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