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.

Silas Pandori is a native of Central New York and graduated from RIT with a Bachelor’s Degree in Graphic Design.

Todd Edmonds, Iron Design’s Founder said, “We are very pleased to be honored by Cereplast for this international symbol search. Replacement of fossil-fuel based plastics with bio-plastics is a subject we strongly support. As we work with other clients in this field we know how important it is to quickly find alternatives to fossil fuels in all sectors of manufacturing. This competition demonstrated how many creative designers are passionate about this topic, and we are pleased to be chosen amongst so much extraordinary talent.”

About Iron Design

Founded in 1993 in Ithaca, NY, Iron Design develops cohesive brand + web identities for small and mid-sized organizations. With a focus on establishing new brands and re-energizing mature ones, Iron’s work takes a long-term strategic approach to developing and enhancing their clients’ business, with teams spanning brand & web strategy, identity & naming, packaging design and communications design. See examples of their branding approach at www.irondesign.com

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.

Assuming your ultimate goal is to gain employment following graduation, your main reasons in showing your portfolio this Thursday are as follows:

• network with professionals;
• have a potential employer become familiar with your work;
• practice your interview skills; and,
• get valuable feedback from local professionals. That feedback can be on issues ranging from how best to present your portfolio to whom that person knows in Boston, MA.

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, and take business cards or copies of your resume along. You never know where it might lead.

Yours, Chris

AIGA Portfolio reviews are this Thursday, CMYKs are next Wednesday.

http://upstatenewyork.aiga.org/events

Many of you have started your last semester of school before graduating. My last semester of school seems like a lifetime ago. It started with these words from my Dad -
“Next time you come home, you’ll be a guest.”

Safe to say I took portfolio day very seriously. I refined my work, resume, and business cards, i.e. like the rest of my classmates, I prepared. Portfolio day came and went, and I walked out with three good leads… and returned to Rochester. I sent each lead a follow-up letter, thanking them for expressing interest, and then rested-assured that I was on my way. The only phone calls that followed were my Dad’s ...nearly every day...“So, what have you done today to find a job.”

I started a relentless telephone campaign.

I called Dave from Ernst & Young in Cleveland, OH. His voicemail mentioned he would be in Italy for two months. Funny, he didn’t mention this when we met. Undeterred, I left a message… which was never returned. I called again, but this time when the receptionist asked who I was calling for, I explained my situation, that I needed to get a hold of Dave. The receptionist put me in touch with Dave’s assistant, who gave me Dave’s number in Italy. I called Dave in Italy and left a message. I was proud to tell my folks of my progress. I didn’t expect my Dad to respond incredulously, “You called where?”

The good news - Dave called me back. Bad news - Dave was not the person I had met at portfolio review. Long story short, I had been given the wrong business card. Dave would help me figure out who I had met, and eventually put me in touch with the correct person. In the end, EY flew me out to Cleveland which eventually led to the start of my professional career.

It all began at portfolio review, and took calling Italy to get the job.

My advice:

• Be prepared to do what others aren’t willing to do.


• Expand your search area, say between Boston and Charlotte, promise to come back with the knowledge you gleam.


• Hit'em with all you've got, design a campaign for yourself, carefully crafting each touch, snail mailing or emailing are fine, call if you dare , but you better know how to work the phones, all supported by your website of course.


• Be persistent.


• Put your AIGA membership to good use, call on a professional member, free advice and connections are often available, dispensed over email, phone, coffee before 8am, during lunch, or after 6pm.


• And most important - your portfolio needs to be a true reflection of you and your capabilities, not your instructors, your roommate, your former boss or co-workers.

December marked six months since this board began working on your behalf. I want to take this opportunity to “Thank You” for supporting AIGA through your membership, time, and contributions. AIGA works (literally) for so many of us on so many levels. Whether it is AIGA’s response to the NEA’s call for logos, guiding us on intellectual property rights, supporting us in the new economy, or our dedicated board of directors and equally devoted committee members, AIGA represents our interests as professionals while serving the design community statewide.

AIGA UPSTNY Celebrates 20 years, AIGA nears 100 years

AIGA Upstate New York chapter was formed in 1991-1992 with some 20 members. I want to compliment all of you on the incredible growth in membership and participation we have experience over the past six months. We now serve 261 members, up from 152 this time last year. Our Upstate team now comprises of 24 talented and dedicated professional volunteers, up from 7 this time last year. AIGA provides us with the opportunity to lead while paying it forward. I encourage you to also consider volunteering and moreover, urge you to apply for a board position in April.

AIGA UPSTNY Initiatives

AIGA Upstate New York is the statewide chapter of the national professional organization for design. As such, we have initiatives on both a chapter and national level.

AIGA offers more than you may know

All at our fingertips, just to name a few, are: the design archives online, standards of professional practices, salary survey, education resources, business resources, professional development tools, society & environmental resources, articles on design, discounts, and online portfolio. Furthermore, hits to the chapter website and Facebook fan page have doubled. Attendance at our five-city monthly meet-up has also doubled (we’re participating, supporting one another). Together, these tools have combined to create an invaluable opportunity for all of us statewide.

I wish all of you a successful 2011.

Yours,
Chris

AIGA Upstate New York and AIGA national initiatives

A few example of how AIGA Represents our interests:

AIGA’s response to the NEA’s call for logos, guiding us on intellectual property rights, and supporting us in the new economy.

A few AIGA Resources worth visiting:

Design archives online, standards of professional practices, salary survey, education resources, business resources, professional development tools, society & environmental resources, articles on design, discounts, and online portfolio

A student member contacted me recently to complain about the volume of content and programming geared towards professional members — i.e. not enough for students in the region. AIGA students are encouraged to take the first step in demonstrating a commitment to their professional interest and understanding the graphic design field.

AIGA Upstate New York feels strongly that students should, as much as possible, be involved in programming their own AIGA group’s events. This activity provides an opportunity for training future chapter officers and instills a sense of responsibility towards the needs of the group. Concurrently, the chapter encourages interaction between student and professional members — the inspiration found in this exchange is often mutually beneficial.

We at AIGA Upstate New York purposefully steer away from the traditional model, one of being the chapter’s exclusive planners. We try to avoid the “we’ll tell you what’s best” approach to chapter planning and prefer to let the positive potential embodied in your new ideas and your energy propel the agenda. This approach requires your approval and participation. Participation can come in many forms.

To that point, I recently had coffee with a professional member. After an hour or so he confessed, “I thought you were going to try to talk me into doing pro-bono work or something”.

“Far from it”, I said, “I simply want you to show up”.

Interact with the other members. I selfishly want for you what AIGA is for me — an inspirational shot in the arm. Give your chapter and its members another chance. I think you will find us to be inviting, inclusive, friendly, and our conversations insightful, forward-thinking, and entertaining.

It’s easy to find a way to participate in AIGA. Attend and let colleagues know about the CMYK series occurring in six (6) cities throughout the State. 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

Your AIGA Upstate New York Board of Directors and local Event Coordinators have set a CMYK schedule for the remainder of the 2010-11 programming year in order to give everyone and opportunity to plan ahead and mark your calendars. We also are alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays each month to allow those of you that may have obligations on one of those nights a chance to join us.

CMYK will be held monthly from 6-8pm simultaneously in various locations throughout Upstate New York. Check with our events schedule each month for locations, venues and special deals on drinks and appetizers.

If you haven't had an opportunity to make it out to a CMYK near you now is the time to mark your calendars and and come join us.

• Tues. Jan 11
• Wed. Feb 9
• Tues. March 8
• Wed. April 13
• Tues. May 10
• Wed. June 15
• Tues. July 12
• Wed. Aug 10
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