Requesting Donation!

We are asking each member if they can contribute a $3 donation for the cost of hosting our website on the server. If you want to contribute, please bring your donation to any FRC² meeting. If you can't contribute the requested amount, any small donation would be appreciated!

Let the FRC² Poster and Tagline Contest Begin!

The polls have opened! Members have till October 3rd to place their vote, no later than 5pm. Click on each poster to view it in a larger profile.

Here are your FRC² Poster and Tagline contest submissions:



Poster 1













Poster 2













Poster 3










Thank you to the contestants for participating in this FRC² event. It is truly appreciated and good luck!

The winner will receive:
1. Winner will receive a small prize for his/her winning concept from the FRC² leadership team
2. Winner may use the winning poster design as a portfolio piece in his/her prospective portfolios
3. Winning poster will be displayed on campus in various locations to advertise our group

AANC Open Studio invitation

OPEN STUDIO

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2011
10 - 3 pm


Drop in and paint with other artists.  A still life
and photos will be provided.


Many artists choose to bring something they
have already begun.


Being an artist is often a lonely undertaking.
Getting out with other artists and enjoying the
camaraderie is a good thing.


A $3 donation to our scholarship fund is suggested
but certainly not mandatory.


We hope to see you on Wednesday.
ARTISTS ASSOCIATION OF NORTHERN COLORADO
148 W. Oak Street
Between the Taj Mahal and Fish Restaurants
through the archway and toward the back of the building

CSU design students

Fort Collins, CSU Graphic Design Students AIGA group have this posted on the AIGA website:

We Need More: A Road Trip Linking Students to Studios

Article by We Need MoreAugust 3, 2011.

Filed Under: Inspiration, Career, Education, chapters, student groups

In 2010 AIGA Colorado premiered the film Typeface: The Movie. The Colorado State University AIGA student group was so inspired that we traveled to Wisconsin that summer for a three-day workshop at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. On the journey home, we were buzzing with creative energy: Our eyes had opened to the potential of educating ourselves through travel and building relationships.
That potential is important because, let’s face it, the world is filled with talented, capable designers. Instead of being indifferent and accepting our role as simply more people with degrees in graphic design, we decided to take action. The We Need More Summer 2011 tour is our attempt to bridge the gap between education and professional practice.
We leave from Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, tomorrow, August 4. Our first stop on the tour is Kansas City, followed by Saint Louis, Indianapolis, Cincinnati, New York City and Chicago. Along the way we will also stop in Niles, Michigan, home of the French Paper Company, and Two Rivers, Wisconsin, for a Hamilton reunion. The tour concludes in Minneapolis on August 20.
This trip is about dialogue and exploration. The AIGA chapters in each of these places have been gracious enough to welcome us into their communities and show us what makes their cities and design culture unique. We will be sharing these experiences through blogs posts and videos, and our goal is to take these local views of design and draw connections that benefit students, professionals and AIGA organizations across the country.
Although fast paced, this journey will be thoughtful and we hope inspiring—and maybe even hilarious. We look forward to filling you in!
Ed. note: We’ll be following the tour and posting updates on AIGA.org. You can also join the conversation on Facebookand Twitter, and be sure to check out We-Need-More.com for comprehensive coverage.

FRC2 Members: CSU SID ("Students in Design") welcomes our group to participate in their design lectures and events right on campus at CSU and off campus when they meet at various locations for AIGA events. For more information, contact Eli Hall at: eli@door34.com

A partial video of the "Marketing yourself" event with Toolbox Creative

September 9, 2011

Click image or copy & paste link to view:  http://frc2.org/videos/toolbox-video_2011_09_16_01.20.37.avi

(Thank you Rory, for your help uploading this!)

Toolbox Creative
A few additional notes from the evening...



Regarding: PORTFOLIOS

• When showing your portfolio, don't tell people how you did something, instead, tell them WHY. If they want to know how, they will ask.
• Create projects outside of the class assignments, do work that you are passionate about... it will show.
• When Toolbox Creative goes through a hiring process, they hardly ever look at whether or not someone has a degree. "It's all about the portfolio" and the personal qualities that show through in your work and your presentation of it.

Regarding: MARKETING YOURSELF

• Be as persistent as you can, without being annoying.
• Do your research, be inquisitive. Check out your potential employer or client's website and work. Get to know them.
• Create a great cover letter. Something that may spark their interest. Show that you know something about THEM.
• Avoid doing spec work. Instead, do work for a non-profit agency. *see below...
• Never burn any bridges.
• Approach a potential client or employer with a solution. Determine what it is they need from you, and "solve their problem."
• Show people how you think. Show them your personality.
• "The problem is rarely ever the problem, it's how the problem is handled."
• Look at unemployment as an opportunity!

RESOURCES

Visit the Toolbox Creative website here:  http://www.toolboxcreative.com/

* A good definition of spec work (and a handy PDF file to use in case you need to inform a client as to the definition of spec work): http://www.aiga.org/position-spec-work/

A website listing several non-profit organizations in our area (be sure to click through as there are several pages): http://fortcollins.citystar.com/mall/non-profit_organization01.html

Behance - a free online portfolio website for creatives (note; if you are an AIGA member, your Behance portfolio can be utilized as your portfolio on the AIGA site too): http://www.behance.net/


YOUR TURN

Did you attend the Toolbox Creative evening? If so, tell us what piece of advice has stuck with you the most?...

"How to Market Yourself," with Toolbox Creative!

Picture yourself in a new building space; filled with art and sculpture, inspirational design/art books everywhere, vibrant green and yellow walls, lounge and kitchen areas lit up by contemporary light fixtures, and the latest 27 inch IMACs at desks all facing each other in a circle and you have the interior of Toolbox Creative. Right when you walk in you get a welcoming sense of warmth and creativity and you can tell that it's a great environment to work in. The evening’s discussion was, “How to Market Yourself,” and we got right to it.

We talked about some of the legal aspects in the graphic design business and what to look out for and what to be mindful of. Like how important it is to define your business relationships in the beginning and also understanding the paperwork and making sure your client is on the same page. We discussed some of the dos and don’ts when it comes to interviews, portfolios, and choosing/working with clients. There are a lot of little details when it comes to marketing and selling your work and we got to listen to a handful of their stories and experiences, both good and bad. Non-profit organizations also came up because they can typically be a good place to start if you are looking for work and looking to build up your portfolio. You may work for free for a while but the experiences, the networking, and the practice is what’s important. Really, you can’t get out there unless you actually get out there. It’s a tough industry right now but some of the most important things you can bring to the table as far as marketing yourself goes, is your soft skills and the networking you do (because designing is only half the battle). I think our team had great questions and I think it’s safe to say we are all more knowledgeable from our visit to Toolbox Creative.

Thanks again, Lee, Dawn, and Tom!

Submitted by: Lane Leazer

Toolbox Creative Studio Tour and Guest Speaker Presentation

Don't miss out on the Toolbox Creative Studio Tour and Guest Speaker presentation on "How to Market Yourself" with Lee Porter!

When: September 9, 2011
Time: 6-8 pm
Where: Toolbox Creative
325 Cherry St. #104
Fort Collins, CO 80521
What to bring: Paper, pencil or pen


We are strongly encouraging all of our members to attend! Let's pack the house!