Tuesday, May 29, 2012

AIGA Event

Calligraphy & Comedy

 

When: Saturday June 2, 11am-2pm
Where: Battery 621, 621 Kalamath St, Denver CO
Tickets: $20 members / $25 non-members includes snacks, supplies and comedy show
Only 30 seats are available for this event, so get your tickets today!

Join us for an afternoon of creative writing!

During the 3 hour session, you will learn the basics of Calligraphy (supplies included!) and meet some of Denver's best untapped copywriters - standup comedians. They promote you by making jokes about your advertising work, and you can return the favor by making their jokes into a work of art.
The first 2 hours of the event will be a tutorial with Evette, the founder of Pretty Writing Calligraphy Studio.
You will spend the last hour refining your new skills by executing a written joke from some of Denver's finest comedians, who will give a short performance to introduce their quotes. When you are done, shake hands with your comic and give them your final piece.



RSVP Here


Articles for some inspiration

Friday, May 25, 2012

Tips from Computer Arts

Take pro photos on your mobile


Get up close for macro shots
It’s said that out of limitations comes creativity. The iPhone camera’s fixed focal length can feel restrictive, however it can also force you to find inventive ways to compose and frame your subjects. While the iPhone does feature a digital zoom – which can be tempting to use when photographing a subject up close – this is almost always best avoided as it will degrade image quality. Always get right up close to the subject for macro shots.

Make the most of available light
The iPhone’s built-in flash can be useful for throwing extra light on a subject, but it’s also prone to creating that rabbit-in-the-headlights look characteristic of cheap point-and-shoot cameras. Making the most of your iPhone camera involves making the most of the light you have. Placing a subject near a window when shooting a portrait can give you a soft, directional light to create form and depth. When shooting outside, you often have to wait for the best natural conditions.

Have a play with Camera+
There’s a bewildering array of quirky and inventive camera apps out there, but the one I always come back to is Camera+. Camera+ acts like an upgraded version of the iPhone’s supplied camera app. With smooth touch-control over exposure and focus, the app ensures your original, high quality images are stored – where they can be processed with other apps – while also offering a useful selection of filters, lighting and framing options to create your own edits.

By Laura Taylor, freelance designer and photographer
Find plenty more advice like this in The Design Manual, every month in Computer Arts.
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Wednesday, May 16, 2012

AIGA News!







Don't Fear the Data

Saturday May 19
10:00am-3:00pm (Lunch is provided)
Rocky Mountain School of Art & Design, 1600 Pierce St
$20 members/$30 non-members

Learn how to tell the story of data through the 

creation of infographics


The world we perceive is wrapped with information. It is our task as designers
to use data to drive the story to our clients. In this workshop, you will be 
taught how to take that boring spreadsheet your client gave you and turn it 
into an inspiring infographic.

On Saturday, May 19th, the design team from Markit on Demand will show us 
how data is fast becoming a designer's best friend from generating content, to 
driving audience feedback. They bring 20 years of experience visualizing data 
for the government, financial, and healthcare industries, working for clients like 
Bank of America, CNN, and The New York Times.

Don't Fear the Data will show us how to navigate the seas of open data, learn 
how to incorporate honest displays of information, and how to love Processing 
as much as you do Photoshop. Gain insight on how to transform numerical data 
into engaging design, that tells a story far more interesting than a spreadsheet 
ever could.


RSVP HERE
 
 


Giving Voice 6: A Collaborative Poster Session

Cocktail reception/orientation for designers: Thursday, May 31, 5:30-7 pm
Three Wednesdays: June 13-27, 121 pm
Gallery reception and exhibition: Friday, July 20, time TBD

Where:

Cocktail Reception
Gensler 1625
Broadway, Suite 400 Denver, CO 80227
303.893.7196

Wednesday Sessions

Access Gallery
909 Santa Fe Drive Denver CO 80204

303.777.0797

Giving Voice is the annual poster design collaboration between AIGA Colorado and VSA of Colorado/Access Gallery. Now in its sixth year, the program matches graphic designers and teen artists with disabilities for a multi-session poster design and mentoring workshop, which culminates in an gallery exhibition.


This year, designers and teen artists will work together to share skills and ideas on the poster theme related to global issues that are important to the students. Sessions take place at Access Gallery in the Santa Fe arts district.


Each of the three program sessions are held conveniently at the lunch hour, and lunch will be provided at each session. Additionally, AIGA Colorado will provide each participating designer a print of the poster they create with their teen.


Don't miss this incredible opportunity to broaden your experience alongside other dedicated designers and mentor these very special teens.


To secure your spot, RSVP no later than Wednesday, May 30 to:


Amy Siegel

Teen Mentorship Chair, AIGA Colorado
303.893.7196
amy_siegel@gensler.com








Member of the Month (July)

Ce Bondhus

Member of the Month (June)



Mark Foxsparrow

Mark Foxsparrow is a father, a husband, and a design student at Front Range Community College. He loves beer, and drinks it regularly. He is intrinsically shy, but hides it well, and lives in Fort Collins with too many pets to name. Mark’s childhood was spent taking care of his terminally ill mother, who passed when he was 28 years old. Mark shares his mother’s love for nature and is drawn to science and aesthetics. Since he was a boy, he has been an avid daydreamer and has longed to express himself through a creative medium, but growing up below the poverty line had necessitated new and exciting ways of doing so… because most of those methods of expression turned out to be illegal, Mark developed a reputation as a troublemaker, which eventually caused him to suppress his creative impulses. After the death of his mother, Mark decided to return to school (having only graduated the 6th grade) and pursue a degree in science, but stumbled upon graphic design, and the creative demon was yet again released onto the world… Muahahahaaa.

The Value of Art Critique


  Before

  After


Mark Foxsparrow utilized the "Art Critique" section in the forum and posted his pictures in the gallery!

He was given feedback on his artwork from various people, and he went back and revamped his design!


If you need help with your artwork, please utilize this helpful tool!