i'm currently an mfa candidate in the graphic design program at the maryland institute college of art. this site is an online space for me to showcase my work, write about the culture i live in, explore my professional and personal philosophy and post random observations. i hope you enjoy your time here.
With most books represented on Amazon, you are given a plethora of information and statistics — from amateur and professional reviews to how many words per ounce exist in said book. The data given enables the opportunity for an interesting project.
Our most recent visiting artist’s workshop here at MICA was the wonderful Gail Anderson, who was just recently honored by the AIGA by receiving a Medal for Lifetime Achievement. Her body of work is as impressive as her personality. Our weekend with her consisted of research, reading, discussion and brainstorming. It culminated in the production of a poster for Wendy Wasserstein’s play Third.
As an abbreviated exercise, the 1st-year grad students at MICA are participating in Adbusters now infamous One Flag Campaign. While I share similar concerns as some of the judges who opted out of the judging panel, the exercise was intriguing and, yes, fun.
This exercise, based loosely off of Barthe’s infamous “Image-Music-Text
This past weekend MICA hosted the AIGA Social Studies conference, an event geared towards graphic design education and and perhaps the professions most significant contributors - the educators. The lineup of speakers was as impressive as the discussions and lectures themselves. As a grad student at MICA and as part of the team that put together the conference collateral, I had the pleasure of attending and catching all the keynote speakers as well as a host of other panels throughout the weekend. Some of my favorites included presentations by:
Graduate colleague Aaron Walser asked each of us to submit our favorite and least favorite typefaces as fodder for an interactive display he’s putting together for the upcoming Social Studies conference. I know we all have our preferences, and I thought it’d be nice to reflect on the correlations between what I consider a favorite typeface and one that I use on a regular basis. So, here’s a list.
MICA will be hosting AIGA’s Social Studies Conference from Friday, October 17th through Sunday, October 19th. The conference’s roster of speakers is nothing short of impressive, ranging from Steve Heller to Scott Stowell to Stefan Bucher. The conference will be held in the gorgeous Brown Center and I urge any of those interested in attending to do so, as the deadline for registering is this week.
I recently exchanged a few emails with former Studio G+S founder Rob Giampietro about how he engages in the process of writing about and for graphic design. His answers were valuable to me and I thought others might enjoy them as well.
Last night the Experimental Type class taught here at MICA had a quick visit by Christian Schwartz, whose typefaces have garnered him awards from the New York Type Directors Club, D&AD and Cooper Hewitt to name a few. It was a pleasure to have him here at MICA.
Please pardon the progressing “un”- design of this space and the vanishing features. I’m in the midst of a WP upgrade and theme switch. I’ve yet to have time to address some of the issues I have with this site due to my hectic first couple of weeks in grad school at MICA. But, I promise that this site will birth plenty of content soon enough. I just need to set it up to harness all of it.
And the dust has slowly settled a bit over this past week. Things have been unpacked, bought, rearranged, thrown out, enrolled, paid, completed and I’ve explored, driven, met, interviewed and networked. The list could go on. It’s been a whirlwind of activity as I prepare for the first semester of graduate study and MICA and adjusting to a city much different than I have ever lived in or visited: Baltimore.
A recent reply to Eric’s rebuttle to a prickly-commentor brought some thoughts about the work environment back to the surface. To summarize the thread, the commenter (Nick) was suggesting that Eric’s committment to work overrided his desire to be at home with his family, implying that Eric was a negligible father due to his desire to be the best at what he does.
After two comfortable years back in my hometown of Chattanooga - hanging with my family, getting another degree, buying a home, and doing work for great clients - I’m off on yet another move. This one, however, is my most significant yet and is perhaps the beginning of a necessary shift in my life and career. Starting in the Fall, I will be an MFA Grad Student at MICA (Maryland Institute College of Art), honing my skills under Ellen Lupton, Jennifer Cole Phillips and a slew of amazing visiting artists.
Many thanks to Pentagram’s Katie Repine who was kind enough to send me their latest publication - the coveted Black Book, showcasing 400 of their recent projects. Not only are the projects contained within it incredible, the book itself is delicious.
I’ve recently become an affiliate of Cameron’s Authentic Jobs, which is why you will notice a brand new module in the sidebar. I’ve had luck in the past getting freelance work via AJ, so I urge you to check it out if you are seeking either freelance or full time work.
I have to say a quick thanks to Ellen Lupton, who recently sent me her new book Graphic Design: The New Basics. It’s a gorgeous book and, of course, very well written. Do yourself a favor a pick this one up.
I keep seeing this misuse pop-up in portfolio books and sites, and it’s tragic. So, let’s clear the usage up now, shall we? If you are showing off a set of materials, traditionally consisting of a letterhead, business card and envelope, using a logotype or identity - you should refer to this suite as stationery not stationary, which means static, not moving. Got it?
After spending the majority of the week under the covers, dropping about 8 pounds, and aching beyond belief - I am very happy to be on the mend. Unfortunately, this will entail many hours of catch up. If you’ve already caught the bug, I’m sorry but it will be over soon. For you lucky bastards who have avoided it, stay healthy. It sucks.
We’re live… and I’ve lost track, among other things, on the number of redesigns this site has gone through and the number of domains it has switched between. In the process I also lost many, many entries and some motivation for the entirety of the design profession. But that was short-lived. My passion and desire to continue to grow in this field I’ve come to live for was masked by various unfortunate situations (professionally) that left me just shy of a career meltdown. A meltdown that drove me back into school seeking a degree in psychology, but we’ll get more into that as time goes on.
Debbie Millman is an author, designer, pet-lover and critic living, working and playing in New York City. She just released her newest title “How To Think Like A Great Graphic Designer”. Rather than a how-to manual, as the title suggests, Debbie takes us on a journey that let’s us walk through some of the profession’s most important practitioners. In celebration of her book, I wanted to give a few thoughts of my own on this new endeavor of hers.