Competition!

Think you did some work worthy of showing off this year? Enter the competition! I'm proud to say that I've won two in the past and what a thrill that was. Plus, if you enter and win, it's just one more reason as to why you simply must attend such a great program in Seattle. Anything you win reflects well on your institution AND on you as well. Think of it as a professional development expense, right? Your winning entry becomes part of the UCDA archive and history. Believe me, what a thrill it was to be a winner in San Diego. I know how hard it can be to win one of those things, but they are won by UCDA members just like you. And if you don't win, you can still show off those publications that you think SHOULD deserve a little attention. Bring them to our swap shop event! Think green and reuse those publications ... as inspiration to all your fellow UCDA conference attendees.

Mohawk Receives (another) Green Award

Last week Computerworld announced their second annual Top Green-IT Organizations for IT departments that are using technology to create energy efficiencies. At the top of this year's list: Mohawk Fine Papers. Keep up the good work!

Take advantage of this year's pre-conference workshop opportunity to hear more from Mohawk about how paper is made, tips for making paper choices, and a little more about what Mohawk is doing to to be environmentally responsible. Kelly Chrey and Joel Theisen from Mohawk will provide attendees a set of paper refernce tools and will even guide you through making your own sheet of paper.

A Tradition of Great Design

David Eliason, creative director of Brigham Young University Publications and Graphics for 13 years, was responsible for many of the seven awards BYU won in the UCDA Competition last year, building on an already rich history of design accolades for the institution. David has agreed to share some of his secrets for great publication design at this year's conference and sent this new layout as a teaser.

Photographer Interviewed on Charlie Rose

Last year photographer, Max S. Gerber, was interviewed by Charlie Rose on the subject of Max's 2008 book, My Heart vs. The Real World. Max, a congenital heart disease patient since childhood, spent years documenting and photographing children with heart defects... Touching stories! See more about this project on Max's website.

Rex Whisman

Hey all! Perusing the schedule now up on the web site, I caught Rex Whisman's name on the list. So I thought I'd brag about what a great guy Rex is. Rex did a terrific marketing session for us in Toronto as a pre-conference workshop. He had a ton of great information on what marketing and branding really is and some steps our individual institutions can use to get deeper into our stories. We used our own publications as resources, so it was truly a session about ourselves, and not a show and tell. And, since we couldn't cover all the publications in one session, Rex offered to take a look at anyone else's and give it a critique. I took him up on this. He gave me some terrific feedback well worth the cost of attending the conference. Rex is not only really knowledgable, but very approachable and helpful. So I hope some of you get the same opportunity I had in Toronto.

eBlasts

One thing that's coming up a lot at my institution is those blasted eBlasts. Suddenly, everyone wants to do one. If you're like us, there's really no set procedure or protocol to doing one. And, if you're like me, your background is in print and sure would be good to have some guidelines on what works. So, if you are like me, then you'll be sitting next to me at the session in Seattle about "Best Practices in Designing for Email." Diana Potter will talk about designs that work and don't work, an introduction to CSS and laws about spamming. Sounds like a great way to start!

Mariners

So I'm thinking about how little I really do know about Seattle beyond my quick two-day trip to the city. I've found a few links.

First, there's Wikipedia, in which I learn that the area has been inhabited for 4,000 years, but only by white settlers for 160 years. I'm also reminded of all the great music that's come out of the area and that the EMP museum is there. I missed that last time and hope to make it. I did see the building and it's an early Frank Gehry project and totally worth seeing. How many purple metal buildings are in the world anyway?

Found this little site that is much more nicely designed than the official government site. That site has restaurant and entertainment suggestions.

And hey! Great news if you like baseball! The Mariners are in town the weekend of the conference. So, think about coming in a day or two early and catching a game. I've been and it really is a nice stadium. Anyone game? Let me know! At this point, you'd think we can get good seats. As of today, they're 6-2!

Brand Beyond Rand

It's been more than 50 years since Paul Rand designed the IBM logo and changed forever how we would learn and practice graphic design. Anne Traver and Dale Hart of Seattle firm, Methodologie, recently prepared a class for the University of Washington exploring the legacy of Rand and how brand identity has evolved in the last half-century. Now Anne and Dale will share their research with UCDA and explain how designers can increase their relevance and value to their organization, and add to their own satisfaction in the process.

To see and read more on Paul Rand, including the 1953 article from American Artist pictured above, visit www.paul-rand.com.

Speaker Surprise

Corey Baim and Marcie Carson are the husband and wife principals of IE Design + Communications in Southern California. Corey and Marcie have done work for many higher education clients and will be sharing some of what they've learned from those relationships about the power of the written word in the creative process. In their second session they will be leading a hands-on flexible and interactive exploration of real-life situations and solutions and are planning to surprise attendees by bringing in one of their higher ed clients to help inform the process. Bring your questions and your challenges...the session will be fun but is also sure to connect with your individual experiences.

Seattle

As I sit here watching yet another rainy, gray day (which we're happy for, having had several years of drought), I can't help but think of Seattle. I love most cities and I've been to Seattle once. My dad and I went to see a Mariner's game and see the city a bit before I headed to Victoria for the 2001 conference. What a fascinating part of the world, certainly different from what I experience down here in South Carolina. I remember flying over the mountains, completely different from the mountains of the Appalachians. We went up the Space Needle for an amazing view. We saw the Mariners and enjoyed the view from the deck. We went to the market, of course. I don't remember the fish flying so much, but I do remember the stunning and beautiful colors of the flowers. And I remember being so inspired by a city built by grass roots movements.

Budgets are tough all over right now, so I encourage all of you to go look at the schedule and see what Randall Cole has put together for us. For those of you that though Savannah was a shift towards our different roles and different ways to communicate, Seattle will continue that conversation. I think he's still putting the finishing touches on some programming, but look for everything from email marketing ideas to the Vancouver Olympic design team. Learn about experience design to strategies for inhouse design groups to sustainable design practices. We've even got a panel discussion with panelists you'd like to see do their own individual talks. And of course, we've got some great opportunities for all of you to network and find that great support community that UCDA offers.

So start working on your boss now, as it's going to be a great conference. I think Randall's outdoing me with the conference planning! Going to be hard to choose what sessions to see.

Speaker News: Plazm at Pratt

Josh Berger, managing partner and creative director at Plazm in Portland, Oregon, recently spoke at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. In Seattle Josh will present the closing session on design habits for the future.

Want to know more about Joshua Berger and Plazm? Read Steven Heller's 2007 interview with Josh.

Different Perspectives

The writer, after hours of interviews, has their idea for the photography. The editor wants to nudge the piece in a little different direction. The subject really wants to be portrayed in a particular way. The art director sees what will work on the page and suggests another possibility. The photographer shows up and the situation dictates going in yet a different direction.

How does a photographer navigate the challenges of applying their own creative vision and expertise and satisfy the divergent interests and visions of everyone involved in the project? After a fascinating conversation recently with photographer, Max S. Gerber, he's working on developing a session for UCDA exploring some of these complexities and how the designer and photographer can collaborate for the best results. Not sure how Max is going to pull this together visually but knowing him, it's going to be worth seeing.

Speaker News: Lesa Snider

Lesa Snider, aka The Graphic Reporter, has added another to her long list of publications, Photoshop CS4—The Missing Manual. You won't want to miss Lesa's latest Photoshop tips at this year's UCDA Design Conference. (Thanks to iStockphoto for making Lesa's participation possible.)

All you ever wanted to know about Lesa—and then some—is available at graphicreporter.com, along with a slew of tips and tutorials.