Posted in AIGA, Design, Press on 02/15/2010 10:25 pm by Patrick Carter
Courtney Cotten :: UX/IA Design
I love to share stories about design with fellow creatives, so naturally when my buddy Courtny Cotten asked me to chat with him on his blog I was excited and glad to participate. Courtny is an incredible designer from Indianapolis, Indiana, and is a proud member of the Indy chapter of AIGA | the professional organization for design. He has a fine portfolio of identities and interfaces even though he is at the beginning of what is sure to be a long career.
Here’s a bit about Courtny from his site: I am a graphic designer focused on delivering beautiful and practical solutions. I have experience in a broad range of design disciplines: print, 3D, video, as well as web. My current passion is emerging information technologies, user interface design, as well as communication architecture. I work and play in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Read the interview on his blog
Posted in Branding, Design on 10/08/2009 10:20 am by Patrick Carter
Brand Sprout™ by Greenhouse Studio
As many of you may already know, I have been working with a new brand development studio here in Jacksonville Greenhouse Studio. As part of our one year anniversary, we put together a program, Brand Sprout, that aims to give back to the business community and illustrate the importance of a strong brand development with a new company. We will create your identity, messaging, vision, website and overall brand framework. We’ll even host your site and support your branding initiatives for one year. We will also document your growth, month by month, and continue to help you out along the way for 2010. We have amazing campaign partners that will also help get you started with communications, PR, signage, hats, shirts, launch gifts, catering and even printing. We love the entrepreneurial spirit and want to help those who have the same passion we do for risk and reward.
We want you to tell us WHY. The brand sprout campaign contest will run for the month of October 2009 and close on Thursday, October 29th at noon. The top 3 candidates will be chosen for phone interviews on Friday, October 30th, and then the finalist will be announced Monday, November 2, 2009. Your new brand will be launched for growth for 2010. Please read our rules & regulations and note that your company must be less than one year old.
Posted in AIGA, Art, Design, Events on 10/01/2009 07:46 pm by Patrick Carter
Patrick Carter and Uncle Eddie at Always Summer
So opening night has come and gone and the 2009 AIGA Jacksonville Membership Drive was a fantastic success. With nearly 50 submissions in total, the gallery like setting provided by The Jacksonville Landing was the perfect atmosphere for some seasonal socializing. The atmosphere of Always Summer, as it was deemed, was set by creative lighting, stunning live entertainment, cold local beverages, and delicious organic foods.
Music was key to this AIGA Jax bash, as the playlist was generated and compiled by local designers’ selections. Each poster entry was paired to a favorite summer song and designed to its likeness (or loose interpretation in some cases). The DJ booth was alive with energy featuring Joey Marchy of urbanjacksonville.info and DJ Squints (Dennis Eusibio) of Thought and Theory. Not only did they seamlessly play all of the songs from the posters and an incredible display of their own tastes and talents, but also managed to VJ a visual show of summer themed delights.
If the sights and sounds of Always Summer Poster Show + Mix Tape weren’t thrilling enough, the food and drink were sure to win you over. With local Bold City Brewery favorite “Duke’s Brown Cold Nosed Ale” running the show, guests also had a selection of wines, soft drinks and more available. Native Sun Natural Foods Store provided delicious and healthy black bean and chicken quesadillas and multiple varieties of their famous wraps including a vegetarian selection. When combined these refreshments pleased even the savviest critics: art, food or otherwise.
As an interactive touch to the event, attendees were encouraged to vote for their favorite poster to take the acclaimed Jax Choice award. Designers faced off for the chance at 3 price packs containing many books, posters from Dog and Pony and one from yours truly, design goodies, and creatively packaged in summer beach and pool gear, which always comes in handy ’round these parts. It’s no surprise that 1st prize went to vector and poster master Levi Ratliff of Halftone Def Studios, 2nd prize went to Brittany Norris and 3rd place to Ben Windsor. It’s also worth mentioning that AIGA Jacksonville President Varick Rosete initially took both 2nd and 3rd prize, but nobly forfeited his winnings to the next two participants with the highest votes. There were so many excellent posters and it was a very tight race making us lucky to be able to narrow it down to 3 with the help of out guests.
AIGA Jacksonville was please to see so many new and old faces at the event. It was truly an eclectic mix of creatives (and creative lovers alike). Be sure to join us for Art Walk on October 7 for an encore presentation of the event. We would like to thank participants and attendees for making it such a fantastic time and encourage you to join us more often!
More Information:
My Flickr | Photos from Tmann | Join AIGA | Learn More About AIGA Jacksonville
Posted in AIGA, Art, Design, Events on 08/01/2009 12:30 pm by Patrick Carter
End of Summer Poster Show & Mix Tape
AIGA Jacksonville’s annual membership event is the perfect place to grab a few cold beers, a bite to eat, enjoy some local art and reminisce about the lost days of summer. Featuring some of Northeast Florida’s foremost creative talents, Always Summer celebrates design excellence in our area. AIGA Jacksonville presents this exhibit reflecting diverse disciplines of design emphasizing illustration, typography and printing techniques. Participants are asked to pick their favorite summer song and turn it into a piece of art in poster form. A live local DJ will be performing the songs compiled from the artists’ selections to set the tone for the night! Participating designers will have the chance at some killer prizes by winning Jax Choice awarded by popular vote. For more information on this event or on how to become a member, email us at membership[at]aigajacksonville.org.
Call to Artists – Summer’s over and it’s time to cool it off with a smokin’ new poster design. You know you have that hot summer polka song floating around in the back of your mind and you’re raring to turn it into a true work of art. Heck, you might even win some prizes while you’re at it with the Jax Choice award. Join in on the party and save your spot in the show now!
Visit the event site for the most up to date info: alwayssummer09.aigajacksonville.org
Posted in AIGA, Design, Events on 06/15/2009 10:55 pm by Patrick Carter
AIGA Leadership Retreat 2009
Thanks to AIGA Jacksonville, I was lucky enough to participate in the Sea Change AIGA Leadership Retreat in Portland, Oregon on June 4-6, 2009. This conference style retreat included selected local chapter board members from across the nation celebrate the successes and hard work of the last year, and prepare for the changes and initiatives of the year to come. We discussed many issues on behalf of our local chapters and learned thoughts and ideas of other AIGA leadership including how to define the future course of the organization.
This was such an incredible experience for me. Being a Jacksonville Beach native, attending college at the University of North Florida and a member of this business community for my entire career, it was awe-inspiring to meet other creatives and design innovators from every corner of America. I expected a camaraderie between attendees prior to embarking on the trip but what I encountered upon arrival was beyond description. Everyone was so supportive, willing to share ideas, introduce themselves and tell you a story. Not only was everyone ingratiating, but also incredibly intelligent. It seems that any topic I was engaged on was worth listening to and taking note of. People shared success stories about clients, industry standards, design techniques and the list just goes on.
Although this was one of the most inspiring experiences of my life, I found myself somewhat discouraged upon returning to Jacksonville. After being surrounded by so much culture, intelligence and inspiration, coming back to the daily grind seemed so lack luster. The same commoditized design jobs, uninspired concepts and lack of appreciation for the power of design. I realized that more than ever, that this marketplace was resistant to new ideas. I don’t really believe that this is only the market that behaves this way, but a good portion of the small business world in general. We have determined that the best way to combat the challenges that face our industry as design thinkers is through educating our clients, students and anyone you hope to influence with your work. The resolution as a whole can only be to try our best to influence the world that surrounds us in hopes that in some small way we can make a positive impact. The hope is to leave things better than we found them or at the very least prevent further diminishment of the trade that is so loved by myself as well as fellow design professionals around the nation.
This is going to be a huge year for AIGA Jacksonville, and I am more excited than ever to get started. We are fueled with new ideas for programming, membership, sponsorship, community outreach and a new desire to collaborate more with our nearby chapters and fellow professional organizations. We will not only be focusing on individual benefits, but also have an enhanced initiative to progess the design industry as a whole. Through hard work and the passion successful design takes I believe we can embody the mission of AIGA: to advance designing as a professional craft, strategic tool and vital cultural force.
