AIGA Jacksonville

01:00 26th Sep 2011

notes: 2

Pecha Kucha 15

Five speakers, five passions. Twenty slides each, 20 seconds per slide. That was the format of the bi-monthly Pecha Kucha event held September 21 at 5 Points Theater in Jacksonville. More than 75 people came out for a dose of inspiration as they heard from a designer and illustrator, thrift store guru, founder of a Kenyan apparel company, film producer and comic author. Though the topics varied, the underlying message was the same: Pinpoint your passion and do something with it. The event showcased some of the city’s innovative, creative and talented professionals. Thanks to everyone who made Pecha Kucha 15 a success!

Read on for a look at what each presenter brought to the stage.

AIGA Jacksonville’s very own Karen Kurycki was up first discussing “the art of graphic wit.” She explained how humor and design enhance the visual experience and outlined some of the basic methods used to do this—distortion, juxtaposition, repetition, scale, transformation, puns and type play. Then, she shared some of the hilarious illustrations she posts on her blog, Absurd Overheard.

Next up was Vanessa Alvarado, a “thrift instigator.” Vanessa explained how she became an authority on all things thrifting (and occasionally dumpster-diving) and offered tips for first-timers, from “get in the mood” to ”make a thrift list.” She searches for unique pieces, from household items to art, and resells them online and at local antique stores. View her finds at www.thriftcore.com.

Chris Markl of Kourage Athletics, a Kenyan apparel company, brought a dose of economics to the evening as he shared about how Kourage proves business can help reduce poverty by providing jobs for locals and creating a high-end product such as the company’s signature lightweight, breathable performance fabrics. Most everything is done in Kenya, from products made by local workers in a Fair Trade factory to the photography and fashion design.

The power of storytelling was the focus of Natalie Halpern’s talk. The film producer and director shared elements that have made her documentaries like “Africa’s Daughters” a success. Stories impact, engage, inspire and compel, she said. Everyone has a story, and telling them helps people connect, learn and empathize, and leaves a legacy. Natalie aims to tell stories that show the good in the world, especially in places like Africa, where the news media often focuses on wars, poverty and other health crises.

Last up was indie comic author Rachel Pandich, whose book “Aspire” was recently published, five years after conception. She gave the audience a lesson in comics, describing the various types, the process and reminding those considering writing or illustrating that, “nobody is good at first.” Rachel developed her passion through many years of practice and by attending lots of comic book conventions. While she might not be writing for Marvel just yet, you can pick up a copy of “Aspire” in area comic bookstores.

We hope to see you at Pecha Kucha 16 in November. Check www.aigajacksonville.org/events for more details coming soon!

If you are interested in presenting or volunteering at a future event, contact Stephanie Soden or visit www.pecha-kucha.org/night/jacksonville.

~ leah, public relations chair
(poster by Birdie Birdashaw)

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15:01 16th Sep 2011

notes: 15

Presentations Done Right

Why are most PowerPoint presentations so boring? So corporate? So much information? A few months ago I was reading a communications blog when I stumbled upon a SlideShare presentation by advertising/marketing/PR guy Jesse Desjardins. As a public relations professional, I have an eye for what I consider to be good, clean, compelling design, but that is not not my specialty. It’s my job to write interesting and attention-grabbing messages. Desjardins’ presentations do just that. Look over some of his 34 posted presentations and you’ll see what I mean. But if you don’t have time to do that, check out my top three takeaways:

1) Write a good headline and the rest is a piece of cake.
First impressions are everything. Headlines should be short, demand attention and, as an added bonus, tie in with current events. From “Bomb Like Charlie Sheen” to “Really Ugly Resumes” and from “10 Ways to be a Marketing Genius Like Lady Gaga” to “You Suck at PowerPoint,” the first slide in Desjardins’ presentations make you want to keep reading.

2) Lighten up.
Sticking with branding or a client’s design preferences can be challenging, but I’m inspired by how Desjardins pushes the limits with bold colors, humorous images and conversational text to make his presentations engaging and fun.

3) Be entrepreneurial.
Like Walt Disney said, “If you can dream it, do it.” When I read Desjardins’ latest presentation, “100 (or so) Bullet Points From the Best Cannes Lions ‘11 Seminars,” (a global gathering of creative professionals that took place in London in June), I was impressed when, on the last slide, he thanked a long list of Twitter users who “partially crowdfunded” his trip. What an ingenious idea … get lots of people to donate a small amount of money for access to notes from an inspiring worldwide event that most people would have never attended. It’s a win-win for everyone (at least the 50,642 people who have viewed the presentation to date).

In the end, Desjardins’ work serves as a good reminder to be creative, think big and push the limits. Why not?

~ leah, public relations chair

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12:00

A Typeface Design for Dyslexia

Some of us may admit to having a disorder when it comes to our obsession with typography. I mean, it’s absolutely fantastic though isn’t it? To be able to communicate so thoroughly and completely with feeling beyond the written word. Well, you know why you love it, however there are many of us out there who unfortunately do not get to have the same experience. Until recently.

Christian Boer at StudioStudio, has specifically designed a typeface for those who suffer from dyslexia. His designs combine the ideas of spacing and weight to make a clear and readable font for all, but more to the point, clear and readable for a dyslexic.

The developmental disorder, dyslexia, is when the brain does not interpret symbols in a normal way. It can mix up letters, disconnect sounds with those letters, or even cause trouble with the recognition of characters as a group when forming a word.

With Boer’s typeface, he takes into account the shape of each individual character, spending hours designing a single comma to gain the desired effect. In this set, each character is weighted at the bottom, and no two similar characters resemble each-other. For example the thicker bottom bowl of a “p” will seem to keep it firmly weighted on the baseline in the correct orientation. You can check it out on their website and decide for yourself if you think it’s easier to read. Their research even indicated that readers had fewer errors using dyslexia rather than standard fonts. Even readers without dyslexia.

So now we have typography design that is “curing” disease and improving reading skills. Now I just need a font that fixes my spelling and grammar… /rant.

~ bryan, social media chair

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15:01 15th Sep 2011

Classic Draplin

“America is fucked…graphically, at least.”

This is Aaron Draplin, passionate graphic designer, telling Jess Gibson an eloquent story using strong language—mostly F-bombs—about a sign.

Find out what else is on Draplin’s mind when he visits AIGA Jacksonville on September 30 to kick off the Always Summer Weekend!

~ patrick, vice president

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12:00

AIGA Jacksonville Goes Bald for a Cause at St. Baldrick’s Foundation Event

AIGA Jacksonville came together Saturday, September 10, 2011, for a great cause—the St. Baldrick’s Foundation event at the Jacksonville Landing. AIGA Jacksonville partakes in a number of charity events around town as a way to give back to the community, but this event was particularly heartwarming, fun and full of surprises!

St. Baldrick’s is a volunteer-driven charity committed to funding research to find cures for childhood cancers and give survivors long and healthy lives. At events across the country, volunteers of all ages and genders shave their way to conquer kids’ cancer by raising donations and going bald for a cause. This year’s event attracted about 70 shavees and raised an impressive $16,000+ in one day.

During the event, AIGA Jacksonville volunteers donated their time by providing an arts and crafts area for kids, complete with face painting, coloring, games and a collaborative painting project. Kids and their parents stopped by for some creative fun before and after their haircuts. A team of three high school students even decided to have their entire heads painted blue in honor of their school mascot, the blue devils.

With several tables full of art supplies and about a dozen volunteers, AIGA Jacksonville helped provide a touch of colorful creativity to an already wonderful and inspiring event. By the end of the afternoon, two of us even decided to raise a couple of extra bucks and joined in on the baldness. Check out images from the event by visiting our Flickr page.

Be sure to visit aigajacksonville.org for upcoming volunteer opportunities where you can hang out with some great people and get some good karma by giving back to your community. For more information about volunteering with AIGA Jacksonville, drop us a line at volunteer@aigajacksonville.org.

~ bryan, social media chair
(photos by jim ward)

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15:01 14th Sep 2011

Aaron Draplin Talks Passion

Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co. talks about snowboarding and passion. Videos were shot courtesy of Jared Souney for Yobeat & Level.
(via Wanken)

Check out more of what Draplin’s got to say when he visits AIGA Jacksonville on September 30 to kick off the Always Summer Weekend!

~ jim, programming co-director

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14:01

2011 Board Retreat Wrap-Up

The annual AIGA Jacksonville Board Retreat—a day of brainstorming, planning and bonding—took place August 6 at Patrick Carter Design in Jacksonville Beach. Despite the sunshine and lure of the nearby ocean, the group spent the day inside discussing goals for the coming year and developing new programming to benefit the local design community, as well as Jacksonville as a whole. Here’s a look back and a taste of what’s to come:

Karen Kurycki talked about some of AIGA’s national initiatives, such as reaching three key audiences: businesses, the general public and government, and getting members to donate 5% of their time to pro-bono work for social causes. Chapter goals include giving members a bigger voice and demonstrating the value of design to businesses.

In the morning, teams were created and challenged to articulate why designers should join AIGA Jacksonville. Each team shared their elevator pitch with the group. From long-winded to short and sweet, all presentations highlighted the pros of personal and professional growth, an outlet for inspiration, discounts and other perks.

During lunch, teams were tasked to brainstorm new programming ideas that focused on business or community outreach, education and inspiration. No idea was too small or lofty. Once back, Patrick Carter and the others shared their top picks.

After each idea was probed and talked through, the board voted on which ones to continue developing. From a monthly desktop wallpaper design contest to a design workshop for small businesses, there were plenty of unique suggestions. Design field trip anyone?

The retreat came to a close late in the afternoon with plenty to build on for the 2011-2012 year. So do your part to get involved, get connected and get ready for amazing new programming and initiatives to come!

~ leah, public relations chair
(photos by varick rosete)

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13:26 10th Aug 2011
Meet Your 2011-2012 Board
More than 25 faces (some familiar, others new) make up the 2011-2012 AIGA Jacksonville Board of Directors. The team officially took the reigns August 6 at the Board Retreat in Jacksonville Beach. Here’s a look at who will be leading the chapter this year. Be sure to welcome them tomorrow at Cocktails & Creatives!
- President: Karen Kurycki, CMYKaren
- Vice President: Patrick Carter, Patrick Carter Design
- Treasurer: Brian Holcomb, Print Resources
- Business Outreach Director: Ron Hubbard, Ron Hubbard Design
- Education Co-Director: Dave Begley, UNF
- Education Co-Director: Blake Coglianese, UNF
- Membership Co-Director: Kristina Cancelmi, Zion Rootswear
- Membership Co-Director: Stephanie Soden, Harrington Design Co.
- Programming Co-Director: Jessi Bruton, Burdette Ketchum
- Programming Co-Director: Jim Ward, Native Sun
- Social impact Co-Director: Jamie Galley, independent designer
- Social impact Co-Director: Jen McClelland, American Culinary Federation
- Sponsorship Director: Jeff Spear, Studio Spear
- Volunteer Director: Kim Huddleston, new graduate/freelance designer
- Past President: Varick Rosete, Varick Rosete Studio
Chairs and Committee Members:
- Blog Contributor: George Akel, Mesh Magazine
- Education Committee Member: Luciana Gassett, Flagler College
- Membership Committee Member: Ben Windsor, RR Donnelly
- Mentoring Chair: Casie Simpson, Casie Simpson Design Studio
- Newsletter Chair: Josh Simpson, Advantage Design Group
- Programming Committee Member: Katy Garrison, nGen Works
- Programming Committee Member: Katie Riffle, Wingard Creative
- Public Relations Chair: Leah Craig, American Culinary Federation
- Social Media Chair: Bryan Hunt, American Culinary Federation
- Student Liaison: Andy Gattis, UNF student
- Student Liaison: Amber Ropelis, UNF student
- Web Chair: Eric Hinote, Resonant Method
Stay tuned for a full wrap-up of the ideas, plans and fun had by all at this year’s retreat.

~ leah, public relations chair
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11:39 8th Aug 2011

Join Us This Week at The Morning Leak!

Join us for another inspirational gathering of The Morning Leak! A last minute change in location didn’t stop these early birds from sharing their latest projects and accomplishments. Over thirty local designers, professionals, and students turned out to the Morning Leak in June for our morning mixer.

At this monthly meet up, local artists and designers give each other an inside look at what they are currently working on. So set those alarm clocks and rise and shine, because we’ll be at New Broadway Square at 7:30am.

Last time, Russel Quadros started us off with his presentation of a logo and campaign for the Pet Doctors of America veterinarian clinic. This included two possible directions, each flushed out with a website and poster campaign.

Paul Figura was up next, showcasing his new business cards for Paul Figura Studios. He also discussed presenting a portfolio and ways to market one’s self as a photographer.

Jeff Spear took the floor showing a cook book that Jeff Spear Studios aided in publishing. It featured a variety of comfort food eats, and beautiful food photography.

Adriana Rusti showed a film and animation project she created in her class at Keiser. It featured film merged with some After Effects magic to create the illusion of her classmates holding glowing orbs.

Jhonnattan Arango was our last presenter, who showcased the beginning of his Senior portfolio, and passed around some printed brochure samples featured in his book.

Don’t miss this week’s Morning Leak, whether you’d like to present your latest project or check out what’s going on in your community. We’ll have the entire shop to ourselves at New Broadway Square in 5Points, bright an early at 7:30am.

If you’d like to share a project, contact us at membership@aigajacksonville.org to reserve your slot. Also check out who else is coming at our event page on Facebook!
See you this week at The Morning Leak!

~Steph, Membership Co-Director
(photos by Larry Cirillo)

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12:16 22nd Jul 2011

Pecha Kucha 14

Over one-hundred people packed the 5-Points Theatre on July 19th for PK Jacksonville’s 14th volume. If you’ve never heard of it, Pecha Kucha (Puh-cha-ch-kuh) was originally developed in Japan, hence its meaning: “chit chat”. Devised by Klien Dytham architecture as a method of helping artists get to the point, this is a presentation format that rotates 20 slides that last for 20 seconds each.

6 presenters were invited to share their passions, projects, or stories.

Our host, Jeff Knapp (humanities professor from FSCJ) kicked things off with introducing Jessi Bruton to the stage.

Jessi presented on her emerging business venture: Bruton’s Macarons. She explained that macarons are a delicate, labor-intensive treat from France. And after she experienced them overseas, she couldn’t wait to tackle the challenge. Now Bruton’s Macarons come in a variety of flavors and colors. Contact Jessi to experience one of these little pieces of heaven.

Jim Ward & Stephanie Soden were up next with a tandem presentation on Networking: the not so dirty word. They shared their stories of making friends and getting involved in the community— a positive take opposed to those who attend events purely for personal gain.

Tayloe White took the stage with a presentation on how she discovered the connection between artistic engagement and neuroplasticity. For those of you that slept during Biology… that means the more we stimulate our creative side, the more we bolster the processing power of the rest of our brain. Essentially… art makes you smart!

Birdie Birdashaw came up next with his presentation on his experiences as a comic artist. He showed us the process from his very first comic, to what he’s known for today. Birdie is also a haiku enthusiast that brings his passion for poetry into his comics. He also draws for Urban Jax and other online publications.

Tommy Hobin wrapped things up with presenting his findings on internet trends. As an Internet Marketer with a Masters in his specialty, we all believed him when he said there was one thing that has emerged as a mecca search term on the internet: Cats. After his breakdown of Cats vs. Bacon on social media sights, I’m sure we’ll never look at the internet the same.

The night ended with the special Improv Pecha Kucha - in which four brave volunteers take the stage to give impromptu presentations with slides they’ve never seen before. The volunteers did a fantastic job and left the audience in stitches.

Pecha Kucha Jacksonville would like to thank the 5 Points Theatre team for being such a spectacular venue. Jeff Knapp for being a terrific and entertaining host. Jenny Kubiki for creating the stunning Pecha Kucha 15 poster. Also our 6 wonderful presenters for sharing their time and inspiration to the crowd. Katie Smith for taking such beautiful photos, and the rest of the PK Volunteer team that made this event possible.

Keep an eye out for the next Pecha Kucha in September!

Contact Stephanie Soden if you’d like to be a presenter or volunteer!

~Steph, Membership Co-Director

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14:40 13th Jul 2011

notes: 1

Membership Spotlight: Karen Kurycki (Incoming President)

Leadership is a role people find themselves in many times over throughout their lives. Leadership is often categorized as a duty, or responsibility, but I am partial to thinking of it as a quality. Many times people are placed in roles of leadership, and either step up to the challenge or crash into the depths of failure. Although, admirable to be given a role and taking it on, there is another group of leaders out there that aren’t placed in a role, they take it on.

Working for work’s sake — This is an expression I’ve never really put any thought toward until recently. This is what it’s like putting efforts toward a non-profit organization such as AIGA Jacksonville, taking one’s love for what they do and just doing it! It’s not about reward, although there is a certain self-satisfaction about doing something for good, something for the betterment of other people, or growing and bettering one’s self at their craft in order to continue doing more work for work’s sake.

This is the quality of true leadership. It’s also a quality possessed by our incoming AIGA Jacksonville President. In part two of two specialized membership spotlights, get to know a little more from the latest member of our creative community to volunteer, and take on this leadership role, Karen Kurycki.

(check out Karen’s Designers.MX mix here)

From around the age of 3, Karen Kurycki carried bags and bags of crayons, paper and various art supplies around—so much so that her family members endearingly referred to her as “the bag lady.” For every holiday, birthday, special occasion—her one request when asked for her present wish list would be two simple words: “art supplies.” But Karen’s love for art was not as apparent to her when growing up as it was to her parents. In second grade she started taking piano lessons, got heavily involved in singing and also took up the clarinet. She struggled to balance her love for music with her love for sports. From first grade until college, her passions involved music, a softball mitt or a volleyball.

Fast forward to today. Karen is a designer/illustrator working for herself under the name CMYKaren. She realized her love for design and illustration and works extremely hard every day (including weekends and vacations) to get where she wants to be in the industry. Within the past year, she has done work for some high-profile companies, including The Washington Post, Nike, Emirates Airline and TBWA. Her work has been featured in Print Magazine’s Regional Design Annual, and she has won numerous local and regional AAF Addy Awards with the agencies she has worked for. She contributed to the book 1000 Ideas by 100 Graphic Designers published by Rockport in 2009. Her illustrations can also be seen in the book, Things Drunk People Say, available at Urban Outfitters. Her work has been recognized on popular design blogs, including HOW’s Top 10 Websites for Designers in February ‘11, FFFFOUND featured gallery, DesignWorkLife, QuiteStrong’s Lust List, August Empress, GraphicBirdWatching, and the Behance Featured Project Gallery. In her spare time, Karen enjoys collecting ’80s paraphernalia, creating customized personal t-shirts for every home Jags game and singing karaoke.

Q:
It’s no quick skip and a hop getting to the role you are at today, so just as we started out with Varick’s interview… let’s talk about starting out. When first coming into AIGA, what is it that got you involved, and kept you involved in the journey to where you are now?

A:
I first got involved in AIGA as a student member while in the Visual Communication Design program at Kent State University. When I moved to Jacksonville in ’04 after graduating, I attended a Cocktails and Creatives with my new boss, Kurtis Loftus (who was actually one of the founding members of the AIGA Jacksonville chapter) and met a bunch of people through that, including Russel Quadros who was chapter president at the time. I started volunteering at events throughout that year with my best friend Sarah Butsch and joined the board as Volunteer Chair the following year. After attending my first national leadership retreat in Miami a few years later, I decided I wanted to start a high school mentoring program for the chapter and co-founded Discover Design with Florence Haridan to make that happen. I was Outreach Director for two years, overseeing the mentoring program and running other outreach events, transitioned to Vice President and now I’m extremely honored to take on the role of AIGA Jacksonville President.

Q:
You’ve also recently taken a bit of a role jump in your career as a designer as well, could you talk some about your decision and transition from the corporate world to “ridin’ solo” as a full-time freelance designer?

A:
Making that decision was definitely not an easy one! I had worked 5+ years at the Kurtis Group in Jax Beach as an art director and really enjoyed my time there and the accounts/clients I had the opportunity to work with. I then took a position as Senior Art Director at BroadBased Communications, where I also really enjoyed my time, but I realized my passion was more on the illustration/watercolor side of the spectrum and I was yearning for more and more projects that allowed me to explore my illustration skills. As more freelance opportunities started to come in for that kind of work, I realized I had to just take the leap of faith that I would be ok on my own, and I have been solo for about two months now.

Q:
Your personal blog shows your skills as an editorial illustrator, and your fondness for wordplay and laughter… how did you come about doing this project, and what’s the most absurd thing that you’ve ever overheard?

A:
I started the blog in January. I needed something that would keep me on schedule to do more illustration and I have a lot of crazy friends who say a lot of crazy stuff, so I kind of just figured, what better way to document those crazy/funny things than to illustrate them with my personal spin on it?! I’ve had so much fun doing it (lately not being able to keep up with it as much to focus on my new business…I’ll get back, don’t worry.) And the most absurd thing I’ve heard?? Oh man…so many things, but I think maybe the Booby Trap conversation between my sisters? or the Hot Air balloon millionaire was also kind of crazy. (Check out the blog…they’re both up there) ☺

Q:
This is a tough question, but yes, I’m going there. What would you say is the one thing (or person) that has inspired you the most?

A:
The person or thing that has inspired me the most? AH! So many things have inspired me in this world obviously, but hands-down, if I had to pinpoint one thing that has had the most impact on my life, it’s having such a close family, and especially the support of my mom. I could not ask for a stronger support system than what she, my dad and my siblings have given me. From driving me all over Rochester (NY) growing up, for music lessons or softball games to just being there to listen to me—my parents were always encouraging and helped me find my true passion in life. I can’t say enough about the bond I have with my family and the utmost respect I have for my parents, the hardest working, loving, understanding people I know.

Professionally, my biggest influence is Jerry Kalback, my former illustration professor at Kent State who really encouraged me to push my watercolors and develop my own style within that medium—he’s just an all-around, great person and great teacher. (and awesome illustrator! Check out his work here!

Q:
Lastly Karen, it seems to be an unspoken desire for chapter presidents to leave their mark in the organization… Can you share with us some of your goals or focused initiatives you are striving to see in action during your term as President?

A:
There is a lot I’d like to accomplish during my presidency—I always strive to be the best I can be in anything I take on and this will be no different. My passion has always been with outreach/volunteering—to try to find a way of using our abilities as designers and design thinkers to help other organizations/initiatives get their messages delivered in Jacksonville. There is no reason individual designers can’t give at least 5% (a lot of us give more!) of their time to pro bono projects, for the good of the city—I want to encourage people to understand the benefit of doing this, and if they can’t give back through a monetary donation, their skills/time are even more valuable. I’d love to continue with the excellent programming the chapter has done the past few years, while putting an emphasis on our members’ needs; really find out what kinds of programming people want to experience (which I have already put some time into) and pay attention to the quality of events while understanding the best way of communicating that to our members. I’m really looking forward to the experience, am SO excited about the team I am working with and am very open to the possibilities of what we can accomplish during my term!

You can find more from Karen on her website: http://CMYKaren.com
To get a dose of Absurdity, check out her blog, Absurd Overheard.
or, follow her updates on Twitter as @CMYKaren

—jim, programming co-chair

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13:48

A Look Inside, mono

“Simplicity is nothing more than what it needs to be. in fact, we’ve already over-explained it.”

This is one of the many messages of simplicity one can find when visiting the site for an innovative branding, advertising and design firm located in Minneapolis that simply go by the name, mono.

As part of the experience from the recent National AIGA Board Retreat, “Activate,” the organization set up a series of studio tours to participate in. When I asked for a recommendation, I was told without hesitation to check out mono, that they were doing innovative things that every firm should strive to be doing by the next ten years… basically, that they are ahead of our time.

So naturally, I went with the suggestion and found that calling them Innovative is an understatement as Travis Olson, creative co-chair at mono, began to share with us how mono works. He delved into everything, from the way they concept to interacting with both clients and other teams members within the agency. They treat every project with respect and exploration, yet not being content with simply giving the client what they want but rather giving them what they believe the client needs. In showing a series of projects from the Real Good Experiment for blue dot, to making waves in the media platforms through MSNBC’s Lean Forward campaign, and even their process going into giants like Apple (unable to show on the web), Travis displayed the intensity and passion the firm has for both their clients and the industry they work in. Also, it was made clear that diversity, in both client and approach, is important to their operation.

They not only believe in putting forth extensive thought and insight toward their project work, but in their space as well including the comforts and arrangements to accommodate workflow, productivity, and even comfort. A large skylight brings attention into the center above a large conference table in front of a projection screen, surrounded on both sides by glass walls of concept boards for each active client. Their cubicle like desks, provide privacy and openness, able to see partially through the mesh sitting comfortably in their Herman Miller chairs—an experience any designer would be lucky to have.

Travis Olson and mono were inviting, engaging, and certainly inspiring. It was an uplifting experience for those able to attend the studio tour, and an ad agency to take note of and worth researching further into.

“simple isn’t. #simplicity” — @mono_mpls

—jim, programming director

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09:00

notes: 6

“Bold City of the South”: AIGA Jax Shirts Now on Sale!

Ever liked an organization so much, you wanted to wear it on your back? Well we felt the same way. That’s why your local chapter is debuting its new line of AIGA Jacksonville t-shirts.

Originally premiered at the AIGA National Leadership Retreat, this shirt design features the theme of “Bold City of the South” - which perfectly sums up our town and chapter. The t-shirt was designed in “Round-Robin” style, with the four retreat attendees getting a turn at its creation. (Jim Ward, Stephanie Soden, Karen Kurycki, and Patrick Carter)

If you would like to purchase one of these little dandies, contact your local board members at the next event. We’ll have them with us and available at Membership Tables for $20 ($1 of every purchase goes toward AIGA Jax’s Design Mentoring program).

S, M, L, XL sizes available - cash, check, and credit is accepted.

See you there, and stay bold Jacksonville.

~Stephanie, Membership Co-Director

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08:00 11th Jul 2011

Join Us This Week at the Morning Leak

As summer nears its half-way mark, it continues to make itself known with blistering days and rainy evenings. Avoid the grueling weather by joining us at The Morning Leak- held during the only time of the day that’s half-way bearable.

At this monthly meet up, local artists and designers give each other an inside look at what they are currently working on. So set those alarm clocks and rise and shine, because we’ll be at New Broadway Square at 7:30am.

Last month, Jim Ward kicked things off with an overview of the board’s recent trip to the National AIGA Board Retreat. This included showing AIGA Jacksonville’s new line of shirts, and showing off our flashy trading cards.

Next, Jessi Bruton regaled us about her recent Macaron start-up. For those of you that haven’t experienced Bruton’s Macarons, just imagine tasting a little bit of heaven. She showed her package designs and logo.

Dennis Eusebio took the third slot with his presentation of the new Jacksonville venture, One Spark. He started with showing a video that he worked on, featuring interviews with those involved, and some pretty amazing HD editing.

Katy Garrison wrapped up our morning with a presentation on some of her recent print and identity projects. These included a beautiful wedding invitation that was printed at 5 Points Printing, and a new logo for Main Street Hub.

Don’t miss this week’s Morning Leak, whether you’d like to present your latest project or check out what’s going on in your community. We’ll have the entire shop to ourselves at New Broadway Square in 5Points, bright an early at 7:30am.
If you’d like to share a project, contact us at membership@aigajacksonville.org to reserve your slot. Also check out who else is coming at our event page on Facebook!
See you this week at The Morning Leak!

~ Steph, Membership Director
(photography by Larry Cirillo)

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12:39 27th Jun 2011

notes: 1

A Weekend With The Improv Effect: “Yes, and…”

Although it’s a well known fact that life is unpredictable and unexpected, knowing this never seems to keep me from being surprised.

Lately, I’ve been in a little bit of a creative funk. I was off my groove and felt like my changing process was on unsteady foundation.

Turns out all I needed was a Saturday laughing so hard I couldn’t breathe.

Last weekend, I joined my AIGA Jacksonville kin folk for a Hands-On Workshop unlike any other. Led by the gregarious and outgoing Jessie Shternshus of The Improv Effect, sixteen of us embarked on an adventure that would open our minds, heighten our social awareness, and seriously injure our abdomens from laughter.

The beauty of Jessie’s workshop is that it isn’t just improv in a sense most people might associate it, such as comedy performance. It’s using improv as a social learning experience to better yourself as a professional. She opens with establishing that this is a safe place to be expressive. There’s no such thing as messing up, but if you feel you do, just pump your fists into the air and shout, “I MESSED UP!” - and by extension, (“that’s okay”).

Don’t you wish you could shout that in the office sometimes?

We participated in exercises like inventing made up words and assigning them with ridiculous definitions. Going down a line of people, each saying one word to create a sentence or story. We played giant games of telephone to experiment with listening. And held conversations with each other, starting every sentence with “Yes, and…” or “No, but…”

The take-aways were not just that I live in a community of exceptionally goofy people.

But other lessons like…

The power of positivity. How we speak to our bosses, colleagues, and clients is important. Positivity and constructivism moves projects forward. Negativity and criticism makes those around you feel that they’re not heard. “Yes, and we could do this.” creates a better environment than, “No, but we should do this.”

Listening is as important as speaking. We all come into meetings and presentations with an agenda. But taking the time to absorb your client’s key talking points will better your work as a creative.

When communicating, know your talking points. We learned that small details get lost in storytelling, while the more visual elements we describe are absorbed. “Something small and jagged” isn’t as memorable as, “It’s like an inch-long zipper”.

I had a great time hanging out, freaking out, and breaking out with my AIGA friends last weekend. And almost instinctively started my Monday workday with an inspired, can-do attitude. Thank you so much to Jessie Shternshus and The Improv Effect.

We had a great time!

—stephanie, membership director

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