from Susan Jackson Keig, who embodies Chicago’s rich design heritage. She shared memories of when she first came to town back in 1945 when the Bauhaus was cutting-edge. Ms. Keig, who will be 90 this year, is best known for her work on behalf of the Shakers. She still practices today, designing publications, exhibits and even medals for world leaders. She received a standing ovation upon her closing words, “Once they find out what you can do, they can’t do without you.”

The first presenter, Sue Daly, began the Renegade Craft Fair in 2001. What was assumed to be a one-time event in Wicker Park has grown to an indie tradition in Chicago, Brooklyn and San Francisco. The vendors who sell at Renegade offer unique, hand-made items, which combine traditional methods, such as knitting, sewing and woodworking, with an urban, edgy aesthetic.

Dawn Hancock, Principal of Firebelly Design, put her vision of socially conscious graphic design into motion 10 years ago. “Good design for good reason” is their motto.

In addition to seeking out clients who wish to “do good,” Firebelly sponsors a design and marketing grant for a qualifying non-profit every year. Most recently, Firebelly has launched Reason to Give, a program whose donations go directly to the service of underprivileged residents of Humboldt Park.

Although it has become mainstream for agencies to donate work, the idea of giving has been core to Dawn Hancock’s vision from the start. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years and all I ever wanted was for people to get it. And now I think they finally do.”

The third and final speaker was Alisa Wolfson who has worked for VSA Partners as a Senior Designer and at Interface as a Design Director. She currently works Leo Burnett and is the Creative Director of Lampo, a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of experimental music. Alisa shared some of her favorite portfolio pieces and took the audience through her personal journey in aesthetic understanding.

This event was sponsored by The Buzz Company and Getty Images.

Clear Space II summary
Clear Space II was held on April 3 at the Fulton Lounge, the living-room-like surroundings of which comfortably seated 40 or so AIGA members. In the heart of the meatpacking district, the Lounge is an unlikely location for such a stylish and cozy venue. It was a fun social event as area designers and friends of design networked and caught up on the local buzz. The lounge’s inventive martinis also provided just the right stimulus for an evening of great conversation.

Tools of the Trade I summary
“Creative Content for the Web,” presented by Naz Hamid, was the topic for Tools of the Trade I which took place on April 24th at the Alliance Française.

Naz Hamid is an independent designer who works out of his home studio in Ravenswood. As the creative director for the regionally oriented news site Gaper’sBlock, Mr. Hamid is particularly excited by the concept of community and how that translates to the Web.

“In our day-to-day lives, we experience many kinds of communities...” said Mr. Hamid, “...the Web is a community at large...
all are welcome.”

Naz showed examples of many community-based sites from the purely social, such as Facebook, to more artistic networks, like Flickr. There were some fun ones in the mix too, such as the craft site Etsy and Muxtape, where users can upload playlists to share with friends. He then asked the audience to share any of their own site concepts in which two individuals participated.

Mr. Hamid’s overarching message was, simply put, “If somebody else isn’t doing it, why not you?” Naz encouraged everyone to get involved in creating Web communities since the Internet is unique in that it’s user-driven — a setting in which the proliferation of ideas and unified group interests can be started by anybody.

He then offered eight or so principles which he discovered on his own journey of enthusiasm. His advice included understanding the audience and respecting their intelligence, knowing who to work with to keep the project maintained and continually interesting, incorporating assessment, keeping people happy and knowing when to quit.

The lecture was sponsored by The Buzz Company, Forget Computers, Ltd. and Getty Images.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership benefit reminder
As part of AIGA’s collaborative partnership for 2008, AIGA and F+W Publications have extended significant discounts—more than 65% off—to AIGA members on print subscriptions of HOW, Print and I.D. magazines.

In addition, all professional, associate and educator members receive a complimentary digital subscription to I.D. magazine from AIGA. Each bimonthly issue of I.D. is conveniently sent directly to your e-mail inbox.

For more information about publication discounts please visit the AIGA Web site.

AIGA Chicago welcomes new members to the chapter

Welcome to AIGA Chicago!

FROM NATIONAL

Winterhouse Awards

The Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism seek to increase the understanding and appreciation of design, both within the profession and throughout American life. A program of AIGA, these annual awards have been founded by Jessica Helfand and William Drenttel of the Winterhouse Institute to recognize excellence in writing about design and encourage the development of young voices in design writing, commentary and criticism.

Submissions for the 2008 awards may be entered during the period of March 3 through June 2, 2008 on the AIGA Winterhouse Awards Web site.

DESIGN COMMUNITY EVENTS

IIT Institute of Design Strategy Conference

Global businesses increasingly appreciate how design and design thinking can provide them with high-level strategic value and competitive advantage. In an intensely competitive market, with ever more diverse and demanding customers, executives are often left unsure of exactly what products, communications and services to create for what segments of the market. On May 22 and 23, the Institute of Design Strategy Conference at MCA Chicago hopes to help businesses build a stronger bridge between design and business strategy.

For more information, or to register for the conference please visit the Institute of Design Strategy Conference Web site.

At the Edge

After six years of supporting a series of commissioned projects, Gallery 400 of the University of Illinois at Chicago has expanded it’s At the Edge program to include both designers and architects. Sponsored projects can range from off-site installations, to CD compilations, and Web sites. To submit a proposal or learn more about At the Edge visit
the Gallery 400 Web site.

Camp Firebelly
Firebelly Design is looking for standout individuals to participate in their first-ever student design charrette. The sleep away camp runs from June 23 through July 2 and will combine the talents and smarts of 10 design students (or graduates of less than one year) for 10 days of intensive collaboration with an awesome nonprofit client to address a social justice issue, strategize and design the solution and see it all the way through to print.

This is an incredible opportunity to learn firsthand what professional design life is like - Firebelly style. Campers will stay in Firebelly’s Chicago loft office, sleep in sleeping bags and eat healthy organic/vegetarian grub. You’ll participate in research, brainstorm sessions and client critiques. There will also be several side missions like field trips and workshops with designers Mike Perry/Midwestisbest and Delicious Design League.

College designers interested in working on a world-changing project centered around a social justice issue should visit the Camp Firebelly Web site for more information.

Applications are due Friday, May 23.

Save the Date

June 12—Annual Member Meeting