It's in the Mail!

By now, you should have received the 41st Annual UCDA Design Conference brochure!

You’ve seen the lineup of great speakers and subjects, and you really want to attend this conference. How do you convince your boss? Professional development is an investment that pays back, and here are a few points for the argument:

1. You’ll connect with the design community to build a successful network of higher education experts, learn from others in your industry and share ideas so you can face challenges with the right knowledge and support. UCDA is the only organization geared specifically for designers working in higher education.

2. Learn hard-hitting instruction from our stellar lineup of speakers. From lessons learned, you will know how to:
• Transition traditional media to mobile (including iPad, social and web)
• Find out how to use market data to influence decision makers and build design strategy
• Learn the importance of good content and rich storytelling
• Get up to speed on video training and techniques
• Learn to effectively collaborate with colleagues
• Recharge your creative batteries

4. Gain inspiration from the award-winning work in the UCDA Design show. Come away with fresh insight and ideas to create appealing communications that work.

5. Visit vendors at the UCDA Resource center to learn about new products that will enhance your work and production capabilities.

How will you THRIVE?
The past few years have been challenging to say the least. The truth is, it is not only possible to survive the current economic crises, but to also evolve, grow and THRIVE. Institutions that use design thinking can increase the significance of their brand, compete more effectively for students and resources and enhance their reputation. It will not be the smartest or the strongest that survive the arid landscape, but the ones most adaptable to change. Come to Phoenix for the 41st Annual UCDA Design Conference, and take new thinking back to your institution. THRIVE.

Garrick Chow & Creative Workshops

Garrick Chow

Garrick Chow spoke to the UCDA audience in Savannah and Seattle, garnering rave reviews. He returns to present Preparing Your InDesign Documents for the iPad. As the popularity of digital eBook readers continues to grow, it’s become increasingly important for you to offer your publications in a format that’s friendly with devices like the Kindle and iPad. In this session, lynda.com author Garrick Chow walks you step-by-step through the process of tweaking your existing inDesign documents and converting them into the ePub format for viewing on the iPad. Garrick will also provide an overview of the options that are available for distributing your publications to the iPad, and how to convert them to other eBook formats for use on devices like the Kindle and Nook.

Garrick also will present iMovie in an Hour. These days, video is a must-have option for creating that rich media experience, and Apple iMovie is the easiest way to import, edit and share videos. In this session, Garrick will show you everything you need to know to go from raw footage to final product, including how to edit video and audio, and how to share your movies over a personal website or via facebook and YouTube. It’s easier than you think to get started creating video content!


Optional activities: Creative Workshops

There are many optional activities planned—from tours and mini workshops to morning walks and publication speed dating. Check the blog often for more information on these amazing options. The Creative Workshops will help you create elements that can have many applications:

Light Painting Workshop: The Dutch Masters knew what they were doing in their use of light, and that drama was best achieved if only a part of the painting was lit. With a few simple tools, it’s possible for anyone with a camera and an imagination to make painterly, artistic still life images. Join photographer Earl Richardson, and leave this session with an image and the skills to make even the most mundane of items look beautiful. Its simple and it’s fun, and you’ll come away with a technique that has unlimited potential for it’s use.

Watercolor Workshop: Join artist and illustrator Dale Cochran, who is also senior creative director at Clemson University, for a watercolor painting workshop on the patio (weather permitting). Dale will walk you through basic tips and techniques for painting an Arizona-themed still life. Come away with a new appreciation for this painting medium and a keepsake work of art.


Workshops have additional fees, and space is limited so register early!

Lori Schmidt and Todd Haynie. Brad Mitchell

Lori Schmidt and Todd Haynie: When is Creative “Too Creative” for Admissions Campaigns?

You’re a designer. You crave those opportunities to exercise your creative chops and push the design envelope. On a college or university campus, new recruitment campaigns present just that opportunity!

Or do they? Today’s prospective students have definite ideas about being “marketed” to when it comes to their college or university selection process. How conceptual can you really be with your creative direction? At what point does design need to take a back seat to clear marketing messages? And what visual trends are resonating with students?

Lori Schmidt, of Lime Twig Group, and Todd Haynie from Eastern Arizona College will show you how they’ve balanced eye-catching design with primary marketing messages to resonate with the right students.
Eastern Arizona College is Arizona’s oldest community college and has a unique set of marketing distinctions. The college profiles more like a private, four-year residential college in many ways.

Everyone can learn from this interesting case study, and they’ll take a look at other campaigns that have resonated well with students, and some that haven’t. Come prepared to share your thoughts and ideas!



Brad Mitchell: Transitioning Alumni Magazines from Print to Web, and Ten Tips for Creating Online Video.


Our design landscape has certainly changed rapidly in the past five years. Technology moves at a rapid pace, and everyone needs tips and strategies to keep up!

Brad Mitchell and his team from Missouri State University used an easily customizable WordPress ttheme to launch their print magazine online, and they did it with just a few staff members and students.

Many institutions have ‘gone digital’ with their alumni magazines by posting simple PDF versions or by paying third-party vendors to create Flash page-flip versions. Brad will demonstrate how Missouri State University designed and built their new magazine website. The presentation will cover the challenges of transitioning from print to web, the design and implementation process, social media integration and interactivity with readers.

And once you have that great site, you’ll need video content. Brad also presents “Ten Tips for Creating Online Videos.” Video is not only is it the fastest growing mobile application, it is also the fastest growing medium in the history of the world. So what are you waiting for? In this session he’ll cover basics like necessary equipment and setup costs; how to interview students, faculty and alumni to get authentic answers and quotes; and finally outline best practices for utilizing free tools like YouTube, Vimeo and iTunes U to host and spread your videos via social media outlets and your institutional websites.


For the next blog, I’ll outline the sessions from Garrick Chow. Garrick offers a session on iMovie, which is great beginning if you’ve never attempted video. With Garrick and Brad’s sessions, you’ll come away with the confidence to get started making your own video content.

Garrick also has an amazing session planned on how to publish to the ipad... Stay tuned!

Keynote Speakers: Bob Hambly and DJ Stout

June 7, 2011

We have a lineup of great speakers, so in the next few weeks, I'll highlight these individuals on the blog. I am excited about our keynote speakers, and I think you'll be inspired by their presentations.

Keynote Speakers

Opening Keynote Session: Bob Hambly on "Creativity."

When I first spoke to Bob about his session on Curiosity, I wondered what inspired him to prepare this lecture, which was first presented to the R.G.D. of Canada. He’s been thinking about the idea of curiosity for a quite a long time—about how it can be nurtured and encouraged, rather than feared and under-valued.

Bob Hambly is the creative director of Hambly & Woolley Inc., a Toronto-based, multi-disciplinary graphic design firm he co-founded with his partner, Barbara Woolley. Over the past 20 years, the firm has received over 350 national and international design awards—an impressive number by any standard.

When asked to prepare a lecture on any topic he desired, Bob jumped at the chance to delve into what intriques us. The result has been popular on the road, and lecturing to different audiences—architects, graphic designers, interior designers, MBA students and design students—one thing has been clear, the topic of Curiosity resonates with everyone.

Bob will isolate 5 areas where improvements will help spur your creativity. Learn new techniques, or refresh your current habits and thrive with fresh ideas.

Grand Finale Keynote Session: DJ Stout, "Content is King."

When I was preparing for this conference, I reviewed survey comments that attendees had made after past conferences, and under the question, “who would you like to see as a speaker?” the popular response was DJ Stout. Long a fan myself, I was unsure about how to approach this icon of the design world. Email? Formal letter? Phone call? I decided an email would be a good start. “Absolutely,” he replied to my very first email, and with that generous spirit, I knew we were in for a treat.

DJ Stout is a sixth generation Texan, born in the small West Texas town of Alpine. He studied graphic design at Texas Tech University, and began his graphic design career working for Robert A. Wilson Associates in Dallas. After moving to Austin, he was the award-winning art director of the nationally respected and critically acclaimed Texas Monthly magazine. In January 2000 DJ joined Pentagram, where DJ’s wide-ranging expertise encompasses the design and redesign of a variety of publications including magazines, books and catalogs. He and his team also specialize in identity design, branding, packaging, exhibitions and website design.

DJ will emphasize the importance of depth with “Content is King.” All publications are about content. Sure, a magazine, a college view book or a website could look marvelous, but it is not going to survive long if it doesn’t have something to say. Every publication needs to understand who their specific audience is and they need to understand how to create vital content that resonates with their particular constituency. Vital content is more than just good writing, it can be that of course, but the most effective publications deliver content through powerful conceptual photography, thought provoking illustration and a fluid combination of all those elements.

Veteran designer DJ Stout will talk about strategies and techniques for creating publications that look great and actually say something too!


As impressive as our keynote speakers are, the breakout session speakers are equally impressive. Check here for more profiles each week...