AIGA NHVT

AIGA members, take advantage of this membership benefit:

AIGA WEBINAR:
AVOIDING DAMAGE FROM A DOWNTURN

Join AIGA and David C. Baker on Thursday, June 26, for an exclusive webinar broadcast. “Avoiding Damage from a Downturn” will explore how your design firm can continue to thrive despite a struggling economy. Baker will discuss the steps and measures a firm can take to avoid loss and limit the damage that would otherwise occur by anticipating the pressures of an unstable economic climate.

AIGA is committed to supplying members with the information needed to react to the economy appropriately, build future safeties for your firm and continue to be profitable. This 30-minute webinar will be followed by 15 minutes of Q&A via a chatroom.

Click here to register for the webinar with your AIGA member ID.

Offered exclusively to AIGA professional and associate members.
Not yet a member? Go to aiga.com to join.

I recently discovered a stock photography Web site that I am impressed with. The site is istockphoto.com and is what I would consider a Web 2.0 Website. The stock photo inventory are from Website members. Perhaps this is why the photos are actually affordable! A large photo suitable for most print project sells for 10 credits, which costs $13.
I remember a great article about stock photography by Stephen. He discussed the pros and cons of using stock photography verses photos you take yourself. I found istockphoto.com when working on our spring appeal flyer. We were using anonymous patient quotes in conjunction with a photo of a nurse and child. For legal reasons, we did not want people to associate the quote with a photo of an actual patient from our photo library. In this case a stock photo was best. I’m just glad it did not cost a lot.
The other benefit of istockphoto is that photographers can upload and sell thier photos as stock photos. Like I say, it’s a true Web 2.0 site. It’s an eBay for stock media. You never know, it could be an additional source of revenue.
Has anyone else used this site? Do you know of similar sites?

-Mark Karl

I couldn’t have said it better myself, so I won’t even try:

“…it does not work, and you know why? Because no one can remember the bloody URL you put into your TV ad!…”

Want a cool new way to view images and content on the web?

Neither do I.

I thought the same thing you might be thinking reading this; “great, here’s another stupid web add-on that’s going to sputter and die after a few months.”

This one might not. It’s kinda cool, and has some big names tied to it. Piclens is a simple way to view content from many different sources, including Flickr, Facebook, Youtube, Deviantart… and a bunch more. The interface is ridiculously easy to use, and actually a hell of a lot of fun. You can really stumble upon some great images in simple searches. The Piclens plugin overlays a small icon over images, so that if you want to, you can browse a page of images from the web just by clicking the icon as well.

Here’s the best part for web guys like me. They have a really simple publishing program, that you can use to get your site dialed in.

Warning: you can get sucked up into browsing around in the slick interface for hours… it’s a bit addictive. YouTube searches are pretty cool, as well as typing a random term into the Flickr toolbar, and letting it rip.

Note: I’m running a super-geek high performance PC, and am wondering what other experiences are going to be like, especially on slower home machines. Throw your two cents in with a comment if you have any good or bad experiences when (and if) you try it out.

-Stephen Rovetti

I love Google Reader. I visit a bunch of design and entertainment blogs, and it was getting to be too much to visit each site, bookmark what I was interested in, and remember to go back to see the latest posts. My super web-guru husband turned me on to Google Reader, one spot where I can see all of the sites I’m interested in, see what has new content, and even find new sites I might like.

Now we’ve made it easy to follow the AIGA NH/VT blog in Google Reader or any other reader you choose to use. Click on the links to your right under FEEDS, or click on the orange RSS logo in the address bar at the top of your browser. Set how you’d like to be notified of updates, and sit back and let the information roll in.

I’m sure there are other great ways to use RSS feeds, share what you know in the comments area below.

This past weekend the great psychedelic poster artist Alton Kelley passed away.  Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse created some of the most memorable posters that came out of the 60’s San Fran rock counter culture scene and I was lucky enough to see many of these posters a few years ago. They are amazing, detailed, vibrant and iconic. Dust off your best Grateful Dead playlist, read Kelley’s obit, and view some of his work

AIGA NH/VT is exploring the possibility of a member group show at an area gallery. Interested? We need your input! Please complete a short survey to give us your feedback.

Thank you,

AIGA NH/VT

Shape the future of AIGA NH/VT —
be a part of the AIGA NH/VT Board of Directors!

The following positions are up for election this year:

Vice President
Secretary
Communications Chair
Web Chair
Sponsorship Chair*
Exhibitions Chair*
Programming Chair* (1-year commitment, this year only)

(*new positions)

Don’t miss your chance to be a vital part of your AIGA chapter’s leadership. Submit a Letter of Intent by Monday, June 9, to be considered for nomination to one of these open positions. For more information, download the posted pdfs for Board Position Descriptions and Responsibilities, Election Guidelines, and the Letter of Intent electronic form; or visit our Contact Us section to contact one of your current board members.

aigaboarddescription

aigaelectionguideline

aigaletterofintent

When it comes to AIGA membership, I hear about cost vs. benefit a lot. Many of those who are debating this are focusing on what they, as an individual, are getting out of the membership. There are many benefits for individual members. There’s the discounts from Adobe and FedEx. There’s the local chapter community events and the networking. But AIGA has more to offer.

AIGA offers benefits to its members as practicers of the profession. When AIGA leads an initiative, it improves the value of profession, and that benefits all designers. AIGA also offers benefits to entire communities in which we live. For example, in AIGA’s Communique Volume 8 Issue 5, the following section can be found:

Design for Democracy educates 125 election officials on ballot design

In April, representatives from AIGA Design for Democracy were the featured speakers at an Election Center workshop, where they presented ballot and election design reform to 125 local election officials from across the country. The presenters shared design samples and best practices for paper and electronic ballots and polling place signage, developed by AIGA which were based on nationwide research and endorsed by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. They also unveiled a new collection of Election Design top ten guidelines that applies to all voter materials. These tools enable election officials and local designers to create materials that are clear and easy to use.

Next time you’re having the discussion about membership, be it with a colleague or with a renewal notice, don’t forget to think about how your membership has enabled this and many other important initiatives to improve the lives of designers and those in the communities around us.

-Michael Niggel

With the HOW Design Conference taking place in Boston this next week, many of us are taking advantage of the proximity and attending. However, if your unable to attend, you can still enjoy a conference experience from your own desktop:

Watch presentations from leaders in our field.

Be inspired by viewing creative work from other talented designers.

Network with peers.

Visit vendors and order samples & materials.

Learn about the newest hardware and software.

Overpriced food, restless nights on a hotel mattress, living out of a suitcase and abundant travel hassles are yours to avoid!

If you’ve got great experiences from past conferences, or are at the HOW Conference and can share what your seeing, hearing and discussing, add to the comments section.