Every summer the AIGA Charlotte Board of Directors sees change. While we’re sad to see the dedicated volunteers from the prior year go, that sadness is always tempered by the fresh new faces that step in to take charge. This year we have a ton of new faces and a few that you’re already familiar with. Learn a little about them here, but be sure to say hello in person next time you see them at one of our events.

Stephanie Labuskes is an art director at Team Creatif USA where she helps to design and develop strategic packaging creative for fast-moving consumer goods around the world. She hails from Pennsylvania, is a graduate of The Ohio State University, and in her free time enjoys showing off her mad corn-hole skills, mountain biking, salsa dancing, and the occasional sewing project.

Where are you from?

Pittsburgh, PA

What attracted you to the design profession? Did you have particular mentors or experiences that opened the door to the profession for you?

As a kid, I was amazed how beautifully executed product packaging, posters, magazines, etc. were and loathed the limitations of my markers, crayons and Colorblaster. Most of my childhood was spent at my art desk. My close friend and I used to write and “direct” our own commercials and radio spots.  When I reached high school, I took my first Photoshop class and was hooked.

 What profession other than your own would you like to attempt? 

I think I would find a lot of fulfillment as a physical therapist. I have taught aerobics and social dance and loved the feeling of helping someone achieve a physical goal. Being the person who helped a patient relieve or overcome a physical limitation would be immensely rewarding.

What would people be surprised to know about you? 

I’m actually pretty handy around the house! I have successfully installed/uninstalled garbage disposals, ceiling lights, a shower door, a television wall mount, repaired drywall and assembled nearly all the furniture that I own that originally arrived in a box. I have an impressively terrible record with lawn equipment though.

What sound or noise do you love?

My nephew’s laugh. He’s two. He thinks the world is amazing and everything is hilarious. It’s a wonderful sound.

Each month, AIGA Charlotte strives to highlight one of its members. If you have any ideas for our next spotlight, please contact Gavan Leatham at gleatham@charlotte.aiga.org.

AIGA and the entire design community are deeply hurt and saddened when fissures in society erupt in bias, hate, and violence as they did this week in a series of tragic shootings. Equally distressing is the pattern these shootings represent. Designers by nature, instinct, and training are committed to enhancing understanding and empathy through their talents, and are motivated by the opportunity to enhance the human experience. We believe in respect for the individual and social justice for communities, and our hearts go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives this week. We stand against violence targeted toward any community—and we recognize that African-Americans have had to bear a significant portion of this burden.

Leaders from all sides are responding by calling for reconciliation and healing. As a profession, we must use our unique talents to continually strengthen and serve our diverse society. This tragedy not only calls on us as creative professionals, but also as citizens of a remarkable, multicultural world who are capable of making the complex issues clear and facilitating dialogues to generate empathy. We at AIGA are committed to social justice and equity for all.

—AIGA Charlotte

Thank you to AIGA member, Chris Cureton, for sharing his inspirational artwork with us.
#AIGAtogether #oneAIGA #oneCharlotte #peace

AIGA Charlotte wants to help promote respect, love and social justice in support of our wonderful city. We’re selling (black, Next Level 6210) t-shirts for $18 + $5 flat rate shipping and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Southern Coalition for Social Justice.

Shirt designed by AIGA Charlotte member Chris Cureton

Spread the word, make a difference.

For the third consecutive year, beer makers and designers came together to combine their crafts AND for the third consecutive year, the Beer & Branding Showcase was an outstanding success! Each year we are blown away by the talents both the beer and design community bring to the table. We’re not kidding when we say this event just keeps getting better and better. So if you’re one of the few that missed out on this exciting event, here’s a photo recap to help tide you over until next year.

Beer and design admirers flooded into the new NoDa Brewing Company location to taste and see what all the hype was about.

…Even a few four-legged beer lovers came out.

This year’s secret ingredient: Grapefruit!

We know, these label display boards look awesome, don’t they?

An interested attendee admiring a fine design.

These guys had no idea their picture was being taken, they didn’t even look at the camera.

Decisions, decisions.

(Design winners were decided by a bottle cap vote at the showcase)

Brewers handed out samples of their Grapefruit brews.

Designers went all out for their beers, some even brought and applied tattoos to willing event attendees. (Don’t worry they weren’t permanent)

While some designed cool swag like disc golf discs…

…others brought their designs to life as well.

AND THE WINNER’S ARE (I mean were):

3rd Place Design: Tattoo Projects Interns

3rd Brewer: Chris Rabeau (no picture available)

2nd Place Design: Morgan Evans

2nd Place Brewer: Gino Corbetti

1st Place Design: Alyssa Baker + Sandi Deitrich (Winners of two Queen City Brewer’s Fest tickets)

1st Place Brewer: Thad Mitchell (Winner of two Queen City Brewer’s Fest tickets and beer featured as part of NoDa Brewing Company’s Nodable Series)

Few things bring people together like great beer and imaginative design. We would like to thank everyone who came out and participated in this year’s event.

The Beer & Branding event would not have been possible without the support of the following partners: Queen City Brewers Festival, BOLTGROUP, NoDa Brewing Company, Metrogrpahics, The Creative Group, and Industry Coworking.

Until next year…

P.S. Want to see more? Check out our Flickr page for more photos from this awesome event!

If you attended AIGA Charlotte’s 3rd Annual Beer & Branding Showcase, you already know it was a rousing success. This year we saw more designers and brewers come together to collaborate, which made for a strong gallery of creative work and a multitude of home-brewed beers. You obviously missed out if you didn’t attend, but have no fear: AIGA Charlotte’s looking out for you. We’ve compiled all of this year’s design submissions for your perusal. (However, if you want to enjoy a beer during your viewing, that’s entirely on you.)

Spinning Jenny | Grapefruit Grisette
Designed by Advent Coworking
Brewed by Chris Rabeau

Bad Mother Pucker | Imperial Witbier
Designed by Anna Prushinski
Brewed by Ken Miles

Smokey Groove | Belgian Wit Ale
Designed by Ashley Bennett
Brewed by David Jones

Grapefruit Getaway | Smoked Amber Ale
Designed by Atypic
Brewed by Jen Blair

Ruby Rose | Grapefruit Rye IPA
Designed by Clay Boan
Brewed by Robert Moreland

Dreamsicle | Cream Ale
Designed by Genevieve Nalls
Brewed by Brent Stiles

Snaq Paq
Designed by Jeremy Rivers
Brewed by Steve Hanmer

The Craft Man Grapefruit Brew
Designed by Jessie Diebolt and Giselle Hernandez
Brewed by Thad Mitchell

Ruby Red Rye | Grapefruit Rye
Designed by John Fuller
Brewed by Lisa Johnson

Ruby Red Rye | Rye Pale Ale
Designed by Karla Holland
Brewed by Lisa Johnson

Electric Automopeel | Cream Ale
Designed by Kristin Moore and Karley Reed
Brewed by Jen McCarthy

Bad Mother Pucker | Imperial Witbier
Designed by Marshal Zalewski
Brewed by Ken Miles

Paradisi Monk | Trappist Beer
Designed by Michael Thompson
Brewed by Joe Domm

Nonna Says | Saison
Designed by Miranda Davis and Sara Custer
Brewed by Roberta Hofmeister

What’s Wheating Gilbert Grapefruit | American Wheat
Designed by Morgan Evans
Brewed by Gino Corbetti

Unplugged Hefeweizen
Designed by Reita Fisher
Brewed by Austin Osborne-Newman

Unplugged Hefeweizen
Designed by Rick Hoffarth
Brewed by Austin Osborne-Newman

Hopsicle | Cream Ale
Designed by Scott Chids
Brewed by Brent Stiles

Groovy Red Ruby | Honey Grapefruit American Wheat
Designed by Tatiana Rice and Reagan Martin
Brewed by Rachelle Corson-Webber

Shaddocks | Smoked Grapefruit Pale Ale
Designed by Tattoo Project Interns
Brewed by Daan Muller

Squeezed | Grapefruit Pale Ale
Designed by The South Agency
Brewed by Brad O’Connor and Alex Ferraro

Ruby Red Grapefruit | IPA
Designed by Tony Alvarez
Brewed by Robert Moreland

Hey Fork | Saison
Designed by Wells Fargo
Brewed by Bill Lynch

Pass the Chips | Grapefruit Salsa IPA
Designed by Willow & Peabody
Brewed by Jereme Lukoskie

Red Wolf | IPA
Designed by Joseph Hein
Brewed by Pinkee Parsons

Green Monkey | Grapefruit Gose
Designed by Nick Signet and Maribeth Kiser
Brewed by Chris Bazzle

Ruby’s | Grapefruit-Honey American Brown Ale
Designed by Alyssa Baker and Sandi Deitrich
Brewed by Rob Adams

Punkin’ Rock, Pump-casso and Exskulliber, OH MY! For the eighth straight year Charlotte Creatives carved up for a good cause and once again, it was an outstanding success! This year, GUTS took over BB&T Ballpark for an event that attracted hundreds of interested onlookers.

Each year all monies raised during the duration of the competition go to Charlotte’s Make-A-Wish Foundation to help them grant amazing opportunities for kids facing life-threatening medical conditions. Some Make-A-Wish Kid Ambassadors even joined in on the pumpkin carving fun!

Carvers pulled out all the stops and created an experience that was enjoyed by all. For those of you that missed out on the fun, we’ve put together a recap of this year’s craziest and most tricked-out pumpkins for your viewing pleasure.

This year’s winners are as follows:

Teams:

1st Place & People’s Choice: “Punkin’ Rock” by Wheelhouse Media

2nd Place: “Exskulliber” by BOLTGROUP

3rd Place: “The Kracken” by Ally Bank

Individuals:

1st Place: “Sliced Smiley” Pumpkin by Banks Wilson

2nd Place: “Pump-casso” by Ross Brown Design

3rd Place: “Jack in The Lantern” by N8 Creative Studios

FACT: GUTS raised $40,746 for Charlotte’s Make-A-Wish Foundation, making this year the BIGGEST AND BEST ONE YET.

FACT: Super Heroes handed out candy to attendees.

FACT: Screwdrivers, knives, chisels, toothpicks, paint, and fire — all common tools and elements found on the carving tables.

FACT: This year’s event was held at BB&T Ballpark in Uptown Charlotte for the first time. This is the largest venue yet for GUTS.

FACT: 19 teams and four individual carvers made up this year’s event.

FACT: Make-A-Wish Ambassadors carved up amazing pumpkins for this year’s event.

FACT: Pumpkins were auctioned off and sold to the highest bidder, ranging from $50 to $200.

FACT: A People Choice Award was voted on and chosen by event attendees.

FACT: A few AIGA Board Members participated in the carving competition (and some even placed!).

FACT: Fun was had by all.

A big shout out to CRAFTED for inviting us to be a part of this amazing event!

A beautiful November night was the proverbial “icing on the cake” for this year’s Mentor Matchup kickoff event hosted at Village Tavern. This three-month program pairs students and emerging designers with local industry professionals where they will receive one-on-one mentorship based on the mentees’ specialty and career objectives.

Breakout sessions were preceded by camaraderie over appetizers and choice beverages. Overall, the event was a huge success and mentees left the premise with newfound confidence and smiles on their faces.

In actuality, mentors also benefit from Mentor Matchup. Todd Aldridge, AIGA Charlotte Education Director, nailed it when he exclaimed in his speech, “It’s special for students and emerging designers looking for insight into their chosen path … it’s also special for area professionals to reflect on their career and the knowledge they have acquired to help guide the next wave of Charlotte creatives.”

Emerging designers are equipped with a plethora of ideas they are ready to share and emanate an unfaltering optimism that is so refreshing. It’s like a friend whom you haven’t seen in awhile that gives you call out of the blue to see how you’re doing. It’s a nice feeling for veteran designers; we are reminded why we have been in this business for over a –well, a long time!

We are excited to see what the next few months will bring! And to our amazing mentees and mentors…from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! Without your dedication this event would have not been possible.

Incredibly talented, unapologetically passionate and daring designer are all words that describe the amazing Kelli Anderson. A few Fridays ago, Ms. Anderson dropped by Charlotte to give a compelling presentation that captivated us all.

Kelli is well known for her design, animation, and illustration work for NPR, The New Yorker, Wired, MoMA and The New York Times. She is also known for her redesign of brands such as Russ & Daughters, Munchery and momofuku. But it doesn’t stop there. Kelli was most recently Adobe’s first ever artist in residence and is the author of two pop-up books: This Book is a Camera and This Book is a Planetarium (coming soon).

The evening was filled with libations, laughter and fascination as Kelli showcased her unbelievable work and inspired us to use our talents for good. All we can say is, if you didn’t make it, you really missed out. We’ll do our best to give a snapshot of what the evening was like.

“As a designer, you know, I think a lot about how I can justify investing endless hours of labor into making these beautiful things when I could be using that time to go outside and pick up trash in my neighborhood or care for an abandoned pet…”

“We should never, ever underestimate the role of design.”

“Design makes the world more accessible for everyone.”

“The sheer amount of love and time we invest into the project we build, this catches people’s attention and gives value that’s even more valuable than monetary value.”

“Physical design projects that are completely interactive, you’re supposed to touch and manipulate them or they’re every touchy feely and exist behind a screen. A lot of people refer to this as lo-fi, but I’ve found that adding a sense of touch to a project, you’re making the experience more multi-modal. It uses more of how we as humans are taught to think about the world. The hand is smarter, more nimble and is more receptive to feedback than the brain working alone.”

One of the many treats from her talk was when she told us how she and a group of friends got together in 2008 and created an alternate reality newspaper that they passed out on the streets of New York. Why was this so interesting to all of us? At the time in 2008, the Iraq War was raging and this paper proclaimed that the war was over. But that was just the beginning. They claimed Guantanamo Bay was closed and that economic policies put the country on the path to equality rather than driving people apart. They set the groundwork for more informed citizenry and a more hopeful future. It was a simulation of everything we wanted to happen, happening all at one time. You can see more about it here.

“95% of what you do as a designer is just trying things out and trying to get it to feel like a cultural match.”

About This Book Is a Camera: An educational book that explains the magic of how light works. The pop-up book is a functional pinhole camera she made from an elaborately folded piece of paper. This idea came to fruition while she was a creative resident at Adobe. Watch more here.

Another cool project she worked on was this musical wedding invitation. Created from paper and a small needle, this interactive invitation folds into a paper record player that plays a song composed by the couple it was made for. Watch more here.

Her most recent projects include her first solo show and another educational pop-up book, This Book is a Planetarium.

Her first solo show in San Francisco, Around and Around. All the objects in her show work because of rotation and use motion in different ways.

This Book is a Planetarium is a collection of interactive tools that rise off the page and demonstrate different scientific concepts that are otherwise abstractions. It shows what paper can do and urges people to play with it and figure out what makes it work. Each page has a complete scientific explanation of why and how it works. Featuring everything from a speaker to a planetarium, this pop-up book is fun for all ages.

Learn more about Kelli and her amazing projects here and follow her design adventures on Instagram.

Kelli, we can’t thank you enough for sharing your passion and inspiring us.

And a BIG thank you to 8.2.0 for letting us use your amazing event space, as well as our partners Metrographics, The Creative Group, Industry Coworking, and Hyatt House for making this event possible.

‘Twas the holiday season when all thro’ Tyber Creek were donating and drinking about;

The sweaters were tacky, so many people laughed,

In hopes that they would win passes to the White Water Center to be fair;

AIGA and AAF members were ready to celebrate another great year,

While visions of another great year of design loomed ahead.

Once again AIGA and AAF joined forces to throw our Annual Donations & Libations fundraiser for Classroom Central. This year’s theme was #beUgly and boy was it! Everyone pulled out their tackiest, funniest and most over-the-top sweaters and a great time was had by all. By the end of the night we had a box full of school supplies and $300 ready to be donated. So just in case you missed out, here’s a few photo recap for your viewing pleasure.

AIGA? AAF? Who cares! We’re all creatives here!

“Classroom Central equips students living in poverty to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies.”

Apparently this isn’t the first time they’ve posed for a picture.

Where there are selfie sticks there are bound to be selfies.

They’re like really excited about all of these school supplies.

If pictures could speak this one would say “We’re having fun!”

This is what three people trying to hug looks like.

Look at those sweaters! Aren’t they tacky?!

Three out of the four people in this picture didn’t get the memo.

This guys super excited about all of the school supplies in this box!

These two are obviously having a great time.

And the winner of this year’s tackiest sweater? Our Blog Manager, Katie Hodges, took home the gold with her homemade tacky creation.

So if this doesn’t put you in the Holiday spirit, then I don’t know what will! From all of us at AIGA we would like to wish all of you a wonderful holiday season!

Thanks are in order for the following partners: AAF and Tyber Creek Pub for making this year’s Donations and Libations Holiday Party a success!

One of the most compelling aspects of design is that it is difficult to define. It does not fit into a specific mold or adhere to a certain job description. For many creatives, design is not just a skill set, it’s a means by which they explore the world around them. Last Wednesday five of Charlotte’s most creative minds shared their journeys through design.

If the fact that the event was SOLD OUT makes you feel bummed for missing it, we pulled together a snapshot of the night so you can get a small taste (minus the delicious beer) of what the night was like.

Just to set the stage: In a unique small-talk format, each speaker was given a 10 minute talk featuring 10 slides. At the conclusion of the event, all five speakers were part of a brief panel Q&A.

1st up: David Bulfin Industrial Designer at BOLTGROUP/ Owner of Monarc Board Company

David is an industrial designer who prides himself on blending together the creative and technical disciplines without compromise. His experiences have been diverse, having helped design championship winning race cars for GM, experimental weaponry for special operators and numerous other products in the medical and consumer industries. His small business, Monarc Board Company is one of the first of it’s kind in the skating industry, seeking to collide artisan craft with bleeding edge performance technologies.

I wanted to find an area that currently wasn’t being influenced and influence it to the absolute highest degree.

The challenge was to vertically intergrate—where I control absolutely every aspect of the process.

I get to tickle every single creative nerve I own. I get to be a wood worker, a graphic designer, an engineer, a scientist, a board rider, a product designer, all thee above because it requires me to be all things at all times.

2nd up: Kathie Soza Designer & Hand-letterer

Kathie is a Charlotte lettering artist and graphic designer, who specializes in custom hand-lettering and typography for editorial, advertising, branding, print and stationery design. She also owns the etsy shop Lolita Paper Goods, which features custom hand lettered invitations, products, and paper goods.

I loved the process of graphic design, taking someone’s idea and making it a reality, solving problems, working with someone else to create something new. I just really love the whole process of it.

I started to look at designs from 40’s and 50’s and saw all of this beautiful handlettering and was immediately in love. It was the perfect combination between design and art and I knew that it was what I wanted to do.

[Handlettering] is something I loved so why not make it a full time thing? I truly believe that if you work hard and you do your best and you are passionate about what you do, people will see that and will admire that and people will want to work with you. And in the end, the rest will come.

3rd up: John Howard Senior Art Director at Theory House / Original packaging designer for NoDa Brewing

 

Early in his career he focused on Identity in Holland, Europe. He later moved to Columbia, SC for an opportunity at Chernoff Newman. Finally settling down in Charlotte, John got the chance to do a lot of different things with big clients and small. Recently he has been doing a lot of retail design which he find fascinating, developing packaging and doing Private Brand labels has been a really interesting chapter of his life

I’ve gone up to the highest of management and been brought down to the humblest of positions but I’m still doing it. The medium the trend and the jobs have changed but luckily I’ve evolved with it.

I started to trust my gut, change my perspective. I notice that my work became more inspired, gave me a chance to experiment with my own talent.

Asking the right questions will lead you down the most interesting paths.

4th up: Tamara LaValla Co-founder of Social Design House / Owner of Batch Craft

With a well-traveled resume that includes Senior Artist at The Herald newspaper, Design Professor at Winthrop University, Artists U facilitator for the SC Arts Commission, founder of Gallery Up, and co-founder of several design studios including the donut-friendly Social Design House, Tamara has been a staple in the Carolina’s art and design scene for nearly two decades. This past year, Tamara combined her newfound addiction to travel with a return to her roots as a maker via the creation of Batch. From small batch chocolate to large-scale paintings, you can follow all of her adventures, crafted + curated with love and OCD, at batchcraft.com!

If I can’t make art, I’m gonna make art possible. If you want to be a part of that community, you need be contributing to that community.

Sometimes it’s easier to get what you want then to know what you want. It’s taken me a while to embrace these natural inclinations. So by design Batch has give me ability to do all of these things. I can be a teacher, I can be an artist, I can be a hustler.

Last, but not least: Jason Alexander Former Graphic Designer / Current Brewer & Founder of Free Range Brewing

Jason Alexander and his brother Jeff made their dream come true opening Free Range Brewing to “let your taste buds roam.” Jason brews in small-batches and crafts local ingredients to create one-of-a-kind creations. What Jason and his brother have created is an environment that fosters community and collaboration.

What I’ve learned is if you can’t figure it out, you’ve gotta figure it out. If you can’t do it yourself then there’s a problem.

After I got laid off, I decided to freelance. I still wanted to be a graphic designer, I love graphic design. I was doing environmental design. I love the systems, the organization, the how rigid stuff can get. It really helped me work out all these crazy stuff in my brain.

We started seeing a common denominator of people. We’ve started to call it ‘cultivating community’.

Unfortunately, my phone stopped recording right as the Q&A started, so we’ll just say “You just had to be there”. Don’t worry, we won’t leave you with nothing. Here are some pictures from the Q&A because it is a PHOTO recap after all.

This inaugural event was a super success and we cannot wait to host another one soon! Thanks to Free Range Brewing for letting us use your incredible space and drink your delicious beer. Also, this event wouldn’t have been possible without our amazing speakers David Bulfin, Kathie Soza, John Howard, Tamara LaValla and Jason Alexander and support from the following partners: Metrographics, The Creative Group and Industry Coworking.

Mike Malkovas is a paper engineer/pop-up creator over at mikemalkovas.com. Mike designs pop-ups and packaging for over 25 years for different clients both in Europe and US. From simple greeting cards to a complex multi-staged model of an airport, Mike’s designs are something you’ll want to see.

AIGA member since Oct 2014
Lives in Charlotte, NC

1. Where are you from?
I came to this country from beautiful Vilnius, Lithuania, where I lived and worked in various fields, including graphic arts, set design and film. This part of my life was quite possibly the most interesting, productive and unforgettable in terms of my creative career. The early ‘90s in Lithuania were marked by the country’s historic separation from the Soviet Union, resulting in a turbulent and chaotic mini-revolution. Artistic life at that time was a mess. Due to the political instability and economic crisis, it was exceedingly difficult to publish a book or make a movie. The Lithuanian Film Studio, which I dedicated nine years of my life to as a production designer, closed, and all of a sudden I became officially unemployed. Shortly thereafter, my wife Liudvika (a costume designer for drama theatres) proposed the idea of visiting her Connecticut relatives to see if we could begin anew overseas. That was exactly what we did.

One of my last projects in Vilnius was a thirty-two page children’s book with aquatic creatures that I airbrushed so meticulously that the original images looked like offset printed cards one might find for purchase at a bookstore. The writer and I attempted to publish the book several times to no avail, as the task of finding a printer capable of doing the job became increasingly difficult. This little ABC book, however never published, landed me my first job in America at Weekly Reader Corporation in Middletown, CT, which led to other opportunities, big and small. I was eventually employed by one of the originators of interactive advertising and found myself deeply immersed in the world of paper dimensionals, which I can’t escape to this day.

2. What attracted you to the design profession? Did you have particular mentors or experiences that opened the door to the profession for you?
Artistic creativity has been running in the family for generations, dating as far back in time as the 1800’s, when my ancestor, a talented painter from my father’s side, coming from a family of printers, graduated from St. Petersburg Art Academy having achieved a silver medal. Motivated by my father, I attended an art school for four years, and in 1976, went on to study the mesmerizing enigmatic subject of “design”, later on graduating with a degree in Industrial Design from the Vilnius Academy of Arts. My thesis was a full size model of a motorcycle, which I carved out of white packaging foam with a knife and saw. I have always wanted to create rather than destroy; that is why I feel comfortably myself as a “creator.” My parents were both industrial engineers and wished I would follow in their steps, but I wasn’t excited to picture myself chained to a Kuhlman drafting table with a straightedge for the rest of my life. I decided to go with something more interesting, combining engineering with the arts and crafts, ending up chained to a computer instead.

3. What’s your favorite font?
Timeless and classy: Futura, Helvetica, Times and sometimes Palatino.

4. Where do you get your inspiration from?
Kubašta, Lissitzky, Lubalin, Meggendorfer, my dear friends José & Bernard, Rand, Reinhardt, Vignelli – an odd and very short list of great creators that I admire. The full list would take an entire page…

5. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I believe I would be a decent musician, painter and, possibly, actor… at least in the next life.

6. How and why did you get involved with AIGA? Approximately how long have you been involved with the organization?
I came to Charlotte in 2014 after three years of work in Paris, having no local connections, so I decided to join the local graphic design community. I still feel a bit like an outsider, but hope that will change soon.

7. If there is karaoke at the next office party, what song will you be singing?
STH or Kashmir, by Led Zeppelin. Simple, sensual, elegant, dramatic and eternal.

8. What is your favorite word?
Peace.

9. What would people be surprised to know about you?
I was born in Siberia. My mother’s family was exiled from Lithuania to Siberia by Stalin’s NKVD on June 14, 1941. We came back to Lithuania in 1961.

10. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Be aware that there’s always someone better than you, no matter what you do, so take it easy and don’t jump higher than you can.

11. What’s your secret talent (big or small, silly or serious)?
It’s not really a talent and more of the norm for most Europeans; I can read, speak and write fluently in four languages and understand and communicate roughly in one more.

12. What’s one goal (professional or personal) you have for the future?
My current goal is to find a way of working with local agencies & businesses in a field of interactive advertising, creating dimensional objects, animations, ads, B2B and B2C, as I have been working exclusively with out-of-state clients. I would also be very thrilled to solve my personal challenge of combining analog / old school and digital content, which I am relatively close to accomplishing… and I am not referring to augmented reality.

13. What is the best purchase you’ve ever made?
The best purchase I ever made was the Graphtec 4200 flatbed plotter, which I split the cost of with my former company. It is in Europe now, awaiting my return.

14. What sound or noise do you love?
I love the sound of opening a successfully designed pop-up and the smell of a new book.

Would you like to be featured in our Member Spotlight?

Got a big project you want to show off or want to get your name out there? The AIGA Membership Spotlight is great place to start! If you or someone you know would like to be featured on our blog, just follow these simple steps:

• You must be an active AIGA member to participate. Want to become a member? Sign up here!

• Email Membership Director, Gavan Leatham (gleatham@charlotte.aiga.org) and tell us why you should be featured.

If selected, our membership director will be in touch.

Behind every great AIGA chapter there are even greater partners. Without the support of these incredible local businesses we wouldn’t be able to put on all of the awesome events that we do!

With our #buildsomething Event coming up, we thought it was a great opportunity to introduce you to our partner, Industry Coworking. Not only are they generous enough to provide us with a space for our monthly Board Meetings, they also will be donating space for several future events!

Photo cred: @charlotteagenda

Tyler Ford, owner and proprietor of this genius coworking space was nice enough to sit down and answer a few questions so you could get to know him and his business better.

Photo cred: @charlotteagenda

Whether you’re a hustling entrepreneur, rapidly growing start up or a small business owner who is looking for an affordable office space, Industry Coworking has something for you! Come check them out at the AvidXchange Music Factory and see what could be!

Photo cred: @charlotteagenda

Thank you Tyler and Industry Coworking for being such a great partner!

Oh, and before we forget, come check out our #buildsomething Showcase Event at Industry Coworking, tomorrow, February 28th. #buildsomething is a collection of imaginative works, on skate decks that will adorn the walls of Industry and inspire originality for years to come!

Nestled within the AvidXchange Music Factory lives a super cool place called Industry Coworking. Made up of many spacious offices, desks and conference rooms, this one-of-a-kind coworking space was built for entrepreneurs, start ups and creatives. Now that we’ve brought you up to speed about Industry, we’ll fill you in about our #BuildSomething event.

#BuildSomething is the mantra of the coworking community at Industry. It’s a call to all creators to build something, anything, to make the world a better place. At AIGA we’re pretty big fans of Industry, so when owner, Tyler Ford, asked us if we could call on Charlotte artists to help build a skate deck gallery for Industry, we were totally in!

We were blown away by how many of you donated your time and your talents to create an incredible gallery of boards. We couldn’t wait to show off these incredible works of art, so we grabbed some beer and invited everyone to have a good time. So just in cased you missed it, we’ll do what we always do and recap it for you!

What? Did you think they appeared magically on the wall? Here’s a picture of our awesome board members installing the boards.

Where there’s an AIGA event, there’s usually beer, wine and a good time!

Here’s proof that there were a lot of people there.

‘Questionable’ that is the question.

This guy makes lookin’ at boards look cool.

That board, she made that.

Strange, isn’t it?

An artist and his board.

Skyline on a skate deck.

Pretty girl and her ‘Prince’ board.

Tyler Ford, owner of Industry in action.

He liked it so much, he took a picture of it.

Smiles and skate decks.

Details.

Like maker, like board.

Selfies and skate decks.

Thanks Tyler (the guy above) for being brains behind this awesome event!

Bummed you missed the showcase? Of course we didn’t get a chance to show you all of the incredible board design because we want to leave you wanting more. Stop by Industry Coworking sometime and see them for yourself!

Before we go, we have so many people to thank for making this event possible, so here we go:

Tyler Ford and Industry Coworking– Thank you for coming up with the idea, providing the space and making this such a great event!

Artists– Thank you donating your time and creating these imaginative works of art that will inspire originality for years to come.

Metrographics– Thanks for your constant support and for perfectly printing the digital designs of the skate decks.

Are you a hustling entrepreneur, rapidly growing start up or a small business owner who is looking for an affordable office space? Then Industry Coworking has something for you! Come check them out at the AvidXchange Music Factory and see what could be!

If you missed last week’s event, we kind of feel sorry for you. Danielle Evan’s talk was incredible, inspiring and filled with lots laughs and some pretty sick dance moves. What can we say? She left us hungry for more (pun intended).

Our board members also worked their little butts off to put together a pretty amazing silent auction. From a 50 minute massage at OM Spa to a 1-year Adobe Creative Suite subscription, there was something for everyone!

In case you’ve been living under a rock or don’t follow us on social media, which you totally should, here’s why Danielle is so awesome. Danielle is a visual punner and lettering artist currently living in Columbus, Ohio.  She combines lettering, photography and dad jokes to create food typography and continues to blaze the niche’s breadcrumb trails. Her work is a clever marriage of design and artful arrangement– approachable, tongue-in-cheeky, and hailed internationally as a visual feast. Since 2013 she worked with Target, Disney, American Greetings, Aria, TAZO and many more! Her work is so distinct that we guarantee you’ve seen it. Here are just a few examples of what she’s cooked up (pun intended, again):

Because Danielle gave such incredible presentation, it makes my job of recapping it for you even harder, but I’ll do my best! So pull up a seat, grab a your fave drink and get ready to be inspired.

Our Financial Director, David Ferrise and President, Bree Basham really know how to pose for a pic (well, Bree at least).

OHHHHHH!

AHHHHHH!

I bet this guy’s thinking “Ain’t nobody gonna out bid me.”

This makes you want a pillow with lips all over it, doesn’t it?

Action shot of our Programming Manager, Leigh Anne Zeitouni casting her bid.

Spoiler: You bet your bottom dollar she got those Rifle Paper Co. Prints!

Where there’s an AIGA event, there’s usually beer and wine near by.

Total candid pick.

Programming Manager Pam Fernandez and Membership Director Gavan Leatham checking everyone in.

Chatting it up before Danielle Evans speaks!

Cute pic of our VP of Programming, Ryan Hollingworth and VP of Communications, Sandi Deitrich. And totally grossed out Danielle?

Bree introducing our special guest DANIELLE EVANS!

“I’m finding through all of this garbage, there are some good ideas and maybe the good ideas are not the ideas themselves, maybe is the evocative nature of them, the emotion, the weird human connection we’re having that I totally didn’t intend at the time.”

“I would encourage everyone to go back to their work and find things that they maybe didn’t quite hit the mark on, but there’s still some beauty in them.”

“My ideas are larger than I can produce alone and rather than running away from that, I just need to involve more people in the process. I learned very early on out of necessity to collaborate with other people.”

“When you impress yourself, you then have an opportunity to impress and inspire other people and I think that’s where the best opportunities arise.”

“I would encourage you to realize that you owe it to yourself to act on your ideas even if their not fully formed, even if they’re not quite in a presentable state and even if you don’t know entirely how they’re supposed to work in the end. I think that just the simple act of sketching or opening yourself up, talking to someone about things that move you is enough to give purpose to them.”

“I had a teacher that used to say ‘If you don’t foster the seats of genius in yourself how will other people help them  grow?'”

“I started realizing that these materials fight to control us in the same way that a lot of our circumstances fight to control us and we can either allow these things to cripple our imaginations and to cripple our joy or we can embrace the restriction and change and adapt.”

“I was doing work that I thought I should be doing, rather than the work I actually wanted to do. And the funny thing is when you spend your time doing the work you think you should do, everybody sees it and they can tell you heart’s not in it and they don’t want it.”

“I had to become aware of what I wanted out of my life and where I was going. And I had to be really okay with the fact that nobody else was doing it yet.”

Danielle, thank you so much for coming and inspiring us all. You truly were a treat (yes, another pun totally intended) to listen to!

Want to see more of Danielle’s work? Check out her website here.

Danielle was also nice enough to stick around one more day and teach Oversharing Through Food ad Object Lettering Workshop for eager participants. And boy, was it a blast! Here are a few photos from the Friday morning class:

Look good enough to eat, don’t they?

And last but not least, shout out to our Chapter Partner Industry Coworking for providing your incredible venue for us to use, as well as, Metrographics and The Creative Group for your continued support. And out event sponsor The Dunhill Hotel for hosting Danielle, even though their were glow sticks involved (yes, this is an inside joke and yes, you had to be there).

Rachel Martin, Design Director at Rachel Martin Design, A Sustainable + Socially Responsible Design Studio.

Rachel has been a member since 1998 and lives in Charlotte, NC.

Where are you from?
A small town called Charlton, MA. Went to college and started my career in NYC and moved to Charlotte in 2007.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
A female mentor once told me: Always have a passion and a purpose, stay true to yourself and keep small and nimble as a studio. Once you get too big, all you do is manage people and the business, and you don’t get to design and do what you love (which is why you originally started the studio). So, I’ve managed to stay a small, independently-run, sustainable and socially responsible design studio that works as a creative collaborative. This means I form teams of creative talent based on our client’s needs, budget and goals. Depending on the size of a project, I’ll hire a team of talent and/or outsource and partner with other local businesses, as needed. By operating this way, I’ve been able to work with small businesses to Fortune 500 companies to assist in solving their problems, inspiring high level design thinking, and creating effective and powerful design solutions to help their businesses grow.

What is the best purchase you’ve ever made?
Best purchase in the last year has been my iPad Pro and Apple Pencil (I used my AIGA discount to purchase). I do a lot of lettering and illustration work, both personally and professionally, so it has saved a huge amount of time in my process. I still love to sketch on paper, as needed, but the technology has definitely helped with my productivity.

What’s one goal (professional or personal) you have for the future?
Learn how to make cheese and ferment more things. I love to experiment with infusions for cocktails too. I started baking bread this past year (raising a sour dough baby is hard work!) so I would like to continue to keep learning.

What are you currently working on?
Some new sustainable packaging lines for locally grown food and beverages and a few projects that involve connecting our local food chain and food systems.

Would you like to be featured in our Member Spotlight?

Got a big project you want to show off or want to get your name out there? The AIGA Membership Spotlight is great place to start! If you or someone you know would like to be featured on our blog, just follow these simple steps:

• You must be an active AIGA member to participate. Want to become a member? Sign up here!

• Email Membership Director, Gavan Leatham (gleatham@charlotte.aiga.org) and tell us why you should be featured. If selected, our membership director will be in touch.

Born in Charlotte, and raised in Pittsburgh (go Pens!), Nick has been a member of AIGA since 2012. He has worked as a designer since graduating from Penn State in 2009 with a degree in Advertising Design. He currently works as a Sr. Designer for Brighthouse Financial, formerly MetLife’s U.S. Retail division. He lives in Plaza Midwood with his wife, Liz, and 10 month-old daughter, Everett. When he’s not designing, he’s always willing to try a new beer, go see a concert or discover a new restaurant.

Nick has been an AIGA member since 2012 and lives in Charlotte, NC

Where are you from?
I was born here in Charlotte, but grew up in Pittsburgh, PA.

What sound or noise do you love?
I love going to concerts, so any type of live music is a sound I love.

What’s one goal (professional or personal) you have for the future?
One goal that I have would be to have one of my designs put up as a mural somewhere in a space that needs to be revived. I think it would be fun to go through the process of coming up with the design, installing the work and seeing how the piece transforms the space that it is in. I think it would also be really cool to see your work on a large scale, like the side of a building or a big wall in an open space of some kind.

What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?
I think other than the hours and the stress of the job, I would like to be a chef. I love to cook at home and always watch some sort of cooking show or chef profile (Chef’s Table on Netflix is so good). There are some really creative people in that industry and I think it would be a real energetic environment to be a part of.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
My daughter was born in April of 2016 and every day is pretty amazing with her around. I would have to say that she is my proudest accomplishment…..or when she is having a bad day, just making it through that day would be my proudest accomplishment.

How and why did you get involved with AIGA?
I got involved with AIGA just to be a part of the design community where I was living. It was a great surprise to see how close the design community in Charlotte actually is. Everyone involved is so welcoming and helpful. It really puts so many resources at your fingertips.

Would you like to be featured in our Member Spotlight?

Got a big project you want to show off or want to get your name out there? The AIGA Membership Spotlight is great place to start! If you or someone you know would like to be featured on our blog, just follow these simple steps:

• You must be an active AIGA member to participate. Want to become a member? Sign up here!

• Email Membership Director, Gavan Leatham (gleatham@charlotte.aiga.org) and tell us why you should be featured. If selected, our membership director will be in touch.

Did you hear (obviously not if you weren’t there, but if you did and you didn’t come? Shame on you), well-known designer and former punk rocker, Don Clark of Invisible Creature was nice enough to come and talk to us AND make an amazing customer poster for use too! And with a SOLD OUT crowd, you know it was good night!

Here’s a picture of a guy writing his name tag.

Here’s Don signing some of his posters.

And here’s a girl super excited by her custom Don Clark poster.

Here are some people that are trying to act like they had no idea their picture was being taken.

Here are some people getting hype about the talk, bot realizing that Don Clark is right behind them!

If you were too cool to attend then, that’s just too bad.  Don packed 41 years of life into 45 mins and we’re so glad he did. He shared some home runs, disasters and the moments when he wanted to give it all up.  Don, thank you for being so real. We really appreciate it. Now sit back and get ready to geek out at some of his amazing work and the stories that surround them.

“I look at my life as a book and there’s just been a lot of chapters and I couldn’t have written this book if I tried to. It’s kind of been a crazy rollercoaster and so the evolution of our career and the company has been crazy.”

“I have always had an obsession with Disney, Space and Star Wars.”

“My Grandfather plays huge role in our story. He was a graphic designer and illustrator for NASA. He made the idea of being an illustrator and a designer real.”

“It all started with a punk rock band.”

“All of the sudden we were starting a band and a design studio.”

“Decided to start a design studio with brother and a friend. Our friend was interactive and my brother and I were print. And it all started at the age when design on the internet actually started to become a thing. I was a new awakening around 2001, 2002. All three of us were from music scene. And we started wondering, “What if we try to start record design studio?” So they asked the owner of Tooth and Nail Records if they could and he said he already had a an art department. So what did we do? We asked, “What if we cut our price in half?” And then Asterik Studio happened.”

“We had a huge built in audience already after the first couple album designs and that’s all we did. Music packaging and websites for bands.”

“Asterik Studio went on to hire 6 people. And in 2006 we decided to mutually split. My brother and I wanted to focus on packaging and branding and Demetri wanted to move on to do more large scale projects.”

“And then the digital age of music began. Budgets started shrinking. There was more competition, that’s a great thing.”

“And then came the Foo Fighters. The Foo Fighters album was a complete game changer.”

“The best part of the entire project is the time between when you hang up the call and the time you start. Thats the best moment you’re gonna have. Hopefully at the end you’ll be able to match that feeling.”

“He sent tons of different interactions and the manager was not feeling it. He actually had to blackout of judging a design competition to keep working on the album covered. And the last thing he sent was it.”

“This project could have destroyed me. They could have hated everything and fired me. That happens…But for me that can’t happen. I met the band, we hung out, we’re bros now!”

“These sweet spot projects don’t happen a ton in your career. They just don’t and this one I’m really pleased with how it came out. And the band was and this was the year they won a ton of Grammy’s. We actually went to the Grammy’s that year and we were nominated for another record. They played and it was super special.”

“When we can photograph our own stuff when it comes to packaging we prefer to do that. We come with high level concept stuff occasionally and this was one of the projects we wanted to do that with. This is an album for rapper Derek Minor from Tennessee. The records name is “Minorville” And I though okay, what if we did like a city that was in the shape of his head, but you’re seeing the city from the top.”

“Dad is a woodworker extremely skilled and is always up for cool stuff. And I was like “Hey Dad, wanna build a city for a rapper’s head?” And he was like let’s do it. We had three weeks to do this. It was insane.”

“My whole though was I really wanna experiment with light and shadows. I just want to play around with the light and see what it does.”

“Transitioning from album packaging to illustration, which is mainly what we do now, I didn’t set out to do that it was just kind of this random evolution of time and kind of where my head was at. I knew that I couldn’t just keep doing album packaging forever. It was going down, things were going down in terms of finances for that, so three thing happened in 2004.

1. The Incredibles came out-the art of the incredibles made me want to start drawing again.
2. The new poster explosion happened
3. I had a baby- I was seeing everything with fresh eyes.

My life was kind of being flipped upside down.”

“We go heavy into the silk screen poster world. It was awesome because we met so many cool people. The posters were pretty much pro bono work. It was an investment in trying to change the trajectory and really just experiment and have fun with color.”

“It led to some really good illustration work.”

“Next evolution was with products.”

“In 2005 it was Urban Vinyl. Falling in love with toys and characters. What if we put out our own toy? It’s really expensive. We waited for someone to come along and ask us to help make a toy. A couple years went by and I designed a shirt for one of my favorite design blogs called Grain Edit. A year later I got a tweet from Bryan Flyn from Super 7 Toys wanted to make a toy based on one of the characters on the shirt. And he was like “Really? that’s not even my favorite guy on the shirt.” Since then we’ve done like 30 Leroy’s. Super niche stuff. Which led to another one. Stenson.”

“With the New awakening of toys led us to Monster Blocks, too.”

“Then we did Wow! Gift Cards for Target. Worked with Target for 10 years and am just super thankful.”

“Then came Cinerama. It was very big in the 50s and now there’s only 3 left in the world. They have 3 cameras going at the same time and 3 projectors going at the same time. At times you could actually see the seams in the older movies.

Remember 80% of our work is commercial art. I am just as shocked as anyone that we get these calls.”

“Got a call from a friend to do the mural for the multi million dollar remodel in downtown Seattle.  What am I going to do that’s not gonna piss off architects, people walking by and fans of films? After many iterations and many struggles through this project and at one point thinking it would never get done, this is what came to be.

Oh and the owner of theater is Paul Allen, the guy that started Microsoft with Bill Gates.”

“The NASA project. This was the one that almost killed us.

NASA does not usually hire other designers. We did some sketches and then something happened. NASA is government funded and they are very careful about how they promote things. There were 12 poster designs total and we did 3 of them. They gave us the go ahead to put them on our site and did a small run of prints. And they also warned us that the art was public domain once they did it. Once they put online, it blew up. Next thing we knew we were one the phone with BBC and other news outlets and the local news came to their house. And I had to make this split decision on whether to make more posters. The 50 sold out in a second. If everyone else is going to making it and selling, why shouldn’t we sell it too. The sales were going so fast that we ended up printing 5,000 high quality signed prints.

There’s many reason why the job almost killed us:

1. We had to ship 5,000 posters quickly. It was not easy. People wanted them now.
2. I’m a people pleaser. I wanted to ensure quality.
3. Our store was through Paypal. We were getting too many orders too quickly so they shut down our store. We could still take in orders, but we couldn’t take out money.  They also wanted a tracking number for all 5,000 posters before they released one cent. I had to absorb everything to get them printed. I almost had to refinance the house. Thank goodness a buddy owned a shipping company and ended up saving the day.
4. Dealing with a few angry customers because it was taking a couple months to get them sent.

I look at this project in a bittersweet way. I’m super thankful for what happened, but the stressed it induced and the fact that my family was suffering because to it too and we had no money in the bank. And seeing it everywhere did something to my phsyhe too. It was a dark time, but I’m glad to be on the other side of it so I can laugh at it now. The moral of the story is there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

The icing on the cake was when a friend texted who was working on the new Incredibles movie and my NASA poster was on the inspiration board.”

As for the next project Invisible Creature has in the works? A film. Stay tuned!

Don-we can’t thank you enough for traveling all the way to Charlotte, for making a cool poster and sharing parts of your journey as a designer with us. We hope your ears are burning because everyone had nothing but good things to say!

Oh and if you aren’t familiar with Don’s work, which you should be you can check out more here.

And before we go, a shoutout to our chapter sponsors, Metrographics, The Creative Group, and Industry Coworking, our event sponsors, Dunhill Hotel, 8.2.0 and, Theory House and presenting sponsor, Centerfold Agency. Thank you all for your unwavering support! We couldn’t have done it without you!

We would not be able to put on all the amazing events that we do if it wasn’t for our amazing sponsors, and The Creative Group is one of them. With office locations in major markets across the U.S. and Canada, their creative staffing experts are able to offer immediate access to highly skilled, pre-evaluated digital, design, marketing, advertising and public relations talent on a project or full-time basis to some of companies. The Creative Group’s candidates are passionate and experienced and are ready to tackle any project — large or small.

They were nice enough to answer a few questions so our members could get to know them a little bit better and here’s what they said:

What interests you most about partnering with AIGA Charlotte? 

We have an extensive talent pool with a variety of design skills, so staying up to date with the latest trends is an absolute must. Our alliance with AIGA Charlotte inspires The Creative Group (TCG) to push our design partners to be the best in the marketplace.

What services can you provide our members?

TCG specializes in connecting interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations talent with the best companies on a project, contract-to-hire and full-time basis. We’re here to help when a designer (or other creative professional) is looking for a new work home or is interested in additional freelance opportunities.

What’s new with TCG in Charlotte?

We have a few really exciting projects in the works with some of our clients. We are working on a branding project for an international product company and we just staffed talent to overhaul a website for a large holding company with six sub-companies. Since design work plays such an important role in what we do in the creative field, we’ve been able to work with internal communication and learning/development teams to create engaging design for internal employees. For example, we’re working on an internal communications rebrand for an employee engagement program that will impact over 3,000 employees.

Before we go, we’d like to thank The Creative Group for all they do to help us out. You guys rock!

Looking for new opportunities?  Connect with the amazing people at The Creative Group here.

Believe it or not, another year has gone by and once again we’re asking for your nominations. That’s right: the time has come to begin the election process for the next AIGA Charlotte Board of Directors. As always, we are seeking dedicated design professionals who have a passion for advancing our craft and strengthening our creative community. Being a board member not only allows you to be more involved; you can help mold and shape the future of our chapter too.

Keep in mind that our creative community features more than just designers. Having copywriters, developers, account executives, project managers, photographers, videographers, and more on the board only creates a much stronger whole. We’re always hoping for nominations that offer a breadth of talent and experience for the upcoming term.

We are specifically looking to fill the following roles, in addition to an open enrollment in other areas:

• Programming Director
• Partnership Director
• Student Groups Manager
• Programming Manager
• Communications Manager – Copywriter / Editor

To nominate yourself, or someone else, please fill out the form below. When nominating someone else, please include your information as well as the name of the individual, their email address, phone number, and a short recommendation of why the person you are nominating is a good candidate. You do not need to nominate an individual for a specific position. AIGA Charlotte’s Nominating Committee will be tasked with matching nominees to appropriate positions.

Nominees will then be contacted by a Board representative and asked to participate in an informational interview session in late June. At this session, current board members will discuss our positions and the responsibilities attached to those roles. Nominees will participate in informal discussions with current board members to help determine the best fit for each nominee.

If you have any questions about the responsibilities of being a board member, please contact AIGA Charlotte’s President, Bree Basham. The nominations period starts today, and will close June 18th. We look forward to hearing from you.

Morgan Evans is a graphic designer for Delhaize America (Food Lion). A born and bred Indiana Hoosier, she has never met a dance move she didn’t like; and is a believer that life without Mexican food is no life at all. A dancer since 3, she has found that her love for music and creativity have showed her the importance of the people around her. Personally and creatively she continues to open herself up to the ideas of others so that she can not only be a student of design, but also a teacher.

Morgan has been a member of AIGA since 2015. Check out more of her work here.

Where are you from?
This question always turns into a small novel after moving 5 times growing up. I was born in Kansas and moved to Kentucky, Arizona, Indiana, and North Carolina throughout the years. I consider myself an Indiana Hoosier at heart though.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?
A very sarcastic and very smart man I worked for once told me, “never underestimate the strength in weak ties.” He was always going on and on about networking, and to me, it sounded dreadful as a young designer who was just starting out and had a major in Journalism – What could I possibly strike up a conversation about to a talented person in the industry? Here goes nothing. As I forced myself into many networking events (mostly AIGA who thankfully is full of awesome people), I realized something over and over again. People were not only nice, but extremely encouraging. I received genuine career advice and kept in touch with the people I met, that snowballed into freelance work and great referrals that landed me the job I have now. People respond to people who respond.

What is your favorite book?
“The Defining Decade” by Meg Jay is the best book I have ever read, hands down. It’s all about taking action in twenties before it’s too late. It was the inspiring slap in the face I needed. It’s incredible insight about relationships, work, and your personal life that most young people my age don’t feel they need to be seriously thinking about or taking action, and it made see how wrong we are to think this way. Go big and go strange.

What are you currently working on?
I’m currently in the process of branding a BBQ joint that will soon be paired with a brewery in Missouri. It’s modern twist on barbeque. Think Pinky’s meets OMB.

What’s your secret talent?
I can open a bottle of wine with a pair of scissors. Not my proudest moment, but I did what had to be done with the resources I had.

Would you like to be featured in our Member Spotlight?
Got a big project you want to show off or want to get your name out there? The AIGA Membership Spotlight is great place to start! If you or someone you know would like to be featured on our blog, just follow these simple steps:

• You must be an active AIGA member to participate. Want to become a member? Sign up here!

• Email Membership Director, Gavan Leatham (gleatham@charlotte.aiga.org) and tell us why you should be featured. If selected, our membership director will be in touch.