While the design work was extremely impressive and certainly provided for beautiful context, the discussion around how DKNG works, their processes, and ideology were extremely valuable. In the hectic world of deadline driven design it seems that some of the formalities of process can often be overlooked. Dan made clear how these important steps along with thoughtful feedback from trusted colleagues can lead to a more successful project as a whole. He emphasized how preliminary steps such as research, brainstorming, and refinement are necessary. Equally important are the presentation and execution. The DKNG brand of process is unique. They break up what they see as essential components into a predetermined portions that fit with nearly any type of project. These components focus on steps such as a proposal of an idea to the client, delegation of work within the studio, the heavy lifting of the tangible illustration and design elements and finally the art direction and completion of the project.

Outside of the hands-on creative approach to producing successful work, Dan also presented higher level design business information that is an important component to any studio. Through hard work and time, great work will continue to be produced over the development of a design career and/or business. The selection of work you take on can become more stringent due to increase in demand and the budgets that surround projects. This was really interesting information for designers with a passion and determination to create a long term place for themselves in the industry. He looked at the need to select work in a thoughtful manner and referenced a Venn diagram solution, where he would require 2 out of 3 criteria to rationalize taking on a project. Essentially it was broken down into 3 considerations: Portfolio, Budget, and Happiness. Would the project be good for the DKNG portfolio to enhance the prospect of future business? Is the project financially sound, having a solid budget that would be profitable to the studio? Will the work please the studio as opposed to being a morale buster? If the answer to at least 2 these question was a yes, then the project was qualified for consideration to bring in. In addition to selection of work, he also discussed advantages of project based versus hourly pricing and how to market to the modern, technically savvy online community.

AIGA Jacksonville provides many benefits, and in my opinion this event showcased all of the most important qualities that the group provides our creative community. The presentation was not only highly inspirational but more importantly educational – providing me with pointers and viewpoints I can apply to my studio and career immediately. Dan was a real class act, traveling all the way from Santa Monica to Jacksonville to share his work and insights into the design industry. Not only did he prepare an awesome presentation but was also generous enough to join the AIGA Jacksonville Board for a couple nights of casual fun, even attending the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra featuring Ben Folds!

Many thanks to Dan for coming out and becoming a friend to AIGA Jacksonville – it’s a weekend both student and professional members will not soon forget!

View photos on Flickr

The event was kicked off at the beautiful AT&T Building in downtown Jacksonville. A meet and greet style happy hour prior to the event was filled with many active members of our design community making for a fun and free form discussion amongst friends and colleagues. The delicious spread of Mediterranean-inspired food was graciously sponsored by Character Counts (special thanks to Florence Haridan and Tina Veitch). We also enjoyed incredible cupcakes and sweets provided by Sweet & Flour (special thanks to Marisa Ratliff).

As the presentation portion of the event began, we were able to get an inspirational peek at Acquired Taste, a short film concepted by Membership Chair Stephanie Soden. This brief glimpse into the film showed just a portion of the genius from the likes of local creative community legends such as Jefferson Rall, Jan Korb, Mark Barnhart, Mary Fisher, David Wingard and Carl Smith. The immense value of the discussion was immeasurable. Many props go out to not only Stephanie Soden for putting this together and making it happen but also to the seasoned veterans who took valuable time out of their busy schedules to participate. Don’t miss out – make sure to view the film on our Vimeo page.

Following Acquired Taste, our Programming Chair, Jim Ward, introduced our honorary guest speaker Liz Danzico. Liz introduced us to a complex theme that we might have never considered in such a way before. As ambassadors of our personal history in our own lives, we will always find a place for the past to be contextualized in our present. As technology develops it reinforces the nostalgia that we seem to crave and brings about a romance of positive past memories. Whether it is the “rejiggering” of old concepts with new tools, reinventing of old models, or the bringing about of new forms created by the canonization of existing ones – a bit of our past observations seem to reemerge in our current creative manifestations.

She went on to explain how past themes are ever present in our daily lives, and presented an example of how the Occupy movement can be viewed as a resurgence with the same fervor of youth in the late 60s. This time their voices are amplified through the uses of new technologies the Internet has provided. The same can be said for the emergence of retail stores such as Pottery Barn, IKEA or Starbucks which present us with a perception of items and products that speak to us as culturally authentic, yet in reality are anything but. Liz made reference to how this is followed by a culture of media that has exploited the opportunity to teach us how to use this “commercialized authenticity” of which we are now exposed. This becomes apparent in entertainment programming such as Top Chef, Trading Spaces or Project Runway. In turn, we (our culture) eventually become “authenticity stylist” in our own right.

What is the future of the past? Liz referenced author Clay Shirky, “In the same way that the web at one point made everyone an accidental publisher, the web plus 15 years has made everyone an accidental archivist.” So where do we go from here? We can speculate that we will see a continuation of an influx of technological development for archival tools, the prevalence of a curator role, and the dissolution of the traditional historian.

As creatives these themes seem to be something we face and can potentially use more than the average human. How can it be applied to our lives and careers? Design comes from a moment (or combination of moments) of inspiration. The ways that we observe our world and more importantly interpret it to our audience are of great importance in how our message is effectively communicated. We can consider the direction we would like to present and use this information to become a different type of design observer – by evaluating what we love about both the past and present and in turn realizing that ultimately we are able to allow ourselves to take more risks.

The spread includes several fun and less commercial graphic design, illustration, typography and art projects including self promotional work, gig and rock posters, toy and sculpture design, t-shirts, skate decks and more. In addition to art the spread also includes a brief write up about Patrick Carter Design including history, influences and inspiration. In an effort to get as much art in as possible, the write up was edited down a bit (which was awesome because the layout looked killer and who wants to read me babbling anyways?). But just for the hell of it (and to add some girth to the blog post), here is the raw unedited version of the interview below:

1. What inspires you to create?

Inspiration comes in many forms, such as art and design books, posters, blogs and most of all other designers and artists. When I see other folks doing great work in the different fields, whether it be design for print, web, illustration, photography, drawing, painting, or whatever the case might be I get inspired to take a crack at it and make something cool too.

2. Biggest influence?

My first exposure to visual design was surf magazine layout and advertisements. I would flip through and think, “Man that looks killer!” and I started trying to figure out how I could do something like that for a living. My biggest direct influences now are other designers and illustrators. There is so much talent out there and it is interesting to see what approach they take. I have different influences for different things. For example a couple of my biggest local influences for illustration are poster masterminds Halftone Def Studios and Jason Harms of Livewire Tattoo. I have also been following Oregon designer Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co. for quite a while. In terms of business and an all around design mentor, Kurtis Loftus has influenced me a ton. The time I spent with his group taught me the hands on skills I needed to run a design studio.

3. Goals and ambitions?

My life-long goal has been to have my own company doing what I love. I was lucky enough to have that become a reality full-time in July of 2010, so I’m still just soaking it in, working hard and enjoying the hustle. A new goal is having a satellite office in Costa Rica where I can work 4-6 weeks a year. I have already found the place and everything, now it is just a matter of pulling the trigger and working out any hurdles like phone and internet connection issues.

I can’t say thanks enough to Tye, Aaron and Kayla over at VOID for considering the work of PCD for the magazine. The publication is an awesome thing for our North Florida community and continues to “fill the void” more and more with every issue. It seems to have been a huge success so far with the community rallying around in support of the magazine so I’m looking forward to seeing many more action packed issues for years to come.

Related links:
Inside the World of Board Graphics Facebook Page
Charlotte West interviews Robynne Raye for Print Magazine
More info from Barnes and Noble

Here’s a link to the original post about I’m Board, the Jacksonville skateboard design and illustration show.

The Always Summer Weekend got underway Friday, September 30 at the AT&T building in Downtown Jacksonville, with speaker Aaron Draplin of Draplin Design Co. (DDC). Prior to the event, I knew Aaron was an incredible design talent and sidesplitting copywriter, but I had no idea the level of entertainment and education that was about to unfold. It was such a privilege to have him here for many reasons. Aaron is a premiere performer and currently one of the most highly sought-after speakers — and with good reason. His acclaimed presentation, “Tall Tales from a Large Man” is brilliant and a must-see. Many claimed it was the best speaker event they had been to, and I have to wholeheartedly agree. Not only did he travel all of the way from Portland to be with us, but he came straight to Jacksonville from his presentation in Philadelphia the night before—a marathon of entertainment.

Aaron brought the audience through the full range of emotions, pinpointing moments of introspection with many laughs and even some tears. He shared personal stories about life-changing events, clients, projects and conquests that were so raw, real and incredible that they could only be presented in person. He was a catalyst for personal and professional epiphanies for everyone in attendance, and I have no doubt that he positively impacted the creative culture for graphic designers in North Florida forever.

Aaron was unbelievably authentic and quickly became part of our design community, even during the short period of time he was here. While battling harsh, unforgiving deadlines resulting from a challenging travel schedule, he found time to do some serious Southern junking, Jacksonville style with local designers Levi Ratliff, Jonathan Lawrence and Brian Nelson. He even swung by the 3rd Annual Always Summer Poster Show on his way out to see what Jacksonville was bringing to the graphic design table. Overall, it was an amazing, valuable experience for many in our AIGA Jacksonville chapter, and one that I, personally, will never forget.

The show took place at Thief in the Knight gallery in Downtown Jacksonville. Special thanks to gallery operator Richard Reichstadter for all of the help, and for letting us wreak havoc at the gallery for a bit. The space was a perfect fit. With a rustic feel, brick walls, plenty of space and excellent lighting, the show was bound to be a success from the beginning. Even the humid Jacksonville weather cooperated and gave us a nice, cool evening.

The night certainly couldn’t have been such a blast without the assistance of musical masterminds Dennis Eusebio (DJ Squints), Varick Rosete (DJ Vulture) and Ian Latchmansingh (DJ Mowgli) who set the tone for the night. What’s even more awesome is that they are all designers, making the underlying goal — getting the city’s creative community to come together for a kick-ass event — possible.

Each year one person is given the people’s choice design award. The concept reflects the casual vibe of the event and allows everyone to cast their vote, with no formalized judging or overly serious, nerve-racking stakes. Three winners received prize packages that included design books, posters, fun summer-related toys and more. We had some really great posters this year, and the voting was close. In the end, Bryant Hardwick took top prize for his “Beatles–Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” poster, which was well illustrated, with beautiful colors, textures and composition. Second place went to Jenny Bello and Lauren Hussey took home third. Click here to check out more posters from this year’s show.

In the end, the Always Summer Weekend was inspiring and rejuvenating. Not only did we get to hear the refreshing, encouraging and inspiring words of Aaron Draplin, but we were also allowed creative liberties with a client-free design “project” for the poster show and saw the diverse design approaches of nearly 100 Jacksonville designers and artists. The combination of these events made for a really fun, action-packed, design-heavy weekend.

Thanks to everyone who worked so hard to make this weekend possible. We have an amazing creative community here in Northeast Florida, and it’s weekends like these that prove that. Always Summer keeps getting bigger, better and more inspiring, so be ready for next year. It will be here before you know it!

Here’s a look at my submission to the show:

The evening kicked off with a cocktail hour at the prestigious Markland House at Flagler College, which was beautifully decorated and equally as welcoming. Flagler College provided exquisite catering, a fine beer and wine selection and excellent service. Afterward, we walked over to the Student Center which was an architectural masterpiece of its own. Event organizer and AIGA Jacksonville Vice President, Karen Kurycki, kicked things off by introducing Mr. Frank Martinez, Esq. Frank spoke about a wide array of information and pointers for creatives at all levels of their career. He spoke about font licensing (in which he has written most of the dialogue), inspiration vs. stealing, copyrights, trademarks, limitations and exceptions to copyright laws.

As a relatively new owner of a small business, I found this speaker to be highly informative and a joy to listen to. The event was a fresh breath of unique programming content that addressed something many members have been asking about for a long time. Frank was even kind enough to join us for dinner at Cortesses Bistro in Historic St. Augustine for even more action-packed conversation and excellent food and drinks.

I’d recommend Frank as a speaker for any event in which the legalities of creative industry were a concern because attendees walked away with clear and concise information regarding intellectual property of every kind. When was the last time you paid $10 (free for students) for over two hours of legal consultation? I would like to thank Frank, Professor Luciana Gassett of Flagler College, AIGA Jacksonville (namely Karen Kurycki) and the attendees who had valuable questions and knowledge to add to the conversation!

As creatives, we are communicators by nature and sometimes in the routine of daily work life we tend to lose the interaction that we crave. Whether it be the redundancy of collaborating with the same groups of people or lacking collaboration all together, The Morning Leak gives a breath of fresh air in chatting about projects, concepts and design processes outside of the daily drain.

With the success of this event, we’ve decided to open it up to anyone interested in sharing a current or recently completed project. Keep in mind that the event isn’t limited to graphic designers, in fact, we encourage creative thinkers from every field to participate.

Part of the strength of the experience is based on the chance to see the way different functions operate, and how the pieces of the puzzle come together through collaboration. We have seen projects from photographers, videographers, web developers, animators and more. We look forward to seeing what you can bring to the table!

Due to the time constraints of the morning event, presenters will be limited to 6 people, but of course everyone is invited to observe.

Email membership@aigajacksonville.org to be put on the list to share a project. Act quickly because spots are limited!

Come and find out what your fellow creatives are working on that’s cool and exciting, and join in on the discussion by bringing some of your own stuff! The next event is Wednesday, May 12 from 7:30 AM to 9 AM at Panera St. Johns Town Center. Thanks for those who have participated in the past and we really look forward to seeing what new projects will be shared in the future!

Update: Read more about these skateboard deck designs being recently published in a new book.

Thanks everyone for the support. Made the death in the family much easier!