Communication Design Blog

Two Graphic Design Internships

2012-01-30T09:52:00.000-06:00

Fort Worth based and family owned company, a leader in the sun and skin care industry, has immediate openings for two Graphic Design interns. These are hands-on, paid internships and are a great opportunity to gain insight into real world application and problem solving within the packaging design world.

Responsibilities: As an intern, you will assist the creative team in managing multiple projects within a demanding production schedule. Interns will design and/or revise packaging, create product mock-ups, electronic communications, brochures, and other internal marketing collateral as deemed necessary. Aside from our own brand, we work with a number of major retailers in the private label segment; Target, Walmart, CVS and Walgreens to name a few.
Requirements and Skills: Moderate proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite, basic word processing and spreadsheets; Mac platform. Good attitude and willingness to work with a team. Ability to prioritize, problem solve and work well under pressure. Minimum required time commitment is 15 hours per week with flexibility.
Duration: Spring 2012 semester, with the potential for continued employment after internship completion.

Please send cover letter, resume, PDF samples of your work or link to your online portfolio and any questions to jobs@fote.com.

Performing Arts Center Internship

2012-01-30T09:43:00.001-06:00

The AT&T Performing Arts Center is a nonprofit organization that manages several city-owned venues in the Dallas Arts District, including the spectacular Winspear Opera House and innovative Wyly Theatre. The Center's internal Creative Services department oversees all of the organization's visual communications, including marketing, fundraising, public relations, education programs and general Center branding.

AT&T PAC is currently seeking an intern to help with our escalating spring workload. This is a great opportunity for a design student or recent graduate to gain experience working with a small in-house design team, while supporting a great local arts organization.

Responsibilities will vary based on the candidate's abilities, but will likely include:
- assisting in research, brainstorming and development of materials for internal presentations
- assisting in design, layout and production of a wide range of communications materials, including signage, print ads, web graphics and print collateral
- organizing and maintaining a growing image library and job archive

Schedule is flexible, but candidates should be able to devote at least 20 hours per week (during normal business hours) on-site at the Center's administrative office in downtown Dallas.

This is an un-paid position.

Qualifications:
- thorough understanding and proficiency with Adobe Creative Suite software (especially Illustrator, Photoshop and InDesign) on Mac OS
- strong conceptual skills
- detail-oriented and well-organized
- strong communication and interpersonal skills
- strong work ethic, positive attitude and eagerness to learn
- real-world experience in layout and production of print and/or interactive media is a plus
- hand-drawing skills are a plus

To apply, please send the following to Ben Rush at ben.rush@attpac.org:
- resume (in pdf format)
- portfolio samples (3-5 pieces in a pdf, or a link to a web portfolio)

CMYK Top 100 New Creatives

2012-01-29T16:43:00.004-06:00

The latest CMYK contest deadline is January 30th (tomorrow by midnight). The entry fee is $45 for unlimited entries. It's easy to enter work as you may upload files rather than having to physically send work. I've included a screen grab of the top schools represented in volume 48... Art Center, SVA, UNT... not bad company to be keeping. Entering your work and getting it in CMYK is a win-win proposition. It gets your work noticed and demonstrates the quality of the UNT CommDes program overall, which adds value and name recognition to your degree when you graduate. Congrats to all who've gotten work in CMYK and making us proud!

Gettin' Money With a Mouse and a Wacom Pen

2012-01-29T13:41:00.001-06:00

via vimeo.com

Thanks Mary (and AJ) for sharing this a while back.

Posted via email from

Art Directors Club Awards

2012-01-24T14:20:00.004-06:00

The Art Directors Club competition deadline is this Friday… there are some competition categories (beyond traditional print/television advertising design) CommDes students may be interested in such as:

Design:

POSTER TYPOGRAPHY

MAGAZINE STORY MULTI-PAGE

BOOK JACKET

ANNUAL REPORT

STATIONERY SERIES (Letterhead, Envelope, Business Card)

LOGO/TRADEMARK

Motion:

ANIMATION

ANIMATED LOGO

FILM TRAILER/TEASER

TITLE DESIGN

Illustration:

POSTER or BILLBOARD

The list above represents just a smattering of eligible work I've noted. Go to http://www.adcawards.org and check out all the eligible categories/work. The entry fees are $35 per entry in any eligible category.

Beauty Is Embarrassing Trailer - YouTube

2012-01-24T08:24:00.001-06:00

via youtube.com

"Do what you love, it's going to lead to where you want to go." -- Wayne White

Looks like a good documentary on artist, illustrator, animator, painter, and set designer, Wayne White. In two minutes you can see that he has done what he loves.

Fast Food - Ads vs. Reality

2012-01-23T10:15:00.001-06:00

via alphaila.com

Ah, the not-so-truth-in-advertising.

Movies From An Alternate Universe on the Behance Network

2012-01-18T10:15:00.002-06:00

via behance.net

Nicely done vintage posters for modern movies by Peter Stults. Complete with actors from the past. Pretty cool. Via AdFreak.

ubyu Bespoke books for you by you

2012-01-17T14:54:00.001-06:00

via ubyubooks.com

A new self-publishing source that creates high end books with lots of customization. Could be a possibility for a portfolio?

An Interview with Mike Perry

2012-01-12T20:24:00.001-06:00

via thunderchunky.co.uk

Posted via email from michelew's Space

91st ADC Awards | Home

2012-01-12T20:02:00.001-06:00

via adcawards.org

$35 per entry. $25 if you enter 10 or more. Deadline is January 20th

Innovation Challenge

2012-01-12T14:22:00.003-06:00

INNOVATION CHALLENGE

In 2011, Natalia Padilla and Jennifer Jennings (seniors and looking for jobs starting in May…*hint hint) and their other team members (from other disciplines) won the Innovation Challenge. This long overdue post praises their hard work and ability to work in an interdisciplinary team where they practiced design at the very beginning of the conceptualization process (and not solely at the end to make the idea look pretty). Natalia and Jennifer and their other team members competed against undergraduate and graduate students from design and other disciplines.

(Natalia celebrating…)

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE: On September 29th, the College of Arts & Science at UNT partnered with Alcatel-Lucent to start the Innovative Challenge. The challenge allowed UNT graduate and undergraduate students from across the university to team up and create plans for innovative mobile apps. With the help of business and technology experts, teams had two months to research and refine their ideas. Teams were also allowed access to Dallas Startup Weekend activities at the Alcatel-Lucent Gravity Centre, giving them the opportunity to network with innovative start-up teams. On Saturday, November 19th, the six remaining teams pitched their ideas to a panel of judges.

ABOUT THE JUDGES: The judges were made up of successful entrepreneurs from the DFW area. Eric Engineer who studied business at Harvard University is currently working in investment of computer software, internet, digital media and telecommunication. Gabriella Draney graduated Magana Cum Laude from the University of North Texas and is cofounder and managing partner of Tech Wildcatters, aircraft scheduling software. Darlene M. Ryan is the founder and CEO of a pharmaceutical manufacturing company and was elected leading women Entrepreneur of the World in 2004. David Sanders, CEO at Hildebrando, founded the Dallas Advisory Partners llc. And last but not least, John Reas who, in 2004, joined the emerging technology at Alcatel Lucent.

ABOUT THE APP: The presentations were comprised of marketing research, information about the target audience, expected revenue, and an overall business plan. Natalia Padilla and Jennifer Jennings, along with their other teammates won the challenge for their idea for Handi App. Handi App facilitates people with special mobility needs. The essence of this app is to create routes, locate the closest restrooms, elevators and ramps and would allow the user to rate the facilities.

The judges were so impressed by the 4 students, that encouraged the team to make their concept reality. Positive comments were provided at the end of the presentation: "Not only the concept was strong, but the presentation was excellent. You would not only be making money but you will also be helping people, that’s the right thing to do."

Natalia and Jennifer expressed the type of big thinking that Tim Brown (IDEO) encourages that designers adopt.

Congrats and thanks for making CDES look great!

Old Spice Blows Your Mind

2012-01-12T13:38:00.000-06:00

Student Spotlight: Royal Kona Coffee - 100% Pure Kona Coffee - The Dieline: The World's #1 Package Design Website -

2012-01-11T11:22:00.001-06:00

via thedieline.com

Another one of our own on thedieline.com. Jennifer Jennings work on the Royal Kona packaging is featured today. Nice work Jennifer.

The New Web Typography

2012-01-10T09:37:00.001-06:00

Type on the web is about to change forever. Again.

As the @font-face rule emerged, it brought with it sweeping changes to the visual landscape of the web. The designer's toolkit grew substantially, but this integration was only partial. Many typefaces were stripped of their most powerful features: things like swashes, alternates and small caps. These details help to make typefaces more useful and expressive. Now, as OpenType features become accessible in more browsers, this expressive power can raise typography on the web to an even higher level.

via ie.microsoft.com

Wake up. The break is over.

2012-01-06T15:20:00.004-06:00

.Net shares an interesting article about 10 resolutions designers should adopt for 2012. A must-read as you start the new semester!

Looks like good Graphic Design by Chad Smith

2012-01-06T11:16:00.001-06:00

via lookslikegooddesign.com

And one more UNT student getting some press for their design. Chad Smith was featured on LooksLikeGoodDesign.com

Francis Acuña on The Dieline

2012-01-06T08:48:00.002-06:00

A couple of our students had work featured on The Dieline over the holidays, including Francis Acuña's package design for Wild Birds Unlimited. Nice work Francis.

Natalia Padilla on The Dieline

2012-01-06T08:41:00.003-06:00

Senior Natalia Padilla's packaging design work for 88° was featured on The Dieline recently. Nice work Natalia.

Graphic Design Intern Wanted

2012-01-05T22:04:00.001-06:00

Gannett Education, a division of Gannett Healthcare Group, has an IMMEDIATE opening for a PART-TIME Graphic Artist/Intern.

In this exciting role, you'll be involved in the execution of concepts and designs, layouts and production for print ads and marketing materials including flyers, media kits, brochures, postcards, e-cards, house ads (products and services) and other marketing-related projects. This is a part-time paid intern position located in our Dallas, Texas office.

The successful candidate will be a marketing communications major or have experience or interest in marketing communications. Proficiency in Adobe InDesign, Photoshop, Illustrator, and Acrobat required. Proficiency in HTML, Dreamweaver, and Flash desired.

Gannett Healthcare Group, a Gannett Company (publishers of USAToday), is a nursing and healthcare communications company and the largest print and electronic publisher of news and information for nurses and allied health professionals. You can learn more about us at GannettEducation.com and GannettHG.com.

Please respond by faxing a cover letter and resume to: Cindy Poe, Marketing Director, 972-488-8300, or e-mail: cpoe@gannetthg.com
EOE

Happy Holidays

2011-12-22T18:13:00.002-06:00

Best and Worst Agency Holiday Cards of 2011. Ad Week breaks it down for us

Holiday Read

2011-12-22T18:08:00.003-06:00

Click on image to access articles.

Chad Smith stationery on FPO

2011-12-08T09:48:00.002-06:00

Congrats to Chad for getting his work published on FPO this week. FPO had some nice words to say about the work as well:

Rarely does one see Communist and Texan iconography in one place, but the disciplined Chad Michael makes it work in his refined self-promotional stationery suite. A systematic, yet fun icon set lends character to the individual business cards while restrained use of color and practical typography unite the pieces as a whole. It certainly gets the job done.

Here's the link.

What Was the First Typeface On the Moon?

2011-12-05T21:12:00.001-06:00

Find out here.

Experimental Type

2011-12-01T20:39:00.007-06:00

Type 1 students, Tricia Smith (gizmo), Kenny Fails (egg), Katie Janes (avian), Jonathan Congdon (achoo!), and Federico Pacheco (rare) had some fun creating type from non-traditional materials, media and methods. Nice work!

2011 Best of American Design — Print Magazine

2011-11-25T21:42:00.000-06:00

I'm sitting here at the Barnes and Noble in a turkey and stuffing induced stupor and perusing the recent issue of Print Magazine. And I am not surprised to find our alumni are included in collections. A shout out to:

NEW YORK CITY
John Custer: listed as a designer on the Logo for the Fashion Law Institute. Design firm: Pentagram Design, New York.
Kyle Poff: listed as a designer on the Cover for the New York Times Magazine, April 11, 2010. Design firm: Freimuth & Poff.
Dana Tanamachi: listed as a designer on the Portfolio for the School of Visual Arts Student Work. Design firm: Louise Fili Visual Arts Press.

SOUTH
Wayne Geyer: listed as a writer for The Power of Paper Brochure for Neenah Paper. Design firm: Design Army.

SOUTHWEST
Nathan Trimm: listed as illustrator on the Dr Pepper Mo:Joe beverages. Design firm: Hillebrand Cory.
Kevin Reid: listed as art director on the Posters for the Central Market Citrus Fest. Design firm: The Richards Group.
Stu Taylor: listed as a designer on the Theatrical-release poster for the film Building Hope. Design firm: Pentagram Design, Austin.
Rex Peteet: listed as art director on the Identity for McDonald Observatory. Design firm: Sibley/Peteet Design.

FAR WEST
Emily Charette: listed as a designer on the Packaging and campaign for the Coca-Cola Company. Design firm: Turner Duckwort.
Dan Richards: listed as art director on the Logo for the motivational speaker Becca Goeckeritz. Design firm: Opolis Design.
Dora Drimalis: listed as art director on the Program guide for TEDWomen conference. Design firm: Hybrid Design.

These are listed in reverse order since I peruse magazines back to front.

Congrats for getting your work in the magazine. Thanks for making us proud!

The nicest place on the internet

2011-11-23T13:15:00.006-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Go hug someone.

The Title Design of Saul Bass

2011-11-17T14:32:00.001-06:00

Circle One (Círculo Uno) from César Pesquera on Vimeo.

Catvertising

2011-11-14T14:03:00.001-06:00

The future is now.

Are you giving yourself enough time?

2011-11-08T11:03:00.001-06:00

As the semester end closes in, are you giving yourself enough time, and making sure your process allows for robust exploration?

Chevy Sonic: Game of Firsts

2011-11-01T15:38:00.002-05:00

An example of good use of social media. Not sure what I think about the car, but in a world where every brand thinks getting "liked" on facebook actually achieves something, this is a refreshing way to actually activate community.

The Average Font by Moritz Resl

2011-10-28T08:23:00.006-05:00

Australian Designer Moritz Resl blended all 900 fonts on his computer system by overlaying each one (including comic sans). The individual characters and animations are quite beautiful. View the entire project at Resl's website.

Figure Ground

2011-10-26T23:22:00.003-05:00

Type 1 students, Federico Pacheco (Y K), Hamid Rasul (F U, I think he could extend this design into a series of greeting cards, don't you think?), Jessalyn Chavez (I Z), Rayn Vonder Hoya (S Q) designed with both the positive and negative shapes of letterforms, creating dynamic compositions. Great work guys!

Three days + 16 illustrators = 3,750 drawings via Creative Review

2011-10-25T14:09:00.002-05:00

Creative Review has a nice review of the beautiful and laborious covers done by The Church of London for Google's Think Quarterly. They created 2,500 unique covers for the newest issue on "people".

SOUR & UNCONVENTIONAL

2011-10-23T21:54:00.003-05:00

Patrick Coyne showed this video at the UNTold+New lecture on Friday. If you missed the lecture or just can't get this video out of your mind, here it is:

This music video was shot for Sour's 'Hibi no Neiro' (Tone of everyday) from their first mini album 'Water Flavor EP'. The cast were selected from the actual Sour fan base, from many countries around the world. Each person and scene was filmed purely via webcam.

Follow this link to watch another unconventional music video. Way to deconstruct the web and use it creatively!

Aaron Dignan: How to Use Games to Excel at Life and Work

2011-10-21T09:54:00.001-05:00

Thirty minutes of your day that won't be wasted. I love the meeting currency idea.

If you type two spaces after a period, you're doing it wrong.

2011-10-18T08:23:00.002-05:00

Farhad Manjoo, of online magazine Slate, offers a short argument against the typographic perversion of putting two spaces after a period. It's always nice when a bit of type history and/or doctrine finds its way into the mainstream news.

KERNTYPE: A Kerning Game

2011-10-12T08:33:00.003-05:00

Yes, you read that right, "a kerning game". It's sure to overtake Call of Duty at the top of the best seller list. Seriously, it's pretty interesting on several fronts. First it is multitouch capable game so try it on your iPad. Second, it's actually really good practice for your eyes.

Kerntype: A Kerning Game

Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon

2011-10-07T08:10:00.002-05:00

A good reminder and bit of inspiration for your creative process. Transform everything you steal with depth, thought and purposefulness.

Chad Smith on LovelyStationery.com

2011-10-06T18:49:00.004-05:00

Chad Smith—current CDES senior—was featured on lovelystationery.com for the self-identity system he created this semester in Clinton Carlson's class. Congrats Mr. Chadster!

Miss Representation

2011-10-05T09:40:00.008-05:00

As graphic designers and art directors, we need to evaluate the consequences of our design decisions. Visual imagery has connotations and affects perception. Media and content generators (YOU) shape what and how people see the world. Watch this video. It's worth some thought.

Our Fonts, Our Friends

2011-10-04T15:28:00.002-05:00

An interesting animation about 'FONTS.' Some of the design choices will make a lot of us cringe but nonetheless it gets the point across. Just don't blur, drop shadow or glow your type… unless it is meaningful.

Don't Follow the Web, Follow Your Heart

2011-09-27T21:52:00.004-05:00

There's a great conversation over on Imprint Weekly (with lots of good links to other conversations) about an ongoing design kerfuffle: Should designers know how to code? I don't have the answer to that question but knowing how fast everything in the digital world changes this debate may resolve itself in the near future with better web design software programs that serve both left and right brain types. Until that day arrives, to code or not to code seems to be the controversial topic du jour. I especially appreciate the sentiment of the article which is: Hone your craft and be true to your passions wherever they take you.

Motion Monday

2011-09-26T14:57:00.005-05:00

Here are a few motion pieces from the Brand New School:

Color and visual pacing!

Details, details details. Animate them!

Here is one more about French Clichés:

Art School Cliché Spotting From Across The Pond

2011-09-20T22:39:00.008-05:00

Art school clichés... there's an app for that... Clichespotting.com is a humorous website and app to poke fun at art school clichés. Let's hope we all try to avoid the top ten list as we solve our design projects this year. This was developed last year by Pascal Raabe and Barnaby Norwood for the Open Design School. From their site: The Open Design School is a movement, a school of thought and a virtual institution which advocates design education in the spirit of open source and connected intellectual and creative generosity.

Resource Room

2011-09-20T10:32:00.001-05:00

Motion Monday

2011-09-19T18:19:00.003-05:00

Here are some fun motion graphic pieces for your Motion Monday!

Amy Nortman on Lovely Package

2011-09-17T13:15:00.003-05:00

Amy Nortman, GD Senior (also queen of swashes), was featured on Lovely Package! Go Amy!

This work was created last semester in Dorff's packaging class!

Digital Product Placement

2011-09-16T15:53:00.003-05:00

Check out this interesting video on the growing trend of digital product placement, where ads and products are retroactively placed into syndicated reruns of television shows. It is a development necessitated by television's need to generate ad revenue even as viewers attempt to avoid watching advertising. It raises some interesting ethical questions. Namely, is it ever ethical to advertise a movie that was produced by Happy Madison, regardless of your methods?
Story presented by SlateV.

Resource Room

2011-09-14T22:35:00.004-05:00

The Communication Design Resource Room will be (re)opening Monday, September 19th. It will house a large number of books, magazines and visual resources for students to use as reference and inspiration. The room will be open 10am–2pm, Monday–Friday for your (hopefully) convenience. We anticipate that this will be a helpful and well-used tool.

Work hard

2011-09-14T18:09:00.001-05:00

Paper School

2011-09-14T15:31:00.004-05:00

The good folks at Clampitt Paper were kind enough to donate two weekends this semester to hold their famous Paper School exclusively for UNT Communication Design students. At the Clampitt Paper School, attendees learn the basics of paper manufacturing and economics, the differences between coated and uncoated stocks, industry terminology and much more. This is a new Experience Passport requirement for all sophomores in the program, but everyone is invited to attend.

The first session is reserved exclusively for sophomores:
Saturday, October 8th, 8:30–11:00am

The second session is open to all other class levels:
Saturday, November 5th, 8:30–11:00am

Address:
9207 Ambassador Row
Dallas, TX 75247

We are hoping to schedule an additional session early in the Spring semester, but I encourage you not to wait.

Peterson Ray & Company: Internship

2011-09-09T14:06:00.003-05:00

Peterson Ray & Company is currently seeking 1–2 interns this semester. All internships are paid at $10/hr + parking and you can work 20+ hours a week, as your schedules permit.

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, Peterson Ray & Company is an award–winning communications design group specializing in traditional media and new media. Founded in 1985, their work with educational and corporate clients has gained success through innovative problem solving. Their solutions are collaborative in strategy and creative.

Please contact dosha@peterson.com for additional information.

A Book That Will Never Be Published That You Should Read

2011-09-06T21:20:00.002-05:00

There's an interesting article over on Fast Company's blog about a budding, previously unpublished illustrator, named Andrew Kolb and the power of the "interwebs" promoting self authored spec work. Good lessons about proactivity, self authorship, copyright laws, self promotion and the power of design blogs. I won't spoil it for you… you'll have to go read it. I do think it's a great time for young designers and illustrators to launch careers. Finding audiences for your work is a click away… assuming you've honed your skills and your work is compelling to gaze upon.

Vivian: The Newest Design Hybrid

2011-09-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

The Communication Design program wants to welcome Vivian Sofia Flynn, born on July 22. We wish Vivian's mom, Dora Drimalas (BFA 1996) and Dad Brian Flynn (BFA 1993) well as they navigate the sleepless nights and joyful days ahead. I'd say a careen in graphic design is perfect training for those early baby-days! Congrats.

UNT on FPO

2011-09-01T15:10:00.003-05:00

Two communication design alumni from the class of 2011 have been featured on the design blog FPO (For Print Only) this past week. Scott Spooner and Kirby Sandifer both had their graduation announcements on display for the world to see. Congratulations to both of them. And for our current students, it offers proof that every design project, even small ones, is an opportunity to do great work.

See Scott's FPO post here and Kirby's here.

UNT Represents at the Adobe Design Achievement Awards

2011-08-31T14:47:00.004-05:00

Over the summer, we learned that a few of our students made it to the semi-finals of the Adobe Design Achievement Awards—an international design competition for students and faculty. The following UNT communication design students were semi-finalists in the print category:

Lauren Bernal: Zuko Campaign (Art Direction)(Egner)

Rachel Rostkowski: Built Campaign (Art Direction)(Egner)

Melissa Stammer: Naked Juice Extended Campaign (Art Direction)(Egner)

AJ Stewart: LaCie Hardrive Guerilla Campaign (Art Direction)(Egner)

Melissa Stammer: VH1 loves thumbtacks Video (Art Direction) (Wong)

Copy was written in Alex Egner's class

The following UNT communication design students were semi-finalists in the mobile design category:

Mac Tyler: Tea App (Graphic Design) (Personal Project)

Jennifer Jennings: Jaq & Jill Hair & Weather App (Graphic Design)(Wong)

Brady Jackson: Soless Donation App (Graphic Design)(Wong)

Jennifer and Brady created beautiful marks and packaging in Karen Dorff's class and later extended their brands into interactive concept demos in Michele Wong's interactive design class.

We are proud to share that Brady Jackson's concept app demo was selected to be in the finals in the mobile category! Brady won a trip to Taipei and will be competing for fame & $$$ in October! Brady, have fun in Taipei eating mystery food and thank you for keeping up the legacy and making UNT look good!

Here is Brady's concept app:

Here is Brady.Give him a hug when you see him in the hallways!

Varoom! Magazine

2011-08-30T22:48:00.004-05:00

Varoom! magazine is a British illustration publication I've just discovered and will be need to order back copies of as it looks to be an interesting read. It appears Spring 2011 was the last issue published so let's hope Fall 2011 is coming out soon... From their website: The latest in the world of illustration, exploring the world of illustrators and the people who commission them. What connects caricature and political posters? Uptown fashion and downtown street art? Retail packaging and computer games? The beginning of the 21st Century finds illustration as its animating art form, whether it’s the popularity of children’s books, the re-emergence of craft, the mainstreaming of Street Art and the buzz around the animated movie — big and small budget. Varoom magazine, and the Varoomlab website, tracks and explores the work, the ideas, the people behind this flowering of creativity.

Beautiful things function better

2011-08-29T15:17:00.003-05:00

Dated, but great TED post by Donald Norman.

Also, his latest book "Living with Complexity" is a very good read.

Don't Miss DSVC's September Meeting!

2011-08-29T12:45:00.002-05:00

DSVC is proud to present Gareth Smith & Jenny Lee of Smith & Lee Design for our first meeting of the year. This dynamic duo specialize in title design and created the sequences for films including Thank You for Smoking, Juno, Up in the Air and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Their most recent work includes John Carpenter's The Ward and HBO Films' Cinema Verite.

Their work has been featured on industry websites including Art of the Title, Forget The Film Watch the Titles and Grain Edit, as well as design-centric publications including IdN, Print and the UK's Creative Review and DesignWeek.

The Walker Art Center and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum will feature two of their title sequences, Juno and Up in the Air, as part of their upcoming major international exhibition, Graphic Design: Now in Production beginning in late October 2011.

***PLEASE NOTE: Our meeting location has changed for the 2011-12 season, to the Angelika Film Center, located in Mockingbird Station. Parking is available in the underground deck. Reception begins at 6pm and the presentation at 7.

Be sure to purchase your new membership or renewal by Tuesday, September 6 (the day before the meeting) to get 10% off. Just enter the discount code DSVC2011 at checkout here: http://bit.ly/niygnW

Cost to attend this meeting:
Members - FREE
Non-Members - $20
Students (ID req'd) - $10
Credit/Debit/Cash accepted

JUST MY TYPE: A Book About Fonts

2011-08-22T07:04:00.000-05:00

By Simon Garfield

Illustrated. 356 pages. Gotham Books. $27.50.

New York Times Review By JANET MASLIN

Published: August 21, 2011

Font wonks fight. They champion some typefaces and sneer at others. They go ballistic if a system of signage is altered, as when Ikea changed its designated corporate font from Futura to Verdana in 2009. And they show off tribal symbols. A T-shirt that is depicted in Simon Garfield’s “Just My Type: A Book About Fonts” is adorned with nothing but the ornate ampersand of the font Caslon. This graphic, Mr. Garfield remarks, is capable of “occasionally eliciting a nod from another aficionado, like smug fans of a cool pop band before it becomes famous.”

Sometimes (as with Ikea’s typeface treachery) a tipping point will rock the world of fonts. “Just My Type” should be one of them. This is a smart, funny, accessible book that does for typography what Lynne Truss’s best-selling “Eats, Shoots & Leaves” did for punctuation: made it noticeable for people who had no idea they were interested in such things. Your friends’ eyes may glaze over when you begin to regale them with the font-related trivia with which this book is packed. (What is the Woody Allen movie credits font? Windsor.) If that should happen, recommend that they read Mr. Garfield too.
A sizable swath of the population knows all about font design for reasons having to do with livelihood. After all, knowledge of fonts is essential to advertising, book publishing, professions (like law) that require thoughtfully chosen stationery and any written work that can be done on a home computer. Personal computers are the main reason that font fandom and do-it-yourself design have snowballed in the last two decades. Had Steven Jobs not taken a shine to calligraphy as a college student and decided to include a choice of fonts in computer software, we might not be having this conversation.

Mr. Garfield’s book overlaps with Gary Hustwit’s 2007 documentary “Helvetica,” which concentrated entirely on a single, unstoppably popular typeface. Is global proliferation of the very Swiss, clean, antiseptic Helvetica a welcome phenomenon, or is Helvetica the weedy, unstoppable kudzu of the design world? Mr. Garfield takes a somewhat jaundiced view of Helvetica mania, but he hardly limits himself to one narrow school of fontificating. A full look at font history, aesthetics, science and philosophy could fill an encyclopedia, but “Just My Type” is an excellent gloss. Mr. Garfield has put together a lot of good stories and questions about font subtleties and font-lovers’ fanaticism.

“Just My Type” covers phenomena including how the fonts on road signs are tested for legibility and what the fonts used by various political campaigns subliminally communicate about candidates. It explains relatively arcane matters like kerning (the science of spacing letters) and the wonderful name of one early Fleet Street printer: Wynkyn de Worde. (There is a Wynkyn de Worde Society that holds regular meetings.) And if it does nothing else “Just My Type” will make it impossible for you to look at logos, road signs, airports, magazines and advertisements indifferently any longer.

One typically buoyant chapter is called “We Don’t Serve Your Type” and devoted to Comic Sans. Setting a “Do Not Enter” sign in this comic-book-style typeface has been called “analogous to showing up at a black-tie event in a clown costume” by two of this font’s haters, Holly and David Combs, who started a movement to have it banned. “A place where it doesn’t look great, in my opinion, is on a tombstone,” says Mr. Combs, although he has actually seen Comic Sans used that way. As for the name of this font, a patient explanation that “sans” designates a sans serif font as opposed to a serif font is part of the book’s Font 101.

Mr. Garfield moves on to the modernists, talking to many of the renowned designers who appeared in “Helvetica.” In a chapter called “What Is It About the Swiss?” he plumbs the 1957 creations of both Helvetica and Univers and the Swiss modernism that spawned them. He also cites the remarkable experiment conducted by Cyrus Highsmith, who tried to get through a day in New York without encountering Helvetica but found it on his clothing (washing labels), yogurt, computer, newspaper, money and even on a menu in Chinatown.

The book also zeros in on the much-despised Arial, Microsoft’s Helvetica lookalike. And it makes the interesting point that it has proved difficult to protect fonts in court, since an alphabet can be regarded as being in the public domain. But for anyone with the patience and wherewithal to do so, each letter, number and glyph can be individually copyrighted. And Arial, in Mr. Garfield’s opinion, turns out to have enough tiny deliberate changes from Helvetica to make them as different as pineapple and mango.

Among the many other matters of interest in this bright little book: how the @ sign is named in different languages (it’s a rollmop herring to the Czechs, an escargot to the French); the rock ’n’ roll secrets of Rolling Stone magazine’s big, shaded “R” and the Beatles’ lowered “T”; the dark biographical stories behind designers of some of the cleanest-looking fonts (as with Eric Gill and his Gill Sans); how Gotham helped win the presidency in 2008 because it was “a type chosen consciously to suggest forward thinking without frightening the horses”; and the worst fonts in the world.
One of these is seen throughout the movie “Avatar” and on at least one T-shirt that James Cameron wore while directing it. So what looks like Papyrus didn’t get into that movie by accident. This story didn’t get into Mr. Garfield’s sparkling book by accident either.

UNT CDES Alumni Competition & Show

2011-08-10T15:07:00.008-05:00

UNT CVAD is hosting its first ever Communication Design Alumni Competitive Show: UNTold+new. The show will be judged by Patrick Coyne, editor and designer of CA magazine. For more information you can visit the UNTold+new blog. It has all the information you need about deadlines, categories and our very low entry fees. Please share this information with all alumni you are still in touch with and submit!

Attention Communication Design Majors Looking for Useful, Enlightening, Non-Lame Elective Course: ANTH 4701.008

2011-08-04T13:42:00.006-05:00

Associate Professor Christina Wasson of UNT’s Anthropology Department is teaching a section of Design Anthropology (ANTH 4701.008) this fall. She has room on her course roster for five (5) Communication Design majors. We’ve had several students take this course in the past and derive a great deal of useful, useable and applicable knowledge from it.

Design Anthropology is NOT something you can study at most other universities and academies around the U.S. and the world. Couple this with the fact that we have a strong contingent of Anthropology faculty whose expertise is partially rooted in the study of design, and then add the fact that your ability to engage in the process of designing will often need to be bolstered by your deep understanding of “what social and cultural factors make your audiences ‘tick,’ ” and you wind up with a great deal of incentive to enroll in this course.

For more information about this, and to receive enrollment instructions, please contact Dr. Wasson at:

Christina.Wasson@unt.edu

It's In The Bag

2011-07-09T07:17:00.002-05:00

Communication design student, Denise Ferries has applied some clever, out-of-the-big-clunky- cardboard-box-into-the-sleek-canvas-bag thinking toward those cumbersome boxes of rolled plotter paper every ComDes student lugs around for three years. She designed and sewed this bag/tote which is made from heavy water-proof canvas with adjustable straps. She'll make one for you too for a mere $40. (She's invested $20 in supplies for each bag so she's not going to retire on this venture anytime soon but needs a little compensation for her sewing and cleverness.) If you think you too might want to lose the box for the bag, email Denise at denise.ferries@live.com.

Three UNT Communication Design students win national Addy awards

2011-06-23T23:26:00.005-05:00

On June 4, 2011, in San Diego, California, the American Advertising Federation presented its 2010–2011 National ADDY Awards for advertising creative excellence. Of the 1382 entries received at the national level of the three tiered competition, 87 professional gold ADDY Awards, 156 professional silver ADDY Awards, 26 gold student ADDY Awards and 39 silver student ADDY Awards were presented. Those competing for a National ADDY must first have been winners at the local and state levels. Only one school won four national Addy Awards so to win three is a big deal. Congrats go to Erin Mattingly (Student Silver Addy, Magazine Campaign—Raid Killer in a Can client: Raid), Kirby Sandifer (Student Silver Addy, Single Consumer/Trade Magazine—Simple Shoes client: Simple Shoes) and David Heflin for Student Gold Addy for his Mother Nature Network campaign. Way to go guys! You make us very proud!!! I've posted one sample from each of the three ad campaigns above.

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Planet...

2011-06-16T01:40:00.003-05:00

During the summer of 1975, Jaws was the summer blockbuster film. A great white man-eating shark was terrorizing the fictional resort town of Amity Island. Fast forward to the summer of 2011 and the not so new great white terror of the ocean is the ever growing plastic garbage stew circling around in the middle of the Pacific. Andi Bocsardi has taken liberties with the visual language and design of the original Jaws movie poster using a little humor to bring attention to the problem. (This image is cropped a bit as it's a sneak peek.)

Revisiting Plastic Island

2011-06-12T13:30:00.004-05:00

As promised, a sneak peek at a few images created for poster and bag designs during the Maymester illustration class. The top image is by Steven Schroeder. The squid and crab cup are by Mercy Lomelin. Nice examples of incorporating analog texture into digital illustration and creating compelling forced connections. More to come...

Typography Insight: iPad App Teaches Fonts Like Never Before

2011-06-08T14:16:00.001-05:00

Dong Yoon Park has figured out a way to use the iPad as a better teaching tool than the widely used, yet archaic textbook. An MFA design and technology student at Parsons The New School for Design, Park created a tablet application, Typography Insight (now available on iTunes), that is designed to help beginners learn the subtleties of fonts.

Read more here

Natalia Zinser on Dieline.com!

2011-06-08T06:59:00.000-05:00

Natalia Zinser just completed her junior year in our program. In her Graphic Design II class she redesigned the Kong Harald beer line and did a beautiful job. So beautiful, in fact, that the Dieline.com people have featured her work. Go check it out!

Congrats, Natalia. Thanks for making us proud.

Congrats to our own Alex Egner!

2011-06-07T22:00:00.000-05:00

At the DSVC, Assistant Professor Alex Egner won not one but TWO gold awards for his posters. The first Gold Lightbulb was awarded for a series for the Denton Domino Hall. The second Gold Lightbulb was awarded for "Death Is Not Justice." THe client for this poster was Poster 4 Tomorrow.

These are all really terrific works for which Alex did both the design and the illustrations.

Additionally, Alex had a logo, Denton Domino Hall, accepted for the show as well.

Congrats to you Alex.

Traveling to Plastic Island

2011-06-07T12:12:00.007-05:00

Nine dedicated students chose to spend the past three weeks researching the environmental embarrassment known as the Plastic Island of the Pacific or sometimes called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Because of the direction and path of ocean currents, any plastic or garbage that has been dumped in the Pacific Ocean (since 1950!) will continue to circle and gather more plastic becoming trapped in an ever growing stew of trash (now estimated to be the size of the continental US) killing many thousands of birds and sea life each year. After researching the problem, students then began to experiment with analog mark making using traditional printmaking tools and techniques, as well as stamping, monoprinting, painting, and drawing. This work was then scanned and incorporated as visual solutions in illustrations to be integrated in poster and cotton bag designs. Students were encouraged to create work that might continue to raise awareness, promote new solutions or expose some of the biggest trash offenders in the Pacific. Final poster layouts and typography are being tweaked over the summer and will be part of a presentation in the fall. I'll be posting some sneak peeks of the illustration and design completed in a very short 2.5 week Maymester. Thanks to all who participated and worked late into the night/nights to finish the work!

The 2011 Dallas Show

2011-06-07T10:05:00.000-05:00

The 2011 Dallas Show was held this past Saturday night at the Dallas Contemporary. The evening was a good one for me getting to catch up with alumni and friends, but also a good one for our alumni and the program. Of the 227 pieces/campaigns selected for the show (this total excludes the Photography and Illustration categories) 109 had UNT alumni as part of the creative teams. A shout out goes to:

Kris Murphy
Brandon Murphy
Alex Egner
Kristen Masssey
David Wilgus
Bronson Ma
Tom Theall
Brian Boyd
Brian McAdams
Julie Ramirez
Michael Beukema
Kevin Thomas
Robert Soto
Mark Travis
James Harrison
Maeve Rodgers
Wayne Geyer
Chuch Hodges
Adam Fish (Photography program, but Adam started in my Typography class so I count him as one of ours!)
Zach Hale
Dennis Cheatham
Frances Yllana
Michael Malowanczyk
Adam Hallmark
Sarah Stoner
Nathan Trimm
Chris Rovillo
Sharon Lee
Justin King
Doug May
Daniel Fuhrer
Barrett Fry
Ricky Yamashita
Reuben Miller
Joshua Ege
Stu Taylor
Craig Parsons
Brandon Kirk
Shay Ometz
Elda Marroquin
Justin Pocta
Chris Rainey
Paul Ernst

A special shout goes out to:

Brandon Murphy-creative director, Caliber Creative for a Bronze Lightbulb in Corporate Trademarks, client: Deep Ellum Brewing Co.
Adam Fish-photographer, working with the Brand Hatchery for a Bronze Lightbulb in Consumer Brochures and Booklets, client: Boxal Press Kit
Dennis Cheatham-designer/creative director, Irving Bible Church, for a Bronze Lightbulb in Editorial: Newsletters, client: Irving Bible Church
Mark Travis-designer, designer for Imaginaria Creative, for a Silver Lightbulb in Editorial: Newsletters, client: Broken Trail BBQ Sauce Packaging
Brandon Murphy-creative director, Caliber Creative for a Silver Lightbulb in Books, client: XTO Energy
Chris Rovillo-creative director, and Sharon Lee-designer, Rovillo Design for a Silver Lightbulb in Books, client: Corrigan: The Family, The Projects, The Legacy
Sarah Stoner-designer and art director, Hilledbrand Cory for a Bronze Lightbulb in Environmental, client: Dr Pepper Star Bar
Alex Egner-designer/illustrator, Eggnerd for a Gold Lightbulb in Posters, client: Denton Domino Hall
Alex Egner-designer/illustrator, Eggnerd for a Gold Lightbulb in Posters, client: Poster 4 Tomorrow/ "Death Is Not Justice"
Kevin Thomas-creative director, SWOON the studio, for a Bronze Lightbulb in Cards, Invitations and Announcements, Client Skirt PR
Zach Hale-designer, The Matchbox Studio, for a Bronze Lightbulb in Cards, Invitations and Announements, client: Carlson Capital
Barett Fry-designer, Pentagram Design, for a Bronze Lightbulb in Menu Design, client: Maudie's Tex-Mex Campaign/Series
David Wilgus-creative director, Launch Agency, for a Gold Lightbulb in Posters, client: Dallas Ad League "Suffer For Your Art-Rack"
James Harrison-designer/typographer, Commerce House, for a Bronze Lightbulb in Typography, client: Commerce House
Justin Pocta-designer, [x]cube LABS, for a Bronze Lightbulb in Copywriting, client: Cardeeo, Inc.
Chuck Hodges-designer, Benoit Design, for a Bronze Lightbulb in Corporate and Institutional, client: Entergy Corporation
Wayne Geyer-copywriter, RBMM, for a Silver Lightbulb in Corporate and Institutional, client: Unisource

Good work all. Thanks for making us proud!

Entry-Level Design Openings

2011-06-06T10:40:00.002-05:00

UPROAR!, an Omnicom owned agency in Downtown Dallas, is looking for two entry-level designers to work on youth-oriented marketing for brands such as Hasbro, Electronic Arts, and Hawaiian Punch.

For more information, visit www.uproar.us.com or follow UPROAR! on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/omnicomdallas.

Javier Mariscal's Advice to Young Designers

2011-06-01T15:23:00.002-05:00

via Phaidon

via TypeDesk

Good Reasons to Take the DCTA Train To and From Dallas

2011-05-25T09:59:00.000-05:00

The info is reprinted from http://dentoneer.com/category/news/dcta/. The Dentoneer seems to be a hip new site with lots of info about what's happening in Denton.

The Denton County Transportation Authority (DCTA) announced its fees for students who attend the University of North Texas on Monday. A semester’s worth of travel on the A-Line would cost UNT students $250 for expanded regional service (access to Dallas and Fort Worth systems) and $175 for local service only (Carrollton to Denton). Those numbers may seem a bit high. But once you start looking at the distance between Carrollton and Denton, the average size of a gas tank in the U.S., the average miles per gallon for a vehicle in the U.S. and the cost per gallon for gas, you begin to see that the DCTA is offering UNT students an absurd deal.

You can read the rest of the article on your own. This is a smart move.

Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness

2011-05-08T19:42:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

I want to remind you all to take the time to complete the SETE evaluations of your professors this week. It is easy to do and does not take too long. Your evaluations of us as teachers provide a great deal of information we act on in the classroom when we can. Your comments are valuable to us.

Just go to my.unt.edu to log in. You'll see a ugly, black/red/green/yellow square at the top of the page.Click on that and it will take you to a list of all the classes you have taken this Spring. It would be great if you would all do all of your professors. But at least, if you will, do your communication design teacher's evaluations.

Thanks. Good luck with the rest of your finals.

Eric

If Gumby Were A Shape-Shifting Sofa, Here's How He'd Look

2011-05-06T08:13:00.002-05:00

Would Pokey be an end table?

Here's a little fun for your end of the semester sleeplessness.

Get the full story here.

Alumnus Wins Silver in the iDA Awards.

2011-05-03T18:10:00.000-05:00

Paul Booth (MFA, '06) won a silver medal in the Print Advertising for the iDA (International Design Awards).

Over 1000 entries from over 50 countries throughout the world. First, second and third places will be published in the 2010 IDA design book and sold at art museums around the world. IDA exists to recognize, celebrate and promote legendary design visionaries and to uncover emerging talent in architecture and interior, product, graphic, and fashion design. IDA aspires to draw attention to the iconoclasm of designers worldwide conceptualizing and producing smart solutions to design problems. It is rare and multidisciplinary by design: They align designers internationally with cross-disciplinary inspiration and dialogue.

Here is the link off all winners. Here is the link to Paul's work.

Congrats on the award, Paul. Thanks for making us proud.

Internship at HKS

2011-04-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HKS-GrafxLab/197332696970821
HKS Architects, a leading international architecture firm, is seeking a young whippersnapper who also happens to be an extremely talented graphic designer for a summer internship. The position is available in our Dallas headquarters office. HKS GrafxLab, the firm’s brand, print, e-media, exhibit and event design studio, is a highly caffeinated bunch that produces award winning projects. Applicants must be have strong conceptual skills as well as typography skills strong enough to defeat a Chuck Norris round house kick to the face. This position will provide the opportunity to get your hands dirty and work on real world design problems.
Applicants must be proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite – InDesign, Illustrator, PhotoShop, any web skills are a plus – ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously; establish priorities and maintain deadlines.

HKS GrafxLab facebook page.

Please send your resume and either a PDF of your portfolio or a link to your website. Contact: beaton@hksinc.com

Nike Software Turns Runners' Footsteps Into Loopy, Swooshy Paintings

2011-04-29T07:41:00.002-05:00

I know you all drool about anything Nike, so here's the newest from the design department. Are they reaching? It to too "arty"? A great example of taking a product (running shoe) and creating a lifestyle. Click here to read the story.

Internship at the Matchbox Studio

2011-04-28T22:15:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to let you know there is a paid internship available at Matchbox. Interns will get to work on anything from posters, invitations, brochures, logos, websites and other fun projects that are coming up. Contact Zach Hale (BFA, 2010) at zach@matchboxstudio.com

Internship Opportunities in support of Non-Profit Organizations

2011-04-28T21:40:00.003-05:00

There are a couple of internship openings at Brad Cecil & Associates, an agency who helps organizations that make a difference in the world take their development programs to the next level. With more than 35 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, they have the expertise to offer dynamic solutions for non-profit organizations who need fund-raising, marketing and communication programs. The right fund-raising strategy is essential in cultivating faithful donors and achieving better, more sustainable results – and they’re there to help.

Local Agency Seeks Graphic Design Intern
Brad Cecil & Associates, a fundraising agency specializing in direct marketing, has an immediate opening for a Graphic Design Intern. This is an opportunity to build your portfolio with published work. This is a paid internship.
Responsibilities: Candidate will assist Creative Team in managing multiple projects within a demanding production schedule. Brad & CecilAssociates’ intern will design and/or revise direct mail packages, newsletters, electronic communication, newspaper ads, brochures, internal marketing collateral and other fundraising materials
Requirements and Skills: Proficiency in Adobe Software including In Design, Photoshop and Illustrator; proficiency in Microsoft Word and Excel; understanding of Mac platform. Good attitude and willingness to work with a team. Ability to prioritize, problem solve and work well under pressure. Required time commitment is 15-20 hours per week with flexibility. Duration will be for the Spring 2011 academic semester, with the potential for continued employment after internship completion.
Special consideration will be given to individuals with volunteer or employment experience in the nonprofit sector.
Brad Cecil + Associates is a close-knit, Arlington-based agency with a national reach. This is a hands-on internship with the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and experience in the professional world while seeing your work published. Please send cover letter, resume, PDF samples of your work or link to your online portfolio and any questions to careers@cecilcommunication.com.

Data, Email and Web Marketing Intern
Organization Name: Brad Cecil & Associates, Inc.
No of Openings:1
Work Schedule: M-F 8:30 to 5:00
Hours per Week:15-20
Internship Summer Hrs: *Hourly Wage:$18.00-$20.00
Position Start Date: ASAP
Position End Date: Fall semester* - with possibility of hire
This is a hands-on internship with the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge and experience in the professional world.
Job Description: Brad Cecil & Associates is a leading multi-channel marketing and strategic fundraising agency - primarily serving non-profit organizations.
Position Summary: To provide the clients of Brad Cecil & Associates with exceptional service and strategic thinking in helping to develop and implement fully integrated fund raising and communication strategies to meet client goals.
Responsibilities: HTML Editing, Web Design, Data Processing, Data Analytics
Job Requirements: Self Starter, Excellent communication skills, Team player, Leader, Knowledge of Web Marketing and email, Ability to prioritize, problem solve and work well under pressure, Current College student – or graduate with Bachelors/Masters Degree in Graphic Design.
Application Instructions:
To be considered for this opportunity, please send your resume and cover letter to: careers@cecilcommunication.com.

UNT alumna Alyssa Ferrer worked at Brad Cecil & Associates for a number of years. If you'd like to talk to her about the positions or the agency, let me know and I'll send you her e-mail address.

Chad Smith on TheDieLine.com!

2011-04-28T21:19:00.000-05:00

Current Communication Design junior Chad Smith has his work featured today in the "Student Spotlight" on thedieline website. The work done this Spring in Karen Dorff's packaging and brand course looks really great. Congrats to Chad. Once again, you have made us proud!

If you are not aware of or a fan of thedieline.com, it is a great resource for packaging.

Internship and Full-Time Position at Neiman-Marcus

2011-04-27T11:30:00.001-05:00

The Horchow brand web design unit within Neiman-Marcus is in need of a soon-to-be-recent UNT Com Design alum to fill a full-time position there. We've gotten word about this from UNT Com Des alum Lori Dibble, who's been with the Neiman-Marcus in-house design team for a few years now.

Lori has also indicated that they have need of an intern from the UNT Com Des program to fulfill another need within Neiman-Marcus during the coming summer.

If you're not a recent or soon-to-be graduate from our Com Des program, DON'T attempt to apply for the full-time position. If you are not about to complete your third year of study in our program, please do NOT attempt to apply for the internship.

If you're interested in trying to interview for either of these positions, please contact Karen Muncy, Horchow Brand Manager at the following e-mail address:

Karen_Muncy@neimanmarcus.com

Her tel. is: 972-969-3413.

Lori's e-mail is Lori_Dibble@neimanmarcus.com

Kerning Me Softly

2011-04-27T09:30:00.004-05:00

At first this just appears to be a bit of typographic frivolity: kerning type online.

However, if this concept could be extended to web design in general, then we might be onto something huge.

Enjoy: http://chris-armstrong.com/kerning/

Incidentally, for anyone interested in niggling details of typographic nomenclature, ’kerning’ was used in letterpress to mean cutting away opposing corners from the body of two letterforms to get a tighter visual fit between them. Technically, to add space between letter forms is not kerning, but is in fact letter spacing. Spacing material is an artifact of metal type as well, being a number of different metal shims—brass, copper, zinc, even paper—filed between two letter forms to get a looser visual fit between them. It appears that in our digital age kerning has won out as the universal term for these two separate activities, which appear so similar in our design software.

Missing Q Press: Internship

2011-04-26T09:04:00.005-05:00

Missing Q Press, a design + letterpress studio in Dallas, Texas is looking for a summer intern. The ideal candidate will have strong graphic design skills (design major preferred), a personal computer (MAC, laptop preferred) and will have some basic knowledge of printmaking. Interns will assist in various projects, including stationery/invitation design, letterpress printing, blog/Facebook updates, helping to organize paper samples, creating new retail letterpress products, styling/photographing samples for submission to online paper blogs and forums, and more! You will not be making coffee or picking up our lunch, but you will get inky, work in a fun environment and learn about how a stationery company runs from one of the hottest letterpress studios in town. This is a non-paid internship. However, depending on the skill level and portfolio of the chosen candidate a stipend may be offered at the end of the summer based on your commitment and contribution during the internship. Qualified candidates will send a resume and cover letter, along with a PDF of 4-5 of your best design samples to hello@missingqpress.com by May 15, 2011. No phones calls, please (we're too busy printing to gab on the phone.)

http://www.missingqpress.com

Comic Book Superpowers Infographic

2011-04-22T07:35:00.003-05:00

OK, I know some of you are in to this so I thought I would pass this along. One ofWho has time to those infographics that you would put up on the wall and after looking at it you think, "Who has time to do this, let alone research it?"

If you ever want to settle an argument as to who could beat whom in the Superworld, here's your evidence. Click here for the story.

A Few More Hint Fiction Covers

2011-04-19T23:45:00.006-05:00

My sincerest apologies to the blogosphere and to the universe of discourse as I’ve been derelict with regard to our Illustration Tuesday (or sometimes Wednesday) posts. So... I’ll try to catch up with a few more conceptual and illustrative Hint Fiction book covers from our talented sophomores in Graphic Design who are now counting the precious days and hours until the end of the semester when they will be able to sleep again. Houston We Have a Problem: Ryan Rauschbaum, Rapunzel: Katie Hittle, The Strict Professor: Stefan Barber, Family Secrets: Leanne Doore, The Engagement: Matt Vincent, Knock Knock Joke: Chip Armstrong

UX/Research Paid Internship: Summer 2011

2011-04-18T15:35:00.005-05:00

UX | Research Summer Intern

gotomedia (gotomedia.com) is a global leader in creating people-friendly, connected experiences. Our approach combines research, strategy and design into digital solutions. gotomedia is looking for an intern interested in multiple areas of UX design and research to work in our fast-paced, real-world environment. We currently have an open position for a paid internship at our office in San Francisco for a talented and motivated applicant.

Note: Though our ideal is a mixed-experience internship, we will consider applicants interested exclusively in UX design OR research.

You

- Are personable, proactive and self-running, with a desire to learn and a passion for user experience and research

- Are completing or have finished a bachelor’s or master’s degree in HCI, digital design or related fields

- Take a problem and figure it out yourself—in unique and creative ways

- Have a strong portfolio and can demonstrate your style of visual thinking

- Have excellent verbal and written skills—and can type really fast!

- May have experience in human factors, cognitive psychology, or other

- May have coding or other technical experience

Our working environment

gotomedia is located in San Francisco’s eclectic Mission District. Our loft space is casual, inviting collaboration and creativity. We revel in our flexible environment and ability to work in the manner and location that yields the best outcome. We welcome you to visit!

What you will be doing

The UX side of things demands attention to detail and a focus on real user experience strategies. You will learn task and behavior-oriented mapping and information architecture. Depending on your aptitude, you will participate in design reviews, working sessions and project meetings. Applicants who are more technically focused will have a chance to get deeper into the specifications and coding side of the solution. Design-focused applicants will participate in brand sessions, product and interaction deliverables, and more.

In the research portion of the internship, you will focus directly on projects ranging from usability to remote and in-person (contextual) studies. You will be asked to help with recruiting, testing, note taking, report writing and integration into results.

Interested?

Please send a cover letter to go2work (at) gotomedia (dot) com in email format. Attach a current resume and link to online portfolio. (Exceptions can be made if you do not currently have an online portfolio.) We will prioritize applications received on or before May 1, 2011.

Internship at Imaginaria Creative

2011-04-15T09:58:00.003-05:00

We are looking for someone that can be here 5 days a week preferred but at least 3 days. Unfortunately it is not paid, however our interns get to do more than sweep the floors and file paperwork. Aside from helping on various projects, they will learn things that you can't learn in school such as press checks and setting up mechanical files.

Here's what we're looking for in applicants:

Responsibilities:

Search for and prepare images for layouts
Assist creative team in layouts
Prepare files for production
Participate in brainstorms
Create mockups and web pages as directed
Deliver creative concepts
Studio errands as assigned

Technical Requirements:
Strong design abilities and proficiency in software applications: Experience using Adobe Creative Suite, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop

Education:
Must have or is in the process of completing (junior or senior) a bachelor of fine arts.

Students will gain experience working in an award winning design studio.

Interested students should send a pdf portfolio (not more than 10mb) to Mark Travis at mark@imaginariacreative.com

Thanks so much!

Things Wile E. Coyote Teaches Us About Creative Intelligence

2011-04-15T07:27:00.003-05:00

Frog Design's Robert Fabricant responds to Bruce Nussbaum's post about the death of Design Thinking and the rise of Creative Intelligence.

Bruce Nussbaum was right to close the book on Design Thinking. It is time to move on. Business never really got the message. What businesses continue to care about is innovation. While designers may think that innovation requires Design Thinking, that was an idea that never really stuck in the executive suite. Is “creativity” any different? Most executives will acknowledge that innovation requires some form of creativity. But creativity brings its own baggage. Click here to see the full article.

Scoutmob

2011-04-14T13:14:00.004-05:00

If you are already into Groupon and Livingsocial deals, you might also like Scoutmob, a charming, easy to navigate interface that provides exclusive deals at places locals actually go to.

As a side note, Livingsocial deals' commercial is quite charming as well (minus the tortured ascenders and descenders):

How Genius Works

2011-04-14T11:09:00.005-05:00

The Atlantic has a nice series of posts about "How Genius Works." The series covers processes from Chuck Close, T.C. Boyle, Tim Burton and Michael Bierut among others. Bierut shares the path he took to create a mark (logo) for the Miami's New World Symphony. His process was influenced by Gehry's design. Do you think the mark is genius?

What's new is CQ

2011-04-08T09:48:00.002-05:00

Bruce Nussbaum, one of Design Thinking's biggest advocates, is moving on to something new. Here, he begins defining "Creative Quotient."

The decade of Design Thinking is ending and I, for one, am moving on to another conceptual framework: Creative Intelligence, or CQ. I am writing a book about Creative Intelligence, due out from HarperCollins in fall 2012, and I hope to have a conversation with the Fast Company audience on this blog about how we should teach, measure, and use CQ.

Click here for the full story.

An Ingenious Clock Gently Motivates Serial Procrastinators

2011-04-07T11:01:00.004-05:00

from FastCompany

Personal Projects?

2011-04-07T09:07:00.002-05:00

For those of you who did not make it to the DSVC National Student Show Conference (and all but 7 of you did NOT make it there : [ ), there was an interesting presentation on the value of personal projects by Kate Bingaman-Burt. This value extends not only to your own craft and development, but there was also a suggestion that some companies (like facebook) were in fact asking to see that kind of work from job applicants. Kate showed Ugly Face Wednesdays as one example:

The portraits were made by Cari VanderYacht, a designer at W+K Studio in Amsterdam. She was interested in the care that people take when planning and posting profile pictures, and wanted to create some kind of social commentary about that. Her personal project was to shoot an ugly profile picture of herself to post on every Wednesday for a whole year. The trick it seems is to set your goals, set the rules for play, and to never waver till you have completed the project. (You can see the rest of the profile pics on Ms. VanderYacht's Flickr page here.)

So now I'll ask you... What personal projects are you working on?

A Challenge to our Gentle Readers

2011-04-06T22:00:00.004-05:00

As a faculty, we do not mind keeping this blog, but it is disheartening when there are no, or very few, comments of any kind for all our effort. (My thanks to Craig Parsons and Stu Taylor for being our most regular posters, by the way.) A great deal of what is posted here is meant for open discussion, or is at least worthy of discussion. Or cheers. Or hurrays. Or boos. Or raspberries. Or of "carefully and meticulously crafted diatribes of verbose verbiosity masquerading as acerbic academic diatribes," as Michael Gibson might say. Even that would be a "good thing," as Martha Stewart would say.

So here's the deal. If you (all of you) step up the level of conversation in a meaningful way, I might even post an example of my very own student work (from way back in 1979/1983 when we did everything by hand), so you may scoff and ridicule to your heart's content. Is that a fair trade?

So, what say you?

Anything?

Designers & Books

2011-04-06T21:08:00.004-05:00

The semester is almost over and we know you are looking forward to catching up on some reading this summer ;-) Designers & Books is a good place to start. You will notice from the book lists that these "famous" designers absorb knowledge from design AND other disciplines!

I found Designers & Books on The Donut Project, another interesting online portal of visual inspiration and knowledge.

Ryan Smith takes Silver at the ADC Show in New York!

2011-04-04T11:15:00.000-05:00

Art Direction senior Ryan Smith won a silver award at the Art Directors Club 90th Annual Awards Presentation national competition in New York. He flies to the Big Apple during Finals week for the ceremony! The National Parks campaign was completed last Fall in Alex Egner's Advanced Campaigns course. Our congrats to him for his great work!

DSVC National Student Show—Best Interactive Design

2011-04-03T20:52:00.002-05:00

Jennifer Jennings' Chronic Pain iPad app concept wins in the Interactive Design category at the DSVC National Student Show.