Tuesday, May 13

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

The Business of Design series brings together Chicago's business thought 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, and Jefferey Kalmikoff, partner and Chief Creative Officer, have used their entrepreneurial skills to turn projects such as Threadless.com into a thriving multi-million dollar tee 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 it's founding in late 2000, Threadless.com has grown to a community that has over 650,000 registered users and sells more than 90,000 tees per month. In addition to Threadless, YayHooray is another skinnyCorp community-driven project that provides a "just-for-fun" forum on design and technology.

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

Tuesday, May 13
Alliance Francaise
54 W. Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60610
7:30 am doors open
8-10 am presentation

Members: $20
Student Members: $10
Non-Members: $40

Tuesday, May 20

Small Talk III: Thirst

This event is SOLD OUT.

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.

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

Thirst
1440 West Hubbard
Chicago IL, 60622
6pm registration
6:30-8:30pm presentation and q&a

Members: $20
Student Members: $10
Non-Members: $40

Thursday, June 5

Clear Space III

Clear Space is an agenda-free opportunity 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.

The Fifty/50
2047 W Division Street
Chicago, IL 60622
6pm

Thursday, June 12

2008 Annual Member Meeting

The 2008 Annual Member Meeting will once again be held at the MCA, where we will introduce new board members, honor esteemed members of the community, and celebrate past and future achievements. This year we are pleased to honor two Fellows, Jilly Simons of Concrete and Art Paul of Playboy.

JILLY SIMONS
As the name Concrete suggests, Jilly Simons’ work is consistently strong, hardworking and grounded in its’ clients needs. An emphasis on total design, not merely decoration, has allowed her to thrive. Her diverse scope of clients is reflective of her global approach and ranges from architecture firms and museums to financial institutions. Her work is widely published and included in design exhibitions in the U.S. and abroad. The Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum contains a permanent collection of Concrete’s projects. Jilly received the Chicago chapter AIGA Above and Beyond Award in 2000 and continues to extend her passion for design by teaching and mentoring young designers.

ART PAUL
Art Paul’s once stated motto “good design principles should apply to bubble gum wrappers as well as museum posters” offers a glimpse into his values as a designer. His career commenced as an illustrator in a “frustrating 50’s climate of bland commercialism” where he advanced from a freelance illustrator to art director of Playboy magazine. Known for experimentation and leading what Print magazine called the “Illustration Liberation Movement,” Paul spent 30 successful years at Playboy and is famously known for the creation of the iconic Playboy bunny. He has been honored with awards both globally and nationally for his illustration, photography and design, from places including the Society of Typographic Arts and the Art Directors Clubs of Boston and Philadelphia. In 1986 Paul was elected to the Hall of Fame of the Art Directors Club of New York.

MCA
220 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611-2643
6pm doors open
6:45-8pm presentation
8-10pm reception

Registration
Students: $15
Members: $30
Non-members: $60

The Annual Member Meeting is sponsored by Lake County Press.

Tuesday, July 22

Small Talk IV: VSA

VSA was founded as a graphic design office, and design is still our center of gravity. But from our first day as a firm, we've been asking a fundamental question: "Where does design end?"

As we’ve grown and evolved, organizations have increasingly challenged us to explore the boundaries of their businesses and brands, and to find new relationships between aesthetics and economics, technology and audiences, communication and culture, brands and experiences. Having deep roots in the discipline of design enables us to envision the effect we want to create and to explore the most productive path for getting there.

Today, our clients tell us they see us as their most creative business asset. Depending on how we best fit their needs and serve their brands, they may define our role in countless ways: as advisor, investigator, strategist, catalyst and implementer, as well as designer. At any given moment, you’ll find us crafting integrated programs involving brand strategy, retail design, investor communications, user-needs research, employee communications or Web site development.

VSA is fortunate to have client companies large and small, with brands both global and local, established and emerging, in almost every industry vertical imaginable. These organizations come with differing needs, timing, styles and resources. Through a cross-disciplinary approach, we take a 360-degree view of a situation — staffing our team with complementary skills, exploring multiple approaches, mobilizing quickly and taking a business challenge from a strategic or conceptual starting point through complete realization.

http://www.vsapartners.com

VSA
1347 South State Street
Chicago, IL 60605
6pm

Members: $20
Student Members: $10
Non-Members: $40

Tuesday, September 23

Small Talk V: Children's Museum

Chicago Children's Museum's mission is to create a community where play and learning connect. The museum's primary audience is children up through the fifth grade including their families, along with the school and community groups that support and influence children's growth and development.

Fifteen permanent exhibits and programming spaces provide innovative learning experiences for more than 500,000 visitors annually. CCM also reaches out beyond its walls by making a significant investment of resources in neighborhoods across Chicago, particularly to children who might not otherwise have access to the museum's rich array of resources.

http://www.chicagochildrensmuseum.org

Children's Museum
700 E. Grand Ave, Suite 127
Chicago IL, 60611
6pm

Members: $20
Student Members: $10
Non-Members: $40

Tuesday, November 18

Small Talk VI: Avenue A | Razorfish

Avenue A | Razorfish creates captivating interactive experiences that change consumer behaviors and brand perceptions. We build relationships with the key audiences through an understanding of customer behaviors and user insights.

As the largest digital marketing services and technology firm and the largest buyer of Web media and search, we combine creativity and unsurpassed knowledge of the online channel to help our clients get closer to their audience.

http://www.avenuea-razorfish.com

Avenue A | Razorfish
600 west Fulton St.. 4th floor
Chicago, IL 60661
6pm

Members: $20
Student Members: $10
Non-Members: $40