AIGA Detroit’s 2024 Student Portfolio Review

We’re seeking professional designers and educators to meet with students and review their portfolios at the AIGA Student Portfolio Review. 

The review will be held Saturday, March 16  at Apple Developer Academy (660 Woodward Ave., Suite 200, Detroit, MI 48226). Design students from various area programs will present their work to you in one-on-one sessions, giving you a valuable opportunity to shape future designers soon entering the profession.

The day begins at 10 am with student registration, guest keynote speakers, workshops and lunch. The one-on-one portfolio review sessions will take place from 1-4pm. You are welcome to join us for the entire day or check in at 12:30 pm.

Feel free to pass this request along to your co-workers and others. We couldn’t do this without you! 

Thank you, we couldn’t do this without you! 

Register now and take the first step towards a successful career in design!

• AIGA Student Members: $15
• Student Non-Members: $25
• At the door/Flat Fee: $30
• No Refunds

Keynote Speakers:

Kelly Mier O’Hara
Art Director, Herman Miller 

Kelly is an experienced art director with a background in both agency and in-house design. She specializes in bringing brands to life through visual storytelling. Her work has been featured in global advertising campaigns, events and exhibitions, editorial layouts, and digital media. Kelly currently leads the design team at Herman Miller, continuing the American furniture brand’s 100-year legacy of bold, joyful graphic design. 
 

Ken Walker 
Brand Strategist, Entrepreneur, Educator

Ken is an impact leader who in 2018, launched a lifestyle clothing brand, K. Walker Collective, setting
out to alleviate the barriers of self-expression for urban professionals. He opened his flagship storefront in Midtown Detroit on November 2022 and recently designed a custom jersey for the Detroit Pistons’ NBA G League. In advertising for a decade he has built marketing campaigns for Cadillac, Travelocity, Ford, Smashburger and Delta Vacations. 

2022 Achievements:

• Rising Star Award
  Detroit Phoenix Center
• Entrepreneur of the Year
  Michigan Diversity Council’s National Black Men in Leadership Summit 
• Spirit of Detroit Award
  Office of Mary Sheffield, Detroit City Council President

Workshops:

• Risograph with Rachel Hays of Taxonomy Press
• Profile Picture Booth
• Career Development: Resume / Interview Tips / PR

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Cumulus Conference 2022 will take place in Detroit at the College for Creative Studies. 

Design for Adaptation will look at what role designers play in fostering Adaptation through a wide range of approaches, methods, visions, & experiments that draw on Adaptation to reduce vulnerabilities & foster resilience for any community, big or small.⁠

⁠Registration is open! There are virtual and in-person registration options, so make sure you choose the appropriate one!⁠

Register

CoAD’s Design x Technology Lecture Series presents:
Sadie Red Wing: Designing for Sovereign Tribal Nations
This lecture is co-presented by AIGA Detroit.

Thursday, October 13, 2022 | 6:00pm – 7:00pm (ET)
Room: Lear Auditorium (T429) at LTU and live-streamed
Free and open to the public. Lite pizza dinner will be served.

REGISTER: https://www.ltu.edu/architecture_and_design/events/9def294b-6222-4180-8676-74dbba0e84a0 

Join Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design as we present another innovative Fall 2022 lecture with Assistant Professor at OCAD University, Sadie Red Wing.

Native American graphic design presents a strong modality based on graphical representation to express distinctive qualities of sovereignty. The understanding behind sovereign distinction of representational forms requires the indigenous education of traditional symbolism specific to the tribal audience. Any form created by an indigenous designer reflects the identity of the intended audience, for the cultural norm of tribal communication demands identification from the form to the engagers.

When engaging in tribal communication through representational forms, the visual language—of the form—needs correct translation to the fluent receiver. A problem in Native American graphic design remains the designer’s irresponsibility to communicate a sovereign visual language appropriately due to their lack of education in the traditional symbolism. Indigenous designers uneducated in their tribe’s graphical conventions resort to “pan-Indian” imagery when creating visual forms.

The term pan-Indian refers to the grouping of all Native American tribes into a single, denounced category when classifying a genre. Pan-Indian graphic design conveys meaningless and inappropriate messages that continue the stream of Native American stereotypes. Stereotypical imagery substituted for traditional symbolism degrades the visual representation of an (already-sensitive) indigenous culture.

When bringing indigenous perspective into design research or the practice of graphic design, various definitions need to be explored. Terms such as: decolonization, decoloniality, pan-indianism, cultural appreciation, and visual sovereignty will be defined during the session.

About Sadie

Sadie Red Wing is a Lakota graphic designer and advocate from the Spirit Lake Nation of Fort Totten, North Dakota. Red Wing earned her BFA in New Media Arts and Interactive Design at the Institute of American Indian Arts. She received her Master of Graphic Design from North Carolina State University. Her research on cultural revitalization through design tools and strategies created a new demand for tribal competence in graphic design research. Red Wing urges Native American graphic designers to express visual sovereignty in their design work, as well as, encourages academia to include an indigenous perspective in design curriculum. Currently, Red Wing serves as an Assistant Professor at OCAD University (Toronto, ONT).

@ltu_coad | @aigadetroit | @sadieredwing

Hear us at Clubhouse on Friday, April 30, 2021 at 1 PM!

What makes a product stand out? How do we provide audiences with stories that are engaging and add consistent value for the consumer? Join our panelists as we discuss ways to break through the noise in the marketplace with compelling creative content across a variety of platformsPanelist: Kacha Azema Creative Director at Skidmore Studio and Nakita Pope, Co-founder of Bella Boss Box.

Register via https://aiga.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEqduGprzooHd08rP-UwKT5FkvApPRaVRcl 

Clubhouse: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/event/xla3nZQw or Zoom

Learn about the traditions and history of this Persian holiday leading up to a workshop on March 13th, 2021.

By AIGA Detroit
5-7 Minute Read

Persian New Year, نوروز (Nowruz, pronounced now-rooz) in Farsi and meaning new day in English, celebrates a fresh start and new beginning. Falling on the first day of spring sometime between March 19th and 22nd, also known as the vernal equinox, this Persian holiday dates back to the ancient Persian empire of 3000 years ago. نوروز (Nowruz) is rooted in the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism which predates both Christianity and Islam. In Zoroastrianism, fire and water are considered symbols of purity and are consistent themes in the celebration of the holiday. This ritual isn’t bound to the borders of Iran — you can find نوروز (Nowruz) traditions across the span of the old Persian empire. Reaching from modern-day Iran to Afghanistan, and even within Turkey and India. The heritage of this Persian holiday of renewal and reflection is recognized in many Arab diasporas. When the day and the night are the same lengths, at the exact time of the equinox, the نوروز (Nowruz) celebrations begin! 

The هفت سین (Haft-Seen) and نوروز (Nowruz) Traditions

نوروز (Nowruz) preparations begin roughly three weeks before the equinox with the preparations of the هفت سین (Haft-Seen). هفت (Haft) meaning seven, and سین (Seen) meaning S’s refer to seven offerings laid upon a table symbolizing the essence of renewal in the new year. Seven, a lucky number to the Persian culture and people with regional or historical ties to Persia, also reiterates the bringing of new luck into the new year. The post نوروز (Nowruz) celebration lasting 13 days, a symbol of bad luck, ends with the release of that bad luck completing the ritual. The holiday focuses on bringing in new fortune and dispel any lingering negative energy, allowing for a fresh start.

There are many symbols and traditions that are common among all هفت سین (Haft-Seen), such as سبزه (Sabzeh): Some kind of sprout or grass that will continue to grow in the weeks leading up to the holiday, for rebirth and renewal. سنجد (Senjed): Dried fruit, ideally a sweet fruit from a lotus tree, for love. سیب (Sib): Apples, for beauty and health. سیر (Seer): Garlic, for medicine and protection. سمنو  (Samanue): A sweet pudding, for wealth and fertility and arguably the most important feature of the هفت سین (Haft-Seen). سرکه (Serkeh): Vinegar, for the patience and wisdom that comes with aging. سماق (Sumac): A Persian spice made from crushed sour red berries, for the sunrise of a new day and the defeat of the darkness as the days become longer. Other commonplaces for the هفت سین (Haft-Seen) include a mirror for reflection, a goldfish in a bowl of water for rebirth and renewal, and filling vessels inside of your home with water, to banish bad luck from your home. It is also common to paint eggs, symbolizing fertility. 

Other than the هفت سین (Haft-Seen), the “shaking of the house” is another important part of the holiday. “Pretty much everyone goes into a serious spring-cleaning mode, ridding their homes of any unnecessary clutter and lingering grime that’s settled in over the past year so they can start fresh. At this time of year in Iran, you’re likely to see countless Persian rugs hanging outside, where their owners can beat the dust out of them.” – Caroline Framke, from her article Nowruz Explained published via Vox. The Wednesday leading up to the holiday also carries significant traditions for purifying yourself of the previous year and preparing you for the new one ahead. On the last Wednesday before نوروز (Nowruz) participants jump over bonfires symbolizing the burning away of bad luck/negative energy, and the light overtaking the night. The قاشق زنی (Qashoq Zani) takes place at the beginning of the festival, where children go door to door banging spoons on cooking pots; they won’t relent until something sweet is put into them! Once the time of نوروز (Nowruz) arrives, it kicks off a 13-day celebration of dinners, family visits, and reflections on the year ahead. On the 13th day, you take the سبزه (Sabzeh) that’s been growing in the هفت سین (Haft-Seen) to whatever natural body of running water you can find and let it float away, to release the old and usher in the New Year. 13, an unlucky number in Persian culture, and this end to the 13th day is the final ritual in clearing the negative energy and beginning a new year. 

Celebrate With Us! نوروز مبارک (Happy Nowruz!)

AIGA Detroit is celebrating نوروز (Nowruz) with a greeting card workshop welcoming spring! Hosted by Parisa Tashakori, graphic designer and Department of Advertising, Public Relations & Media Design, University of CO, Boulder, This workshop will take place on Saturday, March 13 | 11am-2 pm EST, 9am-12pm MST. The event costs $10 for members and $20 for non-members of AIGA* and includes a set of greeting cards of your own design for you to send out wishing نوروز مبارک (A happy Nowruz)! We currently have space for 15-30 attendees. Register Here: https://detroit.aiga.org/event/persian-new-year-greeting-card-workshop/

Our AIGA board is working on virtual programming and engagement for the upcoming months – we’d love to hear from you for suggestions. To participate in the conversation, AIGA members can join our community Slack workspace or email us. 

Creative Businesses Resources
If you have been connected to BUILD Institute, they have a webpage that is updated daily with new resources to help you through this challenging time. This page includes funding, operations, and regional resources. It also includes specific support for food businesses and artists.Here is a snapshot of current funding opportunities that are currently open for applications.

• Kiva– Because of the #COVID19 outbreak, the Kiva U.S. program has expanded to include zero fees, a $15,000 loan maximum and a 6-month grace period.

• Honeycomb Credit – To help deliver the working capital that businesses need, up to $50,000, Honeycomb is offering 45-day payment free periods, 6-month interest-only periods and reducing our posting, success, and investor fees.

• DETROIT/WAYNE COUNTY COVID-19 SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF FUND – A total funding pool to $4.7 million, which Detroit and Wayne County will administer through a single unified team. Applications will be accepted and awards will be made on a rolling basis subject to availability of funds. First payments are expected to be processed by April 10, 2020

• TCF Wayne County Relief Fund – TCF Bank and Wayne County are working together to provide fast relief through microloans, to help small businesses with the effects of COVID-19.

• Verizon Small Business Recovery Fund – Thanks to a $2.5 million investment from Verizon, LISC is offering grants to help small businesses fill urgent financial gaps until they can resume normal operations or until other more permanent financing becomes available. First round applications due April 4.

For more information, please check out our Slack workspace for the latest postings and links related to creative resources during this time.

This May, AIGA Detroit is hosting our annual Impact48 event, a philanthropic design marathon! Next month, we’re inviting some of the most talented and generous creatives in Metro Detroit to give a weekend to make a big impact for two local non-profits.

Impact48 connects local talent to local nonprofits with a high impact on the community who haven’t yet had the opportunity to work with professional designers. Not only will you get the chance to meet and help a couple great Detroit-area organizations, but you’ll work with talented fellow creatives on exciting and challenging design briefs.

If you’re a creative that wants to get involved with your community, we would love to have you participate in Impact48!

We are looking for Creative/Art Directors, Designers, Illustrators, Copywriters, Motion Designers, and Photographers to donate their time for one weekend to two local non-profits. 

Saturday May 4th, 2019
Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision
2555 Clark Ave, Detroit, MI 48209
https://goo.gl/maps/QyP1cKWWurD2

Sunday May 5th, 2019
Crossroads of Michigan
2424 W. Grand Blvd, Detroit, MI 48208
https://goo.gl/maps/GCYAe4codbt

Interested candidates, please apply here!

For questions, please email designforgood@detroit.aiga.org

“Clues” for Design Week:

Tues (9/26/17):
Snap a pic of how Music and sound effects your surroundings, design or
mindset.
Relates to DDF event: Sound and Objectivity

Wed (9/27/17):
Snap a pic of how Architecture effects your surroundings, design or mindset.
Relates to DDF event: Landscape Architecture Ride Detroit

Thurs (9/28/17):
Snap a picture of how Community effects your surroundings, design or mindset.
Relates to DDF event: Design for Community Development

Fri (9/29/17):
Snap a picture of how product design effects your surroundings, design or mindset.
Relates to DDF event: Design Village

Sat (9/30/17):
Snap a picture of how fashion effects your surroundings, design or mindset.
Relates to DDF event: The North End Collective Presents Fashion + Architecture