AIGA: Students in Design (CSU)

Scholarship and Membership Reminders The Robert Taylor Scholarship Letters of Recommendation are due February 19 soo....ASK NOW! The final due date is February 20th! Don't slack! For information and application, go here. AIGA Student Membership Also, don't forget to sign up for the AIGA Student Membership on the 20th as well. The fee will increase from $50 (what a deal!!!!!) to $95. So don't forget!! Copyright © 2012 AIGA: Students In Design, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you have signed up as a current, or former, member of AIGA: Students In Design. Our mailing address is: AIGA: Students In Design G100 Visual Art Building Colorado State University Ft. Collins, Colorado 80523

AIGA Colorado Upcoming Events

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  Join us for Heart Art: Feb 9, 2012

  This year's Heart Art will be a celebration of art and food as we host our 18th annual silent art auction to benefit Project Angel Heart and their mission to provide nutritional meals to people living with terminal illnesses. Come out for a night of exciting creations, both artistic and culinary, and, of course, romance!

  Date: Feb 9, 2012, 6-10pm

  Location: Artwork Network, 878 Santa Fe Dr Denver 80204

  Get your tickets today or learn more at heartartdenver.com!

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  AIGA Colorado Scholarship Call For Entries

  The Robert Taylor AIGA Colorado Scholarship Call For Entries Saturday, February 4th through February 19th. The total prize package for this year's scholarship is over $3,000! Visit www.aigacoscholarship.org for more information and to apply online.

What is AIGA Colorado?

Established as AIGA Denver in 1989, the chapter has grown to a membership of 400+, encompassing design industry professionals, educators, and students. The organization offers a fivers series of monthly events and programs to help people network and succeed as designers. Through its wide range of programming, AIGA Colorado inspires, educates, mentors, connects, and propels individuals in the design community. Visit AIGA Colorado or AIGA for more information.

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?...

AIGA

An image from the AIGA Colorado website

For the FRC2 members whose focus is on Graphic Design, you probably already are (or may want to be) aware of what AIGA is.

In their own words:  "Founded as the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 1914 as a small, exclusive club, AIGA now represents more than 22,000 designers through national activities and local programs developed by 62 chapters and 240 student groups."

This organization can be very helpful to you as a student designer, a professional or even just someone who appreciates the graphic arts.

As a member of AIGA here is what you receive:

• Inspiration (Design archives, access to design portfolios and member profiles, interviews, essays, and even videos of award-winning members.)
• Discounts (use Lynda.com? Take 20% off with your AIGA membership. Also, receive discounts on FedEx services, Blurb.com, Adobe, Shutterstock, Apple and more. Check out the list of benefits HERE.)
• Networking opportunities (With design events going on all the time, you have a chance to connect with other like-minded designers, mentors and potential clients or even possible employers.)
• Cool events (AIGA events are being held across the US and online all the time! You can find lectures by design leaders and innovative business owners, brainstorming sessions, workshops and more.)
• Competitions (Get your name out there with opportunities to enter AIGA design competitions geared toward students or professionals.)

Find out more about AIGA by visiting their website HERE. Or the local Colorado chapter HERE.

Did you know, there's an AIGA group at CSU? The graphic design students at CSU have come together to form a student group called: AIGA SID "Students In Design". The AIGA SID group has regular meetings and workshops, speakers, events, competitions and often carpools to Denver AIGA events together.

AIGA SID has invited our group (FRC2) and any FRCC students interested, to join them at any of their events - anytime.

To follow them on Twitter, click HERE.

To learn more about the AIGA SID group, contact the Department of Arts at CSU at: 970-491-6774

or email: aigacoloradostate@gmail.com