After a brief break from blogging in order to spend some time relaxing over the Thanksgiving holiday, I'm back! As December gets underway it's the season for shopping and gift giving, so here are a few items on my wish list:
Paper + Printing 101
Last Friday I attended an AIGA student event all about paper and printing. This even took place at Spangler Graphics and was led by Marie Langdon of Shaugnessy. The day began with a presentation all about how paper is made. We were able to view examples of different printing techniques and learn all about different types of paper and their characteristics. At the end of the day we were able to tour Spangler's printing facilities and take home tons of paper samples. My personal favorite was a bulldog hat, a promotional pice for French Paper, designed by Charles S. Anderson. Overall this was a valuable experience that I know will benefit me in the future.
AAF-KC Career Day
The Future of Advertising
Today I attended the AAF-KC Career Day at the KU Edwards Campus. My morning began with several short talks and I am very glad I made the choice to attend "The Future of Advertising." A panel featuring employees from Bernstein-Rein, Propaganda 3, and VML each shared their thoughts about where advertising is going. All made many interesting points, yet several stood out to me. First, while I was familiar with Chipolte's recent campaign "The Scarecrow," I had not seen the Funny or Die response to the video. One point made during this talk was that advertising has now become a business that is in the hands of the consumer. The pubic has many options if they desire to respond to a campaign. Advertising today no longer only involves an interaction between a brand, ideas, and channels. Now, technology and data have entered the mix. People want to interact with brands, so it is now relevant to be familiar with both technology and data. Another point stated was the necessity of giving the customer the wheel. The Stanley Piano was used to illustrate that while technology made the idea possible, the customer involvement really became the key to its' success. Finally, I have several new books to dive into including Marketing to Women by Marti Barletta and Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy. These are only a few of the insights I took away from a day filled with talks, portfolio reviews, and networking, but are ones I felt left the biggest impact as I headed home.
The Animal Print Shop
While browsing the latest issue of Vanity Fair I absolutely fell in love with an animal print featuring an elephant. Immediately I started browsing The Animal Print Shop's website. An online art gallery and store, Sharon Montrose and her husband Spencer operate the site, along with their team. While best known for the series Little Darlings, each animal print is unique and beautifully photographed. Especially wonderful is their commitment to offering a range of prices. Hopefully I will be the proud owner of one of these prints soon! The hardest part will be deciding which one...
Emily Martin Carousel Book Workshop
On Friday I had the privilege to attend a workshop led by Emily Martin. The focus of the workshop was to learn the workings of a carousel book. Each participant created a book using templates designed by Emily with each room illustrating different pop-up techniques. Emily Martin earned a MFA degree in painting, from the University of Iowa in 1979, having previously earned a BFA and MA in drawing and painting, respectively. She started the Naughty Dog Press in 1996 to produce her own limited editions of primarily sculptural and movable artist's books. Martin joined the University of Iowa Center for the Book in 1998, to teach a variety of classes exploring artists' books, including Moveable & Sculptural Books, Paper Engineering & Pop Up Books and Artists Books. During her career she has produced over 35 limited edition artist's books using a variety of production techniques including letterpress printing, intaglio printing, silkscreen printing, inkjet printing and photocopies. Martin is very interested in the intersection of the book as an art form with the traditional craft of bookbinding.
Hello November
November is here! The leaves in Lawrence have been beautiful this year, especially the bright yellows. As the weather continues to get colder I would love to keep these beautiful colors around in my wardrobe. Here are some fall picks centered around a sunny sweater:
