RE:MEMBER .Issue 38

WELCOME

Welcome to the April issue of Re:Member and of course the Spring event I, like many Chicagoans, celebrate most—the annual putting away of the snow shovel event! And even if April’s proverbial rains dampen that celebration, AIGA Chicago is prepared with several spectacular events that will surely keep you dancing in the rain!

Those of you who weren’t able to make it to Business of Design I or Small Talk II can read below for a summary of those events.

“A life in design is a difficult one—a life living in a state of heightened emotional awareness, throwing your entire soul into your very best work, which may be dismissed in an instant for the most trivial and petty of reasons. I can’t think of anything else I would rather do more.”
—Robert Louey

CHICAGO CHAPTER NEWS & EVENTS

Fresh Talent
Wednesday, April 9
Loyola University
Rubloff Auditorium
25 E. Pearson Street
Chicago, IL 60611
6pm doors open
6:30pm presentation
8pm q&a

Fresh Talent 2008 will highlight the work of three young Chicago-based female designers: Sue Daly, Dawn Hancock and Alisa Wolfson. The discussion will center on the city we call home, as the three designers publicly reflect on their work and place within Chicago’s design history. Rick Valicenti of Thirst will moderate and ask each designer to begin their presentation by identifying a designer or designers who have come before them and with whose spirit theirs best aligns.

Register now!

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

Tools of the Trade I: Creative Content for the Web
Thursday, April 24
Alliance Française
54 W. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
7:30am doors open
8-9:30am presentation
9:30am q&a

In 2007, AIGA Chicago introduced Tools of the Trade, a practical business workshop series for designers. Mirroring the Business of Design Series, these events address the hands-on needs of design businesses. Join AIGA Chicago and Naz Hamid as he spreads knowledge on his expertise of interface design and large-scale interactive projects geared to building communities and groups.

Naz Hamid is a designer who’s worked with studios and clients across the country. His work encompasses a variety of disciplines and styles but is focused on interface design, infographics and interactive projects geared towards building communities and groups. Khoi Vinh, Design Director at the New York Times Digital says, “If the internet has given us a new breed of designer, then Nazarin Hamid is the archetype: prolific, self-motivated, entrepreneurial and plainly gifted.”

Register now!

This event is sponsored by The Buzz Company, Forget Computers, Ltd. and Getty Images.

Small Talk II summary
Studio Blue hosted our second Small Talk on March 25. The team, led by Cheryl Towler Weese, presented one evocative project after another to a particularly captivated audience.

“I think what makes a good designer is a genuine curiosity,” said Cheryl before introducing her staff of highly seasoned creatives.

Studio Blue’s reputation for quality book design has led them into more expanded projects in brand and Web design for educational and cultural institutions. The group’s focus on research and collaborative ideation is made apparent by the range of conceptual prowess in their finished work.

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

Business of Design I summary
Business of Design I, held on March 12 at the Alliance Française, featured Katrina Markoff, chocolatier and owner of Vosges Haut-Chocolate. Joseph Michael Essex was the moderator.

“I was a vanilla girl forever,” said Katrina, until she "realized the power of chocolate" at a cafe in the Place de Vosges, which would become her company’s namesake.

Vosges Haut-Chocolate is the product of Katrina’s curiosity and passion for new thinking. After graduating from the Cordon Bleu Cooking/Culinary School in Paris, she went to Spain to work with a radical chef who advised her to travel the world and let her palate lead her. That was the beginning of a unique journey where she gained insight into a diverse world where cultures and flavors converge. Since then, Katrina has grown a business that brings consumers the experience of high-quality exotic chocolates. From curry powder to bacon, Vosges products are unexpected combinations of flavors, each telling a story rooted in Katrina’s travels. This sets the company apart from other chocolate makers and keeps the ever-evolving Markoff passionate about her work.

“I hate safe. Safe is so boring,” she remarked. Though her risk-taking has seen Vosges through some tough times, Katrina seems to have enjoyed the journey. “I love mistakes,” she said. This flexibility and daring have ultimately served Vosges well—what once was a one-stop shop in Bucktown has grown to multi-store enterprise, stretching from New York to Las Vegas, with national retail distribution.

Towards the end of the discussion, Katrina imparted some idealistic words, the mantra for artists and entrepreneurs everywhere: “Where the heart leads you, the money and success will follow.”

For more information about Vosges, or to order some tasty treats, visit the Vosges Haut-Chocolate Web site.

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

EDUCATION

Summer Interns for CPS

Chicago Public Schools’ Education to Careers program is seeking summer intern hosts. Providing Chicago high school students with a tangible vision of a career greatly increases the likelihood of their pursuing a college degree—a goal that for many currently seems elusive. The Mayor’s Summer Workforce Program is granting a limited number of subsidized positions for students interested in graphic design and related fields this summer.

If you would like additional information or to have your firm host an intern, please send your name, company represented, and contact information to info@aigachicago.org.

AIGA Chicago Student Enrichment Scholarship

Seniors, submit your best work! AIGA Chicago will award $3000 to one graduating senior demonstrating particular promise. Our scholarship is intended to ease the progression from student to young professional. For instance, this award can offset the costs of attending a national conference, building a personal library of books or typefaces, purchasing equipment or software, or preparing your portfolio. Application deadline is April 25. Good luck! For more information, and to download the scholarship application form visit the AIGA Chicago Web site.

MEMBERSHIP

Membership benefit reminder
AIGA invites members from across the United States to create nonpartisan posters that inspire the American public to participate in the electoral process and vote for a presidential candidate in the 2008 general election.

By motivating eligible individuals to register and turn out on election day, Get Out the Vote fulfills an ongoing AIGA objective of demonstrating the value of design to the public, public officials and business by providing a clear call to action for an activity that is important to everyone.

For more information, or to contribute a poster, visit the Get Out the Vote 2008 Web site.

AIGA Chicago welcomes new members to the chapter

Welcome to AIGA Chicago!

FROM NATIONAL

AIGA co-publishes The Open Brand

AIGA Design Press, in partnership with Peachpit’s New Riders imprint, announces the publication of The Open Brand: When Push Comes to Pull in a Web-Made World by Kelly Mooney and Nita Rollins, PhD. The authors assert that traditional mass-marketing “push” tactics are giving way to the “pull” of an online population that is no longer content to merely consume. Successful brands need to be “O.P.E.N.—on-demand, personal, engaging and networked” in order to ensure relevance. This innovative book illuminates both the risks and rewards of opening up to consumer involvement in brand messages and offerings.

All proceeds from The Open Brand will be donated to Nicholas Negroponte’s One Laptop per Child, an organization dedicated to donating laptops to children in developing nations.

The Open Brand is now available through retailers nationwide. For more information visit Peachpit’s New Riders Web site.

AIGA and Adobe partner to develop font collection

AIGA announces a comprehensive and affordable font collection for teaching and learning about typography. Adobe® Font Folio® Education Essentials software was developed by Adobe in collaboration with college-level AIGA design educators to serve the needs of students in professional programs of study and higher education faculty by providing nearly 500 fonts in OpenType® format. Adobe supports these fonts with online information about their development and history.

This product was developed by AIGA and Adobe specifically to help design students afford and acquire a license to a range of fonts in a single package to minimize their costs, while providing a full family of fonts to assist educators in teaching typography. For more information visit the Adobe Web site.

DESIGN COMMUNITY EVENTS

Picturehouse event

Stock Photography plays a role in the creative process for many designers. Picturehouse brings together buyers and suppliers of photography, illustration and footage, and they have organized a one-day, one-location event in Chicago on April 16 to do so. Stop by the River East Art Center to network and see what some leading stock photography agencies from around the globe are up to. For more information about the event visit the Picturehouse Web site. This event is free.

Gravity Free: Multidisciplinary Design Innovation Conference

Registration is open for Gravity Free which is being held in Chicago, May 12-14. This year’s theme, “The Year of Dangerous Minds,” celebrates creative risk-taking in the realms of architecture, interior design, product design, urban planning, graphic design and screenwriting. Speakers include Chip Kidd, Luigi Colani, Jamie Drake, Stefan Sagmeister, Jake Barton, Deborah Adler and Massimo Vignelli. For more information, and registration visit the Gravity Free Web site.

SAVE THE DATE

May 13—Business of Design II: Jeffrey Kalmikoff and Jake Nickell of Threadless
May 20—Small Talk III: Thirst
June 12—Annual Member Meeting