2009-04-30

Heart Shaped Box


I do like paper. A lot. Yes, I think about the barges of trash roaming our seas and the impending apocalypse when our air is coal and our water is foam. And yes, I used to frolic in redwood forests without shoes to better commune with nature and be friends with people who thought unpasteurized products were better for you. But I still like, no, LOVE, paper.

But I understand that this is a digital age and technology will save the day and science will prevent the aforementioned drinking foam. Thus, in turn, the market follows - or is it leads? Since digital is cheaper and more efficient and easier to pass along than the swine flu, is largely why it's all the rage. Marketing has not gone online for earth reasons.

I know, cynical. But I am a capitalist realist at heart, even though I may love the socialist model in theory, and I know that if something is cheaper, it will be more widely utilized. (There is a wider world than those who can afford Eames chairs).

Thus, we have Flash. Like that logic jump?

In my UK theme search I found Design UK - More Human than Digital, they say, and on the browser tab with their name is a yellow heart. Heart + Yellow = Philia? Anyway, they seemed fancy at first glance, and I like how their home page is essentially a movie trailer of their work.

Then, however, other pages had some bunk stock photography. Like of a woman writing on a white board the word fantastic! except it's clearly NOT human handwriting, it's a digital font.

Pick as I may, from the look of their website such inconsistencies don't seem to be keeping them from work. But their claim to humanity feels a little hollow to me.

You know what makes me feel a little more like part of a living, breathing constituency rather than, I don't know, a drone addicted to my iTouch?

A letterpress notecard on fine stock with handwritten words.

2009-04-29

Screenshot Glory


There have been a lot of sweet images coming my way today, but I think this may be my favorite. That's right, from Outlook. But it's got my name on it. Apparently that's all it takes.

Thanks for sending...

Maybe for Me a Little Mixed Media


Collage by James Fish

I think I'm going to use my complimentary enrollment (yeah, we get one every quarter as employees) for this course with James Fish.

Registration #9444 if you want to make awesome mixed media collages too.

UCLAx Design Presents Calculating Your Rate


Poster design by Amy Ramnaraine

Peter Harrison, a co-founder of Pentagram New York, will help you learn how to calculate your hourly rate. He'll distribute a financial handouts useful when calculating your expenses and larger financial picture.

Visual desert together with Q&A will be served at end of the event.

Wednesday, May 20th @ 7PM
UCLA Extension, 1010 Westwood blvd., Room B17

RSVP required: visit UCLAx Design on Facebook.

UCLAx Design Presents Think Ink


Poster design by Francesca Fuges

Do you want to know more about printing techniques, paper and ink? Topics covered include paper characteristics, paper mechanics, special printing techniques and much more.

INTAGLIO was founded in 1991 with a focus on project management from inception to completion. CEO Marina Poropat established INTAGLIO's "Total Image Management" system to insure that client's images are consistent.

Wednesday, May 13th @ 7PM
UCLA Extension, Lindbrook Center RM 201

RSVP required: visit UCLAx Design on Facebook.

2009-04-28

Goodness Design (Also, Gelati is the Plural of Gelato)


[A not-gelato photo by me. Here I'm holding an ice cream sandwich bought from a vendor in Singapore, which was not very good. Yes, that's green and pink bread.]

Last night I went to Graphic Design Career Launch Pad (space themes rock!) with Pash, and he had a guest, Alissa Walker, to be interviewed by a student. One of the most enjoyable parts of Alissa's conversation with Ahava was when she talked about her love of gelato and how that has become a part of her personal brand.

The first time I ever went to Italy I had gelato twice a day. No joke.

Back in the States, I found this great gelato place on Westwood and LeConte that was owned by this Korean guy Kenny, whose mom's boyfriend was the founder of some super famous gelato place in Rome. I was eagerly awaiting an expected espresso machine so he could make affogados and then I walked by one day and he was gone. Another Westwood small business shuttered. I was really sad, and for a while walked a different way so I wouldn't have to see the abandoned furniture and freezers and stuff. It's still all there, last time I looked, like a gelato ghost town.

So anyway then Alissa started talking about Design for Good and Good Magazine, which Lucie Mamos recently introduced to me, and which I have a feed to here (look to the east in my blog geography). She (Alissa) mentioned buyameter.org which besides being a really awesome project is one of my favorite websites that I've seen recently. It tells a story! It keeps you in suspense! It's beautiful! It's simple!

Hearing about the community Alissa is involved in, as well as her walking status (I just ended six months of being car-free in LA and am almost cursing my new 1993 Camry, or rather the people I "meet" while driving it) got me all jazzed. You know, it's a good (a pun, maybe, but likely not) reminder that it's important to be in the know about what people are doing. Like it can get you excited and energized and inspired and stuff. Which is why subscribing to blogs and doing research and going to events is going to make you a happier designer and person.

Gelato + Good = Lift Off

Google Maps Does Mad Type

Andrew Kutchera sent me this link, which is aerial type and pretty awesome.

2009-04-27

I'm Not in 1010 Everyday

Most days I'm here, surrounded by these walls that make up my cube:

That orange AIGA poster is my favorite yet, by Martin Venezky. And, that is a Willie Nelson collage from a show at The Fillmore in 2002. It's mind-blowing close-up when you can see what the collage is comprised of.

There is a stack of AIGA annuals that came to me instead of students. Update your membership profile! Also, Go Bears!

The best stuff you can see here are thank you notes from students and instructors.

Design is All Around You


Max Silvestri on Gawker is a fan of the current Snickers campaign that is sweeping the NY area. I have seen no such thing in L.A., maybe because our ads focus on how to wear jeans while lying down with nothing on above the waist. Or, related, if you don't look good in such a pose, there are ads suggesting how to make you look better through various surgical and other expensive interventions.

But the point of sharing this with you is that it reminds me of how Masaki Koike will tell students they don't need to buy books with icons and logos in them because we're surrounded by the stuff.

Also, this campaign is successful, or at least it is in Max's eyes, because of the recognition of the Snickers brand. It's just playing with type, in its most basic element. Oh, and words, it's playing with words!

Think You're Nearly Finished with DCA?

If you haven't already heard, there is going to be a fancy UCLA Extension graduation in Royce Hall on June 30 for all certificate students. If you think you or someone you know is going to complete the DCA certificate this spring, please call our office ASAP (as in, by Thursday) at 310-206-1422.

Thanks!

2009-04-24

While you're at it, apply to the Communication Arts competitions

Since you're going to get together your work to submit to It's Your Show (you are right? because it will be awesome), consider applying to the Communication Arts Design and Advertising Competitions.

It's their 50th Annual Juried Competitions and the deadline is June 1, 2009. Winners appear in their annuals and on their website. That's serious exposure!

Entering competitions may seem scary or lame, or some other adjective to keep you from thinking it's a good idea, but really it's a great way to try and get your work out there, build your resume, and get more comfortable with people seeing your talent.

Go for it!

2009-04-23

Cheese!


Image from tvtropes

Back to my U.K. theme.

I found a graphic design firm called theCheeseRoom, which I think may be the best name ever. It's a refreshing change from the My Name Firm, which gets a little tedious.

But, their actual web address is http://www.graphic-design-studio.co.uk/index.html. Hmmm...

Three more things:

1. I noticed that they go with the capital R in their name in the web copy, but not on their web tab. Details!

2. You can't click anywhere, like on their name, to get home again.

3. I like the way they organized their work:

Branding & Product Identity
Editorial Design Publications
Website Design Solutions

There is a forth category called Bespoke Company Literature, that I don't really get and I don't think fits because of that reason. As I learned sitting in on User Experience, if you have a question about the website you're on, then it's not doing its job. Also, those categories explain the work, but don't show it. You have to go to a client list for that, which I think is a second step that compromises organization.

That's my at-a-glance critique. Also, I love cheese!

2009-04-22

It Started with Paul Rand

I came across this memory on the internets today.

I am happy to say I have the poster print of that first cover. It's truly my favorite even though it's not yet framed and is instead under my bed in a pile of posters I want to one day frame. You know, framing can be pricey.

Once, Masaki asked Scott to see if that framed cover could be taken out of the men's restroom at 1010 and be placed in another spot. You know, out of respect.

Now it's in the hall on the second floor.

Where you at? Or, more accurately, What 1010 Looks Like


Photo by Sungup Moon

Yes, Cristina, I'm going to mention you yet again in a posting. But seriously, we interact a lot so it makes sense.

This morning, she sent an email to us about finding UCLA Extension buildings on Flickr, which I thought was sort of cool. It's amazing the things you find when you do a search.

If you want to see photos of 1010 where all our courses are held, go here, here and here. If you want more, you can also look here and here.

Maybe one day I'll photograph the advisement office and then my mom will know what it looks like.

2009-04-21

The Catalog has Dropped, I Repeat...


Art director/designer: Peter Harrison
Artist: Peter Harrison
Mechanicals: Jim Orlandi
Complete info here


Paula Scher is in the house.

Cristina and I were walking back from lunch and found the summer catalog being loaded onto the shelves outside the door. Surprise! It wasn't supposed to be around until May 6 and online enrollment doesn't start until April 29. But there it was, in our hot little hands.

I know that students get excited about tearing into the book, and so do we.

The cover design is by Paula Scher. This is the first time a woman has done the catalog cover since my first quarter here in summer 2006. That quarter, it was Kim Baer.

That's three years. Or, twelve catalogs.

Most of the catalogs have been done by older white dudes, some more than once in that same time period.

I'm glad there is another voice representin' this quarter, although there is still so much more diversity to be reflected.

On a related note, Lucie is currently working with Peter Harrison, one of the founding partners of Pentagram, on an UCLAx talk. This is related because Paula Scher is a partner at Pentagram.

Coincidentally, I posted a fun video of her work a couple days ago.

Pack a Sandwich


As stated in the "About" section of this bloggie blog, I love field trips.

I got an email from Geoff Mandel yesterday that said the class may be going to the set of 24 to meet with the production designer who reviewed the class' work on a branding assignment for the show. I hope it works out! Because I will so be there.

Despite my bitterness about driving, I will be happy to schlep out to Chatsworth for such a tour. I even just watched an episode for the first time last week. It kind of reminded me of Alias days, which I miss.

2009-04-20

Voting for a Poster that Makes You Vote


Remember when I posted about the Barbara Boxer poster-making contest? Well, they have their finalists and now they're asking for your vote to decide who gets to be the winning graphic designer.

Through that process, of course, they'll collect your information and presume you a supporter.

By the way, there is a lot of yellow involved in the designs. A lot. I still like this old one the best.

2009-04-17

America's Next Top... Graphic Designer

[ANTGD]

For reals, reality TV is coming to graphic design. I may consider subscribing to cable for this. Wait, no, I'll just watch it on the internet.

Check it out!

I learned about C.M.Y.K. America's Top Graphic Designer through Alvalyn Lundgren's e-newsletter. You can read her blog here.

My Idea of Visual Hilarity

can be found here: Facebook Group: World Leaders

I don't get The Atlantic, but my uncle does and I sometimes read it and The Economist since scores of them litter the living room. I'm not ambitious enough to commit to a subscription, but I enjoy the writing as well as the visual puns.

As a note, The Economist has hilarious (okay, to me) photo and image captions. Also, check out this image of a jewel-encrusted skull to represent their debate about resenting the rich. Brilliant!

Anyway, yesterday I picked up the current issue of The Atlantic and found this by Sage Stossel which made me chuckle as though someone else were in the room.

Also, I was thrilled to see that Kim Jong Il's FB photo was from Team America.

Kermit Invites You to The Skirball


And by Kermit I mean AIGA.

SEEing Green 2: Moving Beyond Green
April 25th, 8am-4pm @ Skirball Cultural Center

Here's what AIGA says it's about:
"In our second annual SEEing Green Conference we'll explore how brands can move beyond green by widening the way we think about design.

You'll learn new ways of approaching sustainability for designers and their clients. We will discuss business strategy, best practices for responsible design and production (without compromising aesthetic and cost), and methods to create informed and relevant brand positioning."

What would Kermit do? (WWKD)

Or, what would Doc Rivers do? (WWDRD)

New in the Summertime


Whenever I hear the word summertime I think of Will Smith during the days of Fresh Price. Those were good days.

Seasons seem to pass exceptionally quickly when you work in an academic setting like UCLA Extension. Sure, it's spring quarter now, but on April 29 we'll start registration for summer quarter. Concurrently, I'm contacting instructors about planning for fall quarter. Fall quarter ends in December, so, in April, I'm thinking a lot about December. This does something funky to my circadian rhythms, at least psychologically.

Also, maybe the seasons pass more quickly because I'm getting older. There's also that.

Anyway, come April 29 you will see that there are FOUR newbies to the lineup. I so hope that too many people don't go on vacation! These courses seem awesome to me.

Music + Graphic Design with Lawrence Azerad, whose resume reads like a list of Rolling Stone top 100 albums of all time.

Then there is Structure and Symbolism in Design with Shirin Raban, if you're feeling archetypal and want to work with your hands, old-world style.

For online peeps, there is Design Write: Combining Keyword Research and SEO-Smart Writing with Effective Website Design with Lori Culwell, who writes both fiction and non.

Finally, there is Web 2.0 Quick Start for Designers with Charles Hollis, who works in the world of MySpace.

It's summertime! Well, not quite, but you know... soon... or at least, in my mind.

Graphis Call for Entries



New talent check your deadlines and specs here.

2009-04-16

It's Your Show 2009


Call for Entries!

It’s Your Show will open Friday, June 26, 6:30-9 pm, at UCLA Extension’s 1010 Westwood Center Gallery.

Exhibit Dates: June 26-July 17, 2009
Submission Deadline: June 3, 2009

Winning entries announced June 8, 2009. All entrants will be notified by email. Winners will be asked to submit their original artwork between June 9-16, 2009.

Eligibility: Open to all original work presented in a UCLA Extension Studio Arts, Photography or Design Communication Arts class as part of an assignment. All genres, formats, and media are eligible. Three submissions maximum per student.

Submission Guidelines: Digital submissions only. Email PDF or JPEG images no larger than 1MB to visualarts@uclaextension.edu by June 3, 2009. Include your name and phone number.

You Must Label Your Files Like This:
lastname_firstname_classname.filetype

Examples:
Bruin_Josephine_DesignII.pdf
Bruin_Joe_DrawingforCommunication.jpg

Special recognition will be given by a jury of Los Angeles artists to projects displaying excellence in specific elements of art and design.

More information: visualarts@uclaextension.edu or (310)206-1422.

2009-04-15

Warm and Fuzzies


Scott and I have Google Alerts for all things Design Communication Arts at UCLA Extension. Because of that we have found the following:

Link 1: Current student blogging about Design Fundamentals course
Link 2: Happy Design Fundamentals student on Yelp

It's nice to read!

Which reminds me...


The excerpt from the BLS report that inspired my last post title reminds me that I have some beef with designers not respecting writers much. Since I started here I've been hearing Scott go on and on about how designers are undervalued and people need to really trust designers and include them in the beginning of whatever process is happening, from product development to website construction and on. And on.

Well, that's how I feel about writers. It seems to me people think writers can just step in at the end and either clean things up or create something that will fit into some weird structure that doesn't make informational sense. If a writer had been included from the beginning, there could be better information shared with less filler crap, presented in a clearer structure.

Also, it will prevent the rash of typos that I see on every - and I mean every - AIGA Los Angeles poster I have ever seen. It drives me crazy! Designers are supposed to obsess over the details, everything is there for a reason, no room for anything that isn't beautiful.

On the AIGA Portfolio Day poster, the web address is wrong.

Employment of graphic designers is expected grow about as fast as average.


The title of this blog is a line from the Bureau of Labor Statistics report on graphic designers.

The rest of the report however, is way better than the line I excerpted here and way better than I expected. When I started in this position a few years back, I remember reading a BLS report on graphic designers that was dated and terrible. Like, it made graphic designers sound like a bunch of automated monkeys. So this is an improvement.

It's actually a nice overview. This, together with the Wikipedia definition, heartens me that the value of graphic designers is gaining better understanding and appreciation.

I think AIGA had a lot to do with that improvement.

2009-04-14

You could, but you don't have to


This morning I met with three people, including Eric, who brought his budding portfolio. He asked me how to show websites and I made a haha about how you don't have to put it in a computer screen with a keyboard, because with the navigational clues we can figure out it's a website.

Then, an hour or so later I was trolling for blog ideas and revisited my tribute-to-own-trip-to-England theme and started searching for UK design. The first firm I found was Toast ("we won't burn your bread") and I was checking out their work and found the above image.

Funny.

I think it looks good.

2009-04-13

Paula Scher Doodles in a Moleskine

You can check out her handmade type inside these pages, and find links to other fancy Moleskine art and design on You Tube.

The Art Tank


James Fish is always doing stuff and he's often getting to that stuff on his bicycle. I remember when we had our last student and instructor art show and he arrived, somewhat winded, from his many mile ride down Franklin. It was awesome.

Also, awesome are his art and happenings. On May 2 there is an art opening for The Art Tank. I'll be in York, but if you're around, I bet it will be fun. James Fish is one of the exhibiting artists.

Once Cristina and I went to Giant Robot for a Post-It show he was a part of and we had a good time.

Raisin Bran

Cristina is writing a post about Raisin Bran right now, inspired by Scott commenting on the Whole Foods 365 box she had at her desk (the contents of which were in a bowl).

He and I thought the design poor, she thought it fine. Is design relative or is there a Platonic truth to good design?

I don't know, because I have a cold and my brain isn't functioning clearly.

2009-04-10

It Started with Steve Earle


Devil's Music #3 by Tony Fitzpatrick

I was watching You Can Count on Me the other night and realized immediately that I had seen it before, which would have been a total bust if Mark Ruffalo hadn't been in it. Maybe because I already knew what was happening and would happen, I really noticed the music and how much I loved it. Thus began my current infatuation with Steve Earle.

Or, more accurately, my infatuation with researching everything Steve Earle to see if I want to spend money on downloading his music.

Shortly thereafter I found a compilation of his album covers, many of which were mixed media and most of which I loved. Album art can be so awesome, because it's already emotional if you love the artist. Anyway, I started getting annoyed because I couldn't easily figure out who designed the covers.

This reminded me of how Rhino Records gets the credit for Masaki Koike's art and design, which is a bummer. A corporation didn't design it, a person did.

Anyway, eventually I found out that the artist who does most Steve Earle albums is Tony Fitzpatrick. I know this man's work is out of my price range because there are no prices listed on his website. Not a good sign. I guess I should go to Amoeba rather than iTunes if I want to hold his work in my hands. It's just not the same on the screen.


Irish Channel Emerald Moth by Tony Fitzpatrick

2009-04-09

Voting for the Antiquated


This title is pretty snarky considering I love letters that are sent in the real post, and I spend too much money on fine stationary. I like the old school stuff, like Crane (before they started doing invitations for your home printer and otherwise compromising their brand) and Rossi (which I have often found at Marshall's and TJ Maxx, my staple stores).

I do like to go into Flax in Westwood, and if I'm feeling flush I'll buy something there - they have a nice selection of letterpress stationary - but usually I'm keeping my public service salary in mind.

Anyway, I think I'd use my Edgar Allan Poe stamps (thanks, mom!) rather than these Simpson stamps for a fine letter, but if you want to vote on your favorite, the USPS is calculating a winner.

Doesn't this remind you of the assignment Alvalyn does in Color Methodologies?

Lisa in 2009!

You Are in AIGA's House


AIGA has invited you over, and it's in your interest to attend. Be a good guest and RSVP.

Even if you're not all primed and perfect, it's a good chance to check out the competition and get 15 minutes with your favorite local designers. Maybe you'll want to ask them what they're looking for when they hire designers or do other fact finding. They'll think you strategic and smart for it.

It's only once a year and there is no better time than now.

It's All About Lighting


Poster design by DCA student Linnea Axberg.

Another awesome event coordinated by Lucie Mamos, your AIGA Student Group President. You can RSVP via Facebook.

It's free, it's for you and it's going to make your portfolio better. Clearly a win-win.

Technically, a win-win-win.

2009-04-08

GPS for Cool


View My Saved Places in a larger map

Check *THIS* out! According to this NY Times article, the Sunset Strip is where it's at. Forget Silverlake.

It reminds me of Matthew Bryant's maps, which are also super cool.

I heart maps!

Type Nerds



Only some people will get it! That's the best kind of humor sometimes.

Check out their other stuff here. Read about Cristina's favorite here.

Google Delight


Oh, the things you can find.

I'm going to England next month so I thought I'd look for some English designers to write a post about. You know, topical-to-me inspiration. So I turned to my constant companion, Google.

First I found a book on Eating and Designing, which is written in English, which is why I think it turned up in my search. It's all about menus and restaurant branding. Oh, niche markets, you are alive and lucrative!

I didn't like the publisher's site for that book however, so I went to Amazon to look for it. When I searched for it in their engine I found a book on handmade type with a very clever title, I guess.

So many books to read with so many images to covet in so little time! Which reminds me, did you get your AIGA annual with the best design from the prior year? You would have if you updated your FREE membership with AIGA.

If you don't update, we get a huge dump of student stuff at our offices, which is a big bummer. Then I give it away.

Okay, now I'm going to search for Britain and Design and see how that goes. I think there is an Obama joke in there somewhere.

2009-04-07

Triple Duty



I love things like this that do double duty. What about triple duty? What about an origami inspired house that transforms from morning to night, depending on what you need?

Good design serves a purpose. Great design, especially with sustainability and conservation in mind, may serve more than one.

I found this video while searching for images to use in my last post related to Swedish minimalist design.

Also, I like Destroy Twitter. Maybe the name even more than the product.

About Last Night


(Illustration by John Bauer)

I am a minimalist. I like Swedish design, electronic simplicity and menus that don't have multiple pages. I mentally edit things a lot, and get frustrated with excess. If I were a persona, I'd be the user who doesn't want to spend a lot of time on a site, doesn't want to mess around with videos and other ads masquerading as entertainment, and definitely doesn't tolerate more than two typos.

Also, like all users, I want the search to work. If I can't find it, I'm going to look for it somewhere else.

All of these qualities are pretty typical, and not specific enough to create a user persona. You've got to get way more personal and detailed than that, as I learned last night while sitting in on User Experience with Jodie Shotwell. My details aren't anything I'm going to reveal here. (No need to voluntarily broadcast my demographics and further compromise the lack of privacy that is life in an electronic world.)

I learned all about the research and preparation that goes into designing a good website experience. I totally get into that stuff and would act like an obnoxious know-it-all old lady if asked to be a tester. Usually sites are way more complicated than they have to be and I'd gladly take a red pen to the copy and navigation.

Which inspires me to take this opportunity to thank a former boss for my redlining passion. When MNS first reviewed curriculum I was working on for elementary school implementation (about watching less TV so that kids would go outside and play) I was shocked by what she had eliminated. What about my prose, my style, my skillful transitions?

Mostly, they were repetitive.

Now I get satisfaction from trimming the fat. Good thing blogging is a more immediate process and style, so I can experiment with being a little chubby here.

Schematic, if you need me to test a site, you know where to find me.

2009-04-06

Placido Domingo Doesn't Use the Phone

(Lawrence K. Ho/Los Angeles Times)

I saw Pavoratti shortly before he died at the Hollywood Bowl. He was old, unhealthy, and well, close to death. So, he didn't sound great and although I was happy to experience a master live, I was also sad not to hear him in his prime. I thought he kinda phoned it in.

Placido Domingo did no such thing. He rocked it. I never heard him live before he was a senior citizen, but as someone close to being a septuagenarian he sounded awesome. He played Siegmund, this guy who falls in love with his twin sister, not knowing that she looks so much like him because of shared biology.

Once they figure that out though, it doesn't stop the music from reaching an ecstatic crescendo, if you know what I mean. What does eventually stop him is a sword...

The second cycle of The Ring, called Die Walkure, was more enjoyable than the first installment. Maybe I liked the music better, maybe I liked the more ensemble nature of the sisters, maybe I had gotten used to the crazy world Freyer is creating.

Yes, my aunt and I spend six hours at Dorothy Chandler, which is a long time to sit in a seat. But it was worth it for the lighting design and the windy smoke and the sad voices and the extended costumes. You can go for $20. Bring snacks.

[Read related.]

By the Government, For the People


So much text! So little white space! Such tiny type and images! I got so annoyed that I put it down and by the time I dared pick it up again I realized I had missed the "call within five days" instructions on the summons.

I wonder if Obama's design imperative will reach all levels of government. I can only imagine my panic if English wasn't my first language. I mean, it mentions death certificates on a jury summons. Why?

Then there was the phone tree... talk about user experience. Poor. It was poor.

2009-04-03

It's a Teaser


Okay, so this week has been a little hectic and my posts may not be reflecting my usual joie de vivre.

What I have accomplished is the spring edition of the n-vis-n newsletter, which will feature an interview with Vally Mestroni, pictured here with her work, who is teaching Color Methodologies online from Montreal. It also features the longest list of instructor accomplishments I've ever compiled since the beginning of (newsletter) time in 2006.

Seriously, our people are busy.

Here is my favorite part of the interview with Vally:

"In my last year of high school, my art teacher asked me what I was going to pursue and I said I wanted to be a social worker. She bluntly told me that it wasn’t the right field for me and urged me to continue my studies in the visual arts.

She submitted an application to the art department at Dawson College in downtown Montreal, helped me put together a portfolio, and accompanied me to the interview. She spoke so passionately to the instructors they thought she was my mother!"

The links are mine, and for fun. Vally's mother is not Maria Von Trapp (as played by Julie Andrews) nor did she attend a fictional high school in Michigan with James Franco.

The complete interview can be read in the spring n-vis-n 2009 newsletter. The PDF can be viewed on this blog, to your right.

2009-04-02

It looks like a real magazine...


Taking the lead from Cristina about seven feet to my right, I'm going to show some student-related work today. If you've met with me recently you've probably heard my Elvira Marin promo. I love her website, simply.

Elvira came to the Design Communication Arts program with a background in marketing, so she already had some applicable skills, like all of you. Yes, all of you, no matter your course of study or experience. Anyway, check out her website and be amazed.

What I love are many things, including that she puts her work in context. We see it on a bus (through the wonders of Photoshop), we see it on a sidewalk, and we see it on a billboard. It gives the work legitimacy while also showing that the designer has thought through scale and implementation.

Elvira is continuing her education at The Chicago Portfolio School, where it's much colder than it is here. You can learn more about her in the Fall 2008 n-vis-n newsletter, which is just to your right.

2009-04-01

Vanity Press


Being someone who has a novel tucked away in a kitchen drawer, I have looked into the option of creating my very own bound glory. Ultimately, the manuscript doesn't hold that much love or promise for me any longer, so I've decided to keep it loose-leaf. Or, at least a multi-page Word doc. But, when I read this article on DIY magazines in the NY Times I got to thinking about it again.

I really got to thinking about it in a context outside of me, namely you. There is the occasional DCA student who uses a press to make their own portfolio and I'm a big fan. It's relatively cheap, it's still unexpected and it's bound and professional. I read the comments on the NY Times article, which weren't super complementary, but offer other options for DIY productions, namely, Lulu. And, for those of you who are crafty and can sew, there are of course handmade books to consider. Scott would seriously advocate for that, and perhaps be appalled that I'm a fan of the auto-book.

On a related note, if you're wondering how the heck to get a portfolio together, especially in time for the upcoming UCLA Extension graduation, then sign up for Portfolio Polish. It's free. If you want to get feedback from outside of UCLA Extension, sign up with AIGA Los Angeles for their upcoming Portfolio Day on May 2 which is an awesome way to get your book in front of the artists and graphic designers of your choice. And, if you decide to print your own, please show it to me. Well, no matter how you produce it, please show it to me. Call to make an appointment for feedback at any time. Did you know you could do that? Just call and come in and show me your work? You can!

Oh yeah, there is also this upcoming event at USC if you're into the independent small press thing, which is sort of related and has a super cool poster to go with it, rumored to be created by none other than Shepard Fairey, although I have no idea if that is true or not.