Welcome

Welcome to the May issue of Re:Member. For those who
didn’t make it to last month’s Fresh Talent, you missed three of our
city’s accomplished designers as they showcased fresh work coming out
of Chicago. Read the review below to get the scoop, and make sure to
drop by this month’s Small Talk at Avenue. Also, thanks to all who
submitted work for the AIGA Chicago Snap Shot—we look forward to
profiling your work at next month’s Annual Members Meeting.

“To play it safe is not to play.”
—Robert Altman, film director

Chicago Chapter News & Events

Fresh Talent 2007 review
This year’s Fresh Talent focused on young, Chicago-based talent. Rick
Valicenti, a national Fresh Talent alum, curated and moderated the
event. Featured designers Nigel Dennis, Yann Legendre and Tnop
Wangsillapakun highlighted fresh work from the windy city as they gave
individual presentations and formed a panel with Valicenti to answer
audience questions about their practices in Chicago.

Nigel was the youngest featured designer at age twenty-four, with his work at Electric Heat
ranging from art for Coca-Cola to album design for independent
musicians. Valicenti aptly described his success as “having
simultaneously attracted the attention of the corporate world and
underground culture.” Nigel cited music as his primary inspiration,
“his breath, his life,” for work characterized by many layers.
French-born Yann Legendre emphasized his love of drawing, which he
views as a way to discover his environment and ultimately find
inspiration. “I try to be very diversified and to surprise the public
with a different technique,” says Yann about his work at Tanagram Partners,
garnering inspiration from observing art and life. Tnop Wangsillapakun
began his career in Chicago after graduate school at Savannah School of
Art and Design, and a few years later he started his own firm bePOS|+|VE
with locations in both Chicago and his native Bangkok. Tnop combines
advertising, art and design to form a very unique style. His
good-natured personality and strong logo work has attracted large,
international clientele such as Corbis, Nike, and Intel.

This event was sponsored by Getty Images and Aquent.

Small Talk III: Avenue
Tuesday, May 22
Avenue
363 W. Erie Street, Fourth Floor East
6:00 pm

The third installment of the 2007 season travels to Avenue Marketing & Communications.
Avenue is an independent marketing and communications firm that
specializes in helping businesses launch new products and services, and
rethink new directions for established brands. Their clients come from
various industries looking to envision and identify new opportunities
for their brands. Don’t miss this intimate look into Avenue’s approach
to work that inspires change for leading businesses. Registration is
$10 for students, $20 for members, and $40 for non-members.
Registration begins at 6:00 pm, with the presentation starting at 6:30.
Very limited space remains. Register here.

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

Membership

Membership benefit reminder
AIGA’s professional resources include access to AIGA Design:Business,
an online newsletter that contains articles on the practical issues of
running a design practice. Based on the advice of nationally recognized
consultants, the newsletter is aimed at sole practitioners, those who
run studios, and designers who want to learn more about what is needed
to run their own practice. To access this newsletter, visit AIGA Professional Resources.

AIGA Chicago welcomes new members to the chapter

Welcome to AIGA Chicago!

From National

Enter the second annual Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism
The Winterhouse Awards for Design Writing & Criticism seek to
increase the understanding and appreciation of design, both within the
profession and throughout American life. This awards program is part of
a larger AIGA initiative to stimulate new levels of design awareness
and critical thinking about design. Visit the AIGA national site to learn more about this program and its awards. The application deadline is May 31, 2007.

Design Community Events

Nurture.Future.
The University of Illinois at Chicago’s 2007 graphic design senior show
takes place this Friday, May 11. The event starts at 6:00 pm in the UIC
Art & Architecture Building located at 860 W. Harrison Street. Get
more information at the UIC site.

Chicago Green Drinks
Foresight’s Green Drinks Chicago is an opportunity for those interested
in sustainability and environmental issues to gather and network. The
topic for this panel discussion is “Every Drop Matters: The Lake and
the City.” Stop by the Jefferson Tap at 325 N. Jefferson Street on
Wednesday, May 16. Drinks begin at 5:30 pm followed by the discussion
from 7:00-8:00 pm. Cost is $5 for the general public and $2 for
students; no registration is necessary. For more information about the
event and its panelists, visit the Foresight Design Initiative site.

Save the Date

June 14—Annual Members Meeting