Dear colleagues,
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that I first became a member of AIGA. It was
2001 and I had been working as a designer for six years in Baltimore. My boss
received regular communications from AIGA and AIGA Baltimore — well-designed
snail-mail goodness. I remember attending my first AIGA Baltimore event — Pulp,
Ink, and Hops — an annually celebration of design, paper, printing, and beer. I
also remember leaving the event wanting more — to be a part of this community that
cared about our craft, supporting each other’s challenges and celebrating each
other’s accomplishments. I knew then, as I do now, that AIGA nurtures
designers.
Over the years, through good and bad economic times, AIGA
was there, providing me with inspiration, guidance, and knowledge. AIGA
conferences, competitions, publications, and seminars provided me with a source
of inspiration and a sense of community. It became a place to meet people who
shared my passion for design. Safe to say I was drinking the AIGA Kool-Aid.
Then things changed. AIGA became predictable: the same
people, attending the same events, talking about the same issues, year after
year. Even the well-designed snail-mail goodness was replaced by emails. I
considered myself an active member in good standing, paid my dues on time, and
attended half of the events throughout the year. Why was AIGA starting to feel
stale? Why were they cutting services? What initiatives were they working on
for us? Where was the design profession going? Why wasn’t I feeling nurtured?
Was there still value in my membership?
Nearly a decade later, I began to think about the responsibilities and role of
chapter president. Having served on the AIGA Upstate New York board for two
years, these questions weren’t new to me. They did, however, take on new
meaning and priority in light of the chapter’s geographical, social,
economical, and technical challenges. During the past two years I’ve found that
these challenges continually alter HOW we manage and execute WHAT we do. With
that perspective, I’d like to share what I’ve learned about us, over the past
two years.
How are we doing?
We’re doing well, thanks to active members and a collection
of sturdy volunteers. In 2010, the board of directors embraced a pretty big
idea — managing a chapter that nurtured events throughout the state. We
regularly exceed our affiliation requirements, holding more than four events a
year. We’ve introduced three new programs (Portfolio Workshop, Portfolio
Review, SPARK mentor program) and a great design competition.
As a community, we are more diverse than ever in our
backgrounds, training, practice, and ages. But our community is also fractured
by geography, and despite our size and numbers, we have not been able to
leverage this insight. What can we do to make sure we learn from each other and
make the chapter better, for us?
Do the math
Say we have 240+ members scattered across New York. If a quarter of those
members are active, that’s 60 members total. Then suppose we have six active cities
where members have stepped up to nurture their local design community — that’s
10 active members per hub. Then let’s assume one active member in each hub is
willing to volunteer. Is it fair to expect one person to nurture an entire local
community? Simply put, your AIGA experience is directly related to your level
of involvement — it is what you make it.
Due to the geographic challenges faced by our chapter, our
board has been willing to support programming held throughout the state, a
concept most members take for granted. Other chapters base their events in one
city: AIGA Minnesota travels to Minneapolis; AIGA Wisconsin travel to Madison. To
be a member is to be involved: Whose responsibility is it to bring AIGA to
Ithaca — your president’s or yours?
The chapter has anticipated and shaped its own change. We
have found ways to make sure we are ready to play when the next big idea comes.
But the question is: will members play a new role in the chapter’s future?
My career to date was perhaps a dress rehearsal for my role
as chapter president. But nothing prepared me to serve. There were decisions
with which you agreed and disagreed. I trust that you will provide our next
president with constructive suggestions on how to make the experience and the
value of membership better.
I encourage you to give these statements some thought and
send me suggestions. I will work with chapter leadership and the AIGA national
staff to make sure our AIGA is an institution that helps us build on our past,
make our present relevant, and make the future a place that we define,
together.
Yours,
Chris
I recently heard a professor declare “we have everything we need to find our students jobs in New York City”. While this sounds very bold, I disagree. Yes, some colleges have the ability to carry on the task of finding student jobs, but more times than not, students enter the extra-ordinary task of finding themselves a job on their own, after graduation. Students are saying (again) to those who will stop and listen that they are in need of something more than instruction and a proprietary college portfolio. And that call to “something more” hasn’t changed or gone away in the year since I first wrote this letter. Which is why I am re-publishing it here.
Dear Graduating Graphic Design Students,
I appreciate you have had a considerable amount of feedback in the development
and completion of your portfolio. However, at this point, it’s not what you
know, but who you know, and who they
know.
Assuming your ultimate goal is to gain employment following
graduation, your main reasons for attending the AIGA Portfolio Reviews next Thursday are as follows:
Worry less about whether the professional reviewing your portfolio works here in Rochester or in NYC. Worry more about learning whom that person knows. Many of the professionals participating in AIGA’s portfolio review have hundreds of connects along the east coast, not to mention throughout AIGA. Wouldn’t it be nice to have access to those contacts? Professionals are more likely to vouch for graduate they know well, and history shows students who participate in AIGA events build relationships with professionals who are willing to work on their behalf.
It’s not too late. Make the most of your time at the upcoming portfolio review and other events, meet as many people as possible, take business cards or copies of your resume, and practice talking about yourself and your work. You never know where it might lead.
Yours,
Chris
4th Annual AIGA Portfolio Review - Albany,
Rochester, Syracuse - Register today!
New Board Positions begin July 01, 2012.
Nominations are now being accepted for the following positions:
Directors
Our Directors meet monthly to discuss and vote on agenda items. We're a collaborative team that has fun, too. Most Directors are in charge of a committee as well, so there is usually some work outside of the monthly board meetings. Directors may also have the opportunity to attend the annual National Leadership Retreat held each summer in June. Directors must be members of AIGA and commit to a one or two-year term.
Treasurer (2 year term)
Taxes, and money, and spreadsheets -- oh my! The Finance Director leads the charge in our chapter's fiduciary responsibility.
Secretary (2 year term)
Are you an organized notetaker? Serve as a historian/archivist for the Chapter recording meeting minutes and oversees all Chapter documentation.
Membership Director (1 year term)
Without members, we don't really have a chapter, now do we? The Membership Director encouraging new memberships, as well as, helping with the needs of our existing membership. They're also an ambassador in the community to raise awareness about the benefits of joining AIGA.
Events Director (1 year term)
Programming is at the core of what our chapter does. Help enrich our members’ AIGA experience by working your event management skills.
Mentor Director (1 year term)
Help connect younger emerging designers with established design professionals encouraging the future success of the design industry with SPARK.
Committees
These super-volunteers are the Board's task-force. Committees will meet with their Directors often and are not required to attend the formal board meetings. Committee members are all about getting things done. It's a one-year commitment, and AIGA membership is not required (but it is highly encouraged). If you're a go-getter and want to get involved, let us know.
Sponsorship (2+ people)
AIGA is a non-profit organization. Many of our programs wouldn't be possible without the generous sponsorships, both cash and in-kind, from local businesses. If you're a networker, this may be a great position for you.
Events (2+ people)
Programming is at the core of what our chapter does. You'll be helping to bring even more design-inspired events to the Upstate New York Area area.
Communications (2+ people)
Words more your thing? Fantastic! We're specifically looking for committee members with Public Relations and Social Media skills to help us boost media attention.
Web (2+ people)
In the next year or so, we'll be rolling out a new website, so we need committee members with good front-end development skills.
The Details
Send your nomination to mailto: vicepresident@upstatenewyork.aiga.org using the subject line: “Nomination to AIGA UPSTNY Board.”
Include the nominee's name, position(s) interested in and complete contact information by Thursday April 19. Once invitations are accepted, the current Board will put together a slate for our members to review online. New terms will begin in July. If you have any questions about the process or positions, contact our Vice President, Sarah Burns atmailto: vicepresident@upstatenewyork.aiga.org.
We're looking forward to bringing another year of programming. We hope you can be a part of it.
Recently, AIGA Upstate New York has been made aware of a local design contest that include a solicitation of design concepts to be produced on a speculative basis.
The contest for the Friends of the Public Market (FOPM) Logo Contest hypocritically shows a disregard for the value of arts and design by asking creative people to submit—for free—finished logo options that will be used to identify the Public Market in print, media and selected merchandise, recognizing Rochester’s cultural and creative heritage. The winning logo would be rewarded with a cash prize of $200 and $100 in market credit.
The contest utilize speculative (or “spec”) work, a process that undermines the quality of each organization’s stated outcomes. Through competitions, both organizations risk compromised quality as little time, energy, and thought can go into speculative work, which precludes the most important element of most design projects—the research, thoughtful consideration of alternatives, and development and testing of prototype designs.
On behalf of its members, AIGA Upstate New York president responded on February 15th with an email and subsequently met on February 20th with the organizers of this contest in an attempt to explain AIGA’s position on spec work. Below, find an excerpt from that letter, which is based on language initially drafted by AIGA executive director Ric Grefé.
Excerpt from letters to Friends of the Public Market:
[...] AIGA, the nation’s largest and oldest professional association for design, strongly discourages the practice of requesting that design work be produced and submitted on a speculative basis in order to be considered for acceptance on a project.
There are several reasons for this position.
First, to assure the client receives the most appropriate and responsive work. Successful design work results from a collaborative process between a client and the designer, developing a clear sense of the client’s objectives, competitive situation, and needs. Speculative design competitions or processes result in a superficial assessment of the problem and can only result in a design that is judged on a superficial basis. Design creates value for clients as a result of the approach designers take in addressing the problems or needs of the client and only at the end of that process is a “design” created. Speculative or open competitions for work based on a perfunctory problem statement will not result in the kind of work a client deserves.
Second, capable and professional designers do not work for free. While there will always be some designers who are willing to create designs in response to an open call for work, without any assurance of compensation, the buyer immediately relegates his or her choices among those designers who are least likely to be experienced, knowledgeable designers who are in demand among clients and who work according to the professional standards of the profession. Only too often, it results in a client eventually having to bring a more experienced designer onto a project in order to execute it.
Finally, requesting work for free reflects a lack of understanding and respect for the value of effective design as well as the time of the professionals who are asked to provide it. This approach reflects on your practices and standards.
If you would like us to work with you in developing a process that will benefit you most and maintain the professional standards we would expect of an organization such as yours, please do not hesitate to give me a call.
Sincerely,
Christopher Goldan
President
AIGA Upstate New York
Click here for further information regarding AIGA’s position on spec work.
AIGA's response to the NEA's call for logos
http://www.aiga.org/what-is-aigas-response-to-the-neas-call-for-logos/
AIGA urges the Obama campaign to reconsider its poster contest
http://www.aiga.org/aiga-urges-the-obama-2012-campaign-to-reconsider-its-jobs-poster-contest/
Please send the name and complete contact information of individuals interested in serving a term on the AIGA Upstate New York Board of Directors. To do so, send an email to membership@upstatenewyork.aiga.org using the subject line: “Nomination to AIGA UPSTNY Board.”
New Board Positions begin July 01, 2012.
We encourage every AIGA member to consider nominating candidates for the AIGA Upstate New York board of directors. Self-nomination is permitted. If you are nominated by another, the board will notify you of this honor to ensure your acceptance.
To join AIGA visit: http://www.aiga.org/join/
Board members who are staying involved in one capacity or another are: Dennis Angelo, Chris Goldan, and Marc Stress.
In the coming months, the Board will focus on important initiatives in the area of succession planning and the call for nominations to the AIGA Upstate New York Board of Directors. The Chapter nominating committee, chaired by Sarah Burns (Vice President), is seeking nominations to be submitted by Monday April 2, 2012.
February marks my 20th month as President of the Chapter, and I’m very proud of our team and of our accomplishments. My goal during the remaining of my two-year term is to continue to carry out the mission of our organization; to stimulate thinking about design, demonstrate the value of design, and empower the success of design professionals across the arc of their careers.
It takes a great deal of energy to maintain a Chapter. I am deeply appreciative of your ongoing support of our efforts. It has been a pleasure and privilege to work with each and every member of the Board and an honor to serve the statewide design community of New York. I’m happy to report that today our chapter is financially strong, we will meet our chapter affiliation requirements, and continues to enjoy steady membership growth.
Yours,
Chris
Thanks to the team at Adobe, the New York State of Design competition has three (3) copies of Adobe CS5.5 Design Premium (valued at $1,899 ea.) to giveaway to three lucky designers. To enter, simply follow the instructions below.
And just think how awesome it would be to upgrade to Photoshop® CS5 Extended, Illustrator® CS5, InDesign® CS5.5, Dreamweaver® CS5.5, Flash® Professional CS5.5, Flash Catalyst® CS5.5, Fireworks® CS5, Acrobat® X Pro, Bridge CS5, Device Central CS5.5, bringing your creative ideas to life in a variety of media including smartphones and tablets.
THE NEW YORK STATE OF DESIGN DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED! Entries due Friday, February 17, 2011.
For further information about Adobe Corporate or Product join Adobe on Facebook or Adobe Students or on Twitter @adobe.
HOW TO ENTER
Download the Entry Form and get ready to fill in the blanks.
1. Get your entry fee ready: it's $25 per entry if you're an AIGA member, $50 if you're not (p.s. it's not too late to become a member, click here).
2. You'll need to include 3 Entry Forms; 1) save one interactive .pdf file to your CD/DVD, 2) attach one copy to the back of the mounted entry, and 3) include one with your entry fee payment.
3. Mount your original work or just send us your work -we'll mount it for you - FREE!
4 .Provide high resolution files and entry form .pdf on CD/DVD
5. Ship your entry to: AIGA Upstate New York, Chris Goldan, 137 East Ave., Suite 201 Rochester, NY 14604
Do you
have more questions? See our FAQ.
DOWNLOAD AN
ENTRY FORM
I want to invite you to join the hundreds of creative professionals who have been part of our chapter for over two decades. The goal of this competition is to spotlight areas of growth and opportunity for graphic designers, recognizing the best work being done, and emphasize the value of design to business and society, culminating in an opening exhibit and an accompanying catalog.
This competition celebrates design communications, of course, but more importantly, the power of AIGA Upstate New York - our ability to advance our profession, coming together for one night, and forge new relationships with one another.
NEW YORK STATE OF DESIGN strives to produce more than a collection of beautiful work, asking all entrants “why is this an example of excellent design?” Each entry into the exhibit is required to submit a brief description underscoring the relationship between their design and their client’s goals.
The call for entries extends to the entire state, open to members and non-members, individuals, and businesses. The only requirement - you must reside in New York.
Please join us for what will surely be a beautiful experience.
Yours,
Chris
Questions?
Email me president@upstatenewyork.aiga.org
Allison VanHouten
AIGA Upstate New York would like to thank Mohawk Paper for sponsoring this Living Principles event and for their continued support of our chapter.
Living Principles - http://www.livingprinciples.org
The Foundry - http://www.thefoundrysite.com Mohawk Paper - http://www.mohawkpaper.com
46% Solo design practice or full-time freelance business
17% Graphic design firm
31% In-house design department
The fundamental principles of design communication remain constant regardless of organization size and expertise, or computing system. However, within larger organizations, the act of applying these principles, the ability to produce quality design communications, and overall job satisfaction are challenging at times. Learning how to hone your technical skills, or more importantly your soft skills, to effectively maneuver the politics and red tape that are common at larger organizations is often difficult and overlooked.
In my opinion, we’re a little late in focusing on in-house design, and I’m excited to take a shot at addressing it.
But I’d like your help. What can you add?
We’re going to conduct an online survey of AIGA Upstate New York's approximately 300 members and 500 friends. Our goal is to identify designers and gather information to assist in developing programming specific to their needs.
Join us in January for In the House, when leaders of three successful Kodak in-house design departments - Product Design, Web Design, and Social Media - will share their experiences and talk about how their teams work, what they love about their jobs, where unique challenges lie, and how working for an internal client is both similar to and different from the client-studio/agency relationship. A members-only Q+A session will follow the presentation.
To register for the event, visit this link: http://inthehouse.eventbrite.com/
Email me your reaction to this letter, or post something to our Facebook page. Simply put, your participation goes to the core of many of our activities and assumptions; we cannot help but pay it some mind.
Have a safe and enjoyable holiday season!
Yours,
Chris
Mark your calendar: Business of Design - January 26, 2012
On January 30, 2012, the AIGA Upstate New York is launching a mentoring program -- SPARK. The program is a statewide initiative designed to connect emerging graphic designers with established design professionals in mentoring relationships, encouraging the future success of the design industry in New York.
Propelled by the expertise and advice of established professionals, mentees who participate in SPARK will further their knowledge of the business of design and the establishing of career goals. Both Mentees and Mentors will learn and grow together.
A compact, four-month program ending in April 2012, the SPARK program is intended to be a benefit of membership for those who will soon be entering our profession, welcomes current student members and recent graduates, as well as Member & Non-Member professionals.
If you'd like to be involved and aren’t a member, you can join now or get info on membership at http://www.aiga.org/join/
Mentors & Mentees: The last day to register is Dec. 23, 2011.
Hurry, space is limited. Click here for more information.
Yours,
Chris
NEW YORK STATE OF DESIGN: AIGA Upstate New York celebrates the best Communication Design!
The first AIGA Upstate New York statewide
competition, show and accompanying catalog will highlight professional
communication design work in New York,
and showcase the state of design throughout New York. The call for entries will extend
to the entire state, open to members and non-members, individuals, and
businesses. The only requirement - you must reside in New York.
Why have we decided to do this? With 240+ members from Lake
Placid to Fredonia, Horseheads to Oswego, we want something that will bring us
all together. A bi-annual show will diversify programming and opportunities for
the community, while providing the chapter greater exposure and volunteers the
experience of supporting such an involved event.
The NEW YORK STATE OF DESIGN strives to produce more than a collection of beautiful work. Our aim is to illuminate measurable commercial junctions between business and design and reduce the ambiguity with design solutions, asking all entrants “why is this an example of excellent design?” Each entry into the show will be required to submit a brief description underscoring the relationship between their design and their client’s goals.
It doesn’t just look nice, there’s a problem being solved.As an inaugural design show, the AIGA acknowledges that in some quarters this conversation is just beginning. Though the show could be conceived in numerous manifestations, much will be gleaned about why design is an essential business tool and what the most effective design thinking looks like. Our hope is as you review this show, you will ask why the work was effective, how your work can achieve excellence, or how your business could benefit from successful design.
“Volunteering will save your career (or put you in a new one)” - Fast Company.This will not come into being easily. Volunteers are a critical part of our upcoming design exhibit.
Become a vital part of our creative team of volunteers and our statewide movement. Interested? Just send an e-mail for more information
Yours,
Chris
Three Upstate New York board members attended the national AIGA Leadership Retreat - titled “Activate” - in Minneapolis, MN in early June. More than 250 leaders from across AIGA - chapter board members, national board members, and staff - came together with the goal of sharing chapter success stories, learning through breakout sessions & case studies, and networking with other AIGA members. Charged with gathering information and spreading the word about the vitality of the design community in Upstate New York, your colleagues would be glad to debrief you on Activate. Just click on their name and send an e-mail for more information: Chris Goldan (President), Sarah Burns (Vice President), and Jonathan La Plante (Communications Director).
Subsequently, board members, volunteers, and members attended the local AIGA Upstate New York Chapter Retreat in Geneva, NY for one-day in late June. Thirteen members from across New York State - professionals and student - came together to formulate a strategy for the 2011/2012 year - Chapter Initiatives. They include the following:
2011-2012 Chapter Initiatives
1) Student Programming Initiative - Provide programming that focus on student experience
a) Education Support - Fall 2011
b) Portfolio Workshop - Fall 2011
c) Mentoring Program - Winter/Spring 2012
d)
Portfolio Review - Spring 2012
2) Professional Programming Initiative - Programming focused on Professionals, Associates, and Faculty experience
a) CMYK: Come Meet Your Kind - a renewed commitment to our monthly social
b)
Programming for Hubs - Disperse funds to Hubs based
upon membership numbers in each hub
3) Statewide Design Show Spring 2012
New Leadership + New Opportunities
New to the Board of Directors (BoD) are Michelle Truett and Rachel Jenks, overseeing the Design Show and CMYK respectfully. New Coordinators are Andrew Cardish (Albany CMYK) and Aray Montalvan (Albany Membership). Alli McAuley is stepping aside to enjoy her newborn baby girl, Freya. Doug Bartow is slide over to Albany Event Coordinator. Allyson Van Houten is sliding over to Albany Education Coordinator. Vice President Sarah Burns will oversee Programming/Events, with primary responsibility for contacting our most active members in each Hub to let them know how much money has been allocated for programming. Any money made from events will be kept in that Hubs “kitty” for the remainder of the programming year. Hopefully this will encourage other cities to get involved.
Let's talk!
I encourage you to contact me if you would like to discuss any of this Update in detail.
Words can’t express how motivated I am about both this year and the future of AIGA Upstate New York. I look forward to working with you, and thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Yours,
Chris
The committee is determined to make sure member interests are represented in the nominations of board leadership. Committed people who are involved or are needed for a specific chapter need will be nominated for continuation; those who are not involved will not be nominated. This applies to outgoing board members as well.
Several seats are open. The process for nominations is simple: send the position title you are interested in to Chris Goldan at president@upstatenewyork.aiga.org. Nominations may be submitted by the nominee or by others on his or her behalf. If you are nominated by another, the board will notify you of this honor to ensure your acceptance. Position responsibilities can be seen below.
AIGA Upstate New York Board Members are volunteers elected by our membership to lead and direct our Chapter, communicate with and grow our membership and build an active creative community by plan and implement events. Directors serve two-year terms and comprise our Board of Directors. Coordinator positions serve one-year terms. Board meetings are once a month.
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