I’ve posted this before, but I’ll post it again…because this time ARTCRANK IS HAPPENING IN AUSTIN!!

So, submit your work already. I know you love making shit and I know you love bikes. Let’s do this!

Our final roster will feature 30 artists from the Austin area, each of whom will produce a limited edition bike-inspired poster that we’ll display and sell at our event. To be considered for the show, send three digital samples of previous work (URLs, JPGs, PDFs, etc.) to us via email. The Call for Entries will close on the very last day of 2011 — Saturday, December 31.

Check out their flickr for examples of previous shows in other cities.

Source: artcrank.com

These are a few of my notes from Andy Epstein’s talk for AIGA Houston. I think I’m actually going to read his book and learn more from his experiences. He had a lot of good things to say. Most of this stuff are obvious reminders, but it’s still good to know others share your pain and difficulties in your field…and knowing their mistakes helps you reconsider your actions before you’re doomed to do something similar. Your work is a minor part of your value:• you bring a process• you are the branding experts• you save the company money Form positive relationships with as many people of your company as you can, even if they make you uncomfortable, to ensure you are able to defend your team’s value Assuming HR is there to support you is wrong. HR’s main goal is to mitigate risk; their priority is to protect the company. Pay attention to your corporate rules so you understand your own responsibilities. Don’t provide too many details. They only want to know what your product is going to do for the company or how it will make their position within the company look good. Our leaders see us as “how can these people make me look good?” Panic is not a good communication tool, it just makes it seem like you can’t do your job properly. Take time to calm down before addressing a problem. Create and be aware of new opportunities for you, your team, and your product to improve and grow. Value the sell. Give your PM the talking points they need to sell your ideas properly to the C-team. If you don’t present it properly, they will also fail. Continue to stand up for your team and defend the value and principals you believe in, but do so on the same level as those you are selling your ideas to. Dress the part, act professionally, pick your battles responsibly. Contact the outside agencies directly (bypass the marketing team) especially if you notice inconsistencies or conflicts in your branding or designs. Perhaps you might even collaborate to create something better than expected. If you really look hard enough you can find an ally in any department. Don’t take on a role without authority. If you’re not able to have leverage to request something from another department, try to seek support from a higher level. Otherwise, your request will be ignored and you won’t receive the respect you need to get the task accomplished. Shut your inner demon up so you can listen with more focus to your client. If you can’t listen properly, you can’t act on it appropriately or deliver the best product. It’s not to your advantage to distance yourself emotionally from your team. Personal relationships are important. Take push-backs and criticism with laughter, make your point, and move on. Don’t lose perspective of what your brand represents. Be careful when considering the touch points of your brand and the context in which it will be displayed or shared and design appropriately to that audience.
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These are a few of my notes from Andy Epstein’s talk for AIGA Houston. I think I’m actually going to read his book and learn more from his experiences. He had a lot of good things to say. Most of this stuff are obvious reminders, but it’s still good to know others share your pain and difficulties in your field…and knowing their mistakes helps you reconsider your actions before you’re doomed to do something similar.

Your work is a minor part of your value:
• you bring a process
• you are the branding experts
• you save the company money

Form positive relationships with as many people of your company as you can, even if they make you uncomfortable, to ensure you are able to defend your team’s value

Assuming HR is there to support you is wrong. HR’s main goal is to mitigate risk; their priority is to protect the company. Pay attention to your corporate rules so you understand your own responsibilities.

Don’t provide too many details. They only want to know what your product is going to do for the company or how it will make their position within the company look good. Our leaders see us as “how can these people make me look good?”

Panic is not a good communication tool, it just makes it seem like you can’t do your job properly. Take time to calm down before addressing a problem.

Create and be aware of new opportunities for you, your team, and your product to improve and grow.

Value the sell. Give your PM the talking points they need to sell your ideas properly to the C-team. If you don’t present it properly, they will also fail.

Continue to stand up for your team and defend the value and principals you believe in, but do so on the same level as those you are selling your ideas to. Dress the part, act professionally, pick your battles responsibly.

Contact the outside agencies directly (bypass the marketing team) especially if you notice inconsistencies or conflicts in your branding or designs. Perhaps you might even collaborate to create something better than expected.

If you really look hard enough you can find an ally in any department.

Don’t take on a role without authority. If you’re not able to have leverage to request something from another department, try to seek support from a higher level. Otherwise, your request will be ignored and you won’t receive the respect you need to get the task accomplished.

Shut your inner demon up so you can listen with more focus to your client. If you can’t listen properly, you can’t act on it appropriately or deliver the best product.

It’s not to your advantage to distance yourself emotionally from your team. Personal relationships are important.

Take push-backs and criticism with laughter, make your point, and move on.

Don’t lose perspective of what your brand represents. Be careful when considering the touch points of your brand and the context in which it will be displayed or shared and design appropriately to that audience.

Source: aigahouston.net

Frank Chimero DesignCast webinar via AIGA He basically emphasized staying active and collaborative in design as much as possible so your thought process doesn’t become stagnant and you don’t let yourself become intimidated by making mistakes. Allow yourself to work within an environment that encourages discussion Receiving constant feedback relieves the pressure of performance He likes a reflexive process (i.e. allow yourself to make judgments about your choices as you make them) Move fast! the longer you wait to get feedback or to do/make something, the more pressure builds for you to not screw up and you become more conservative and scared to be wrong Your tasks are like little stars forming a constellation - but you have to define the constellation (or objective) before you begin Value thinking before doing “Design can’t rise above its content.” (I’m not sure whose quote that is.) Design doesn’t create answers or solutions but responses to the problem. Take a look at your work and identify the core thing about it that helps other people live better and highlight that. Drop the other bits that don’t address that need. @browsing: Listen to it here.
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Frank Chimero DesignCast webinar via AIGA

He basically emphasized staying active and collaborative in design as much as possible so your thought process doesn’t become stagnant and you don’t let yourself become intimidated by making mistakes.

  • Allow yourself to work within an environment that encourages discussion
  • Receiving constant feedback relieves the pressure of performance
  • He likes a reflexive process (i.e. allow yourself to make judgments about your choices as you make them)
  • Move fast! the longer you wait to get feedback or to do/make something, the more pressure builds for you to not screw up and you become more conservative and scared to be wrong
  • Your tasks are like little stars forming a constellation - but you have to define the constellation (or objective) before you begin
  • Value thinking before doing
  • “Design can’t rise above its content.” (I’m not sure whose quote that is.)
  • Design doesn’t create answers or solutions but responses to the problem.
  • Take a look at your work and identify the core thing about it that helps other people live better and highlight that. Drop the other bits that don’t address that need.

@browsing: Listen to it here.

Source: frankchimero.com

What do you think?

While AIGA was created to advance the design profession, its members now place a higher priority on AIGA’s work in communicating the value of design to audiences outside the profession.

Do you have any suggestions on how to get more people involved and interested? What would you like to see happen? What would you be more inclined to participate in or come see? If you also have any complaints about AIGA, please let me know.

webinars are funny to me But, I’m using this time to learn more about my role in this organization as well as to better understand why I should urge others to join. When people view AIGA membership benefits from the surface, it seems they only see the discounts to social events or lectures. But with my renewed AIGA membership (after 5 years), I’ve discovered that I have access to many more resources than I expected. From my now professional standpoint, I hope to take more advantage of this than I did when I was a student. I will post my discoveries as they happen.
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webinars are funny to me

But, I’m using this time to learn more about my role in this organization as well as to better understand why I should urge others to join. When people view AIGA membership benefits from the surface, it seems they only see the discounts to social events or lectures. But with my renewed AIGA membership (after 5 years), I’ve discovered that I have access to many more resources than I expected. From my now professional standpoint, I hope to take more advantage of this than I did when I was a student. I will post my discoveries as they happen.