AIGA Gainesville is deeply saddened to share the news of the passing of our beloved community leader, Jim Harrison. Jim was a founding member of our chapter, past Vice President and Co-President, and was instrumental in building AIGA Gainesville from the ground up. He has countless colleagues, mentees, students, friends and fans throughout Gainesville and beyond, and his timeless work will resonate in our community always.

Jim received his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Florida and went on to design, teach and direct at UF for more than a decade of his career, at UF University Relations (now Strategic Communications and Marketing), the College of Journalism and Communications and with UF College of Arts. He founded the design studio MetaVisual, which specialized in branding and visual systems. Jim was a self-proclaimed “branding strategist, speaker, entrepreneur, and former Senior Creative Director and Faculty Lecturer at the University of Florida. An award-winning communicator, graphic designer, visual artist and IDEO certified Leader for Creativity.” Jim won ADDY awards, was commissioned by WUFT to design gifts for their membership campaigns, has been featured in numerous gallery exhibitions, has work at the Museum Store at the Harn, is a past recipient of a prestigious SAPPI Paper “Ideas That Matter” grant and is in the collection of the Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. His iconic series of art prints, collected under the name The Gainesville Fruit Co., can be spotted in countless homes and businesses across Alachua County.

Jim Harrison, thank you for all you have contributed to our chapter, our city and the design community at large. You will be forever missed. Our thoughts are with Jim’s family, friends and colleagues. May we all continue to honor his memory by continuing to ask why.

You can read more about Jim, in his own words, here.

Reviewed by Marissa Balbuena | Student Liason
Women in Graphic Design 1890–2012 by Gerda Breuer and Julia Meer illuminates the forgotten women who made substantial contributions to design by focusing on their merits and quality of work. From historical to contemporary time periods, the book successfully integrates feminist ideology and gender inequities within many design fields and history. Women in Graphic Design re-examines and disputes the male-dominated, euro-centric narrative that has established the canon of “good design”. Although women are actively and increasingly participating in the field, patriarchal structures have hindered women from receiving the recognition they rightfully deserve.

This volume is categorized into four sections: (1) Essays, (2) Interviews, (3) Documents, and (4) Short Biographies. The book comes in two languages: German and English. I was disappointed to find that some of the German text was not translated to the brief English abstracts; however, this limitation does not obscure the richness of the featured pieces and the overall book design.

Many of the women designers presented are of Western descent, so the book lacks intersectionality. Nonetheless, the book presents an adequate range of generations, design fields, and professions women have participated in despite the paucity of specialized research within graphic design. By introducing a variety of strong examples, Breuer and Meer effectively answer the question “Why do so few women feature in the history of design?” Doing so calls attention to gender issues thus progressing the development of the design world.

References
Breuer, G., & Meer, J. (2012). Women in graphic design 1890-2012 = Frauen und Grafik-Design. Jovis.

Reviewed by Randy Fernandez | Membership Director
I highly recommend that design professionals read Michael Bierut’s Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design, as well as anyone interested in design. Bierut’s style is approachable and comprehensible for readers outside of the field. The essays are full of relatable real-life events, observations, and hilarious anecdotes that segue into his opinions on what makes a good design.

Unusual subscription emails that lead to unexpected results or buildings that look so familiar they start to seem inauthentic are just some of the situations that serve as the catalyst for Bierut’s compelling essays. The collection reveals how we are immersed in a world where everything is designed by honing-in on a specific design, explaining its context, and extrapolating lessons about design as a whole.

Seventy-Nine Short Essays on Design is full of surprising subjects, which I found both inspiring and comical. Bierut is a wonderful writer, and the collection is a great casual read that does not use alienating technical design terminology.

Reviewed by Edith Williams | Communications Chair

In 2016 Jessica Helfand published Design: The Invention of Desire. The book was beautifully designed by the author and Sara Jamshidi.

To embrace design is to spark novelty, improve livability, expand opportunity, streamline productivity, leverage capability, and massage readability—but perhaps most importantly it is to engage humanity. And we do this best by being human ourselves. (from the back cover)

inside cover

Each of the 12 chapters begins with an oil painting by the author depicting microscopic views of human cells.

table of contents

Some connect literally to the topic (Compassion with the heart ventricle) and others are harder to parse (Identity with bone marrow).

detail of oil painting | heart ventricle

detail of oil painting | bone marrow cell

The connection between design and a wide variety of topics (Authority, Fantasy, Identity, Consequence, Patience, Solitude, Melancholy, Humility, Memory, Change) is explored in each essay. Jessica Helfand looks closely at our discipline and uncovers the humanity at the core. Her analysis of the connection between design and the twelve concepts she explores is deeply smart. In addition to starting each chapter with a painting the author tells a story that helps the reader to understand the connections she is making.

I’ve had this book on my shelf for several years. It is too dense and rich to read right through and yet whenever I need inspiration or a creative push I return to this book, open it anywhere and read until I can’t absorb another powerful insight or super smart idea. I bought this book on the recommendation of reviews by Maira Kalman (a favorite!) and Stefan Sagmeister. This is what they said:

Compassion. Solitude. Memory. These are just a few of the topics explored in Jessica Helfand’s glorious book. Deeply philosophical and humanistic, it is a beautifully articulated meditation of what means to design and what it means to be alive. —Maira Kalman

Jessica Helfand looks at design as a deeply emotional experience, a live wire on sensations and an expression of what it means to live. This is truly intelligent writing. —Stefan Sagmeister

 

When I’m stumped or wondering about the value of my chosen second career I open this book and always feel heartened and encouraged to keep my eyes open and to think carefully about what I am doing. It is a great teacher.

Jessica Helfand (born 1960 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a designer, author, and educator. She is a former contributing editor and columnist for Print, Eye and Communications Arts magazine, and founding editor of the website Design Observer. She is Senior Critic at Yale School of Art since 1994, a lecturer in Yale College, and Artist-in-Residence at Yale’s Institute for Network Science. Named the first Henry Wolf Resident in design at the American Academy in Rome in 2010, she is a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale and the Art Director’s Hall of Fame. In 2013, she won the AIGA medal.

jessicahelfand.com

Marissa Balbuena  |  AIGA GNV Student Liason

Social Media Task Force | AIGA Unidos | Hispanic Heritage Talks

How did you first get involved with Unidos?

I remember seeing AIGA Unidos on IG and I was immediately captivated. I joined their Slack Channel and saw they were looking for individuals to join their Social Media Task Force. I didn’t even give it a second thought; I filled out the application and was lucky to have been given the opportunity to work with the creators.

Were you part of the planning of the social media campaign?

Yes. Definitely a lot of planning and cross referencing to make sure all the information gets out in a concise manner. I was instrumental in posting graphics to the Linkedin platform. Planning also involved substantial collaboration with different chapter leaders from different states! #Unidos4Everyone

How do you plan to promote specific speakers/panels?

I was assigned to work on posting for Linkedin as an admin. The other two task force members focused on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Besides posting on the actual AIGA Unidos account, I’ve been promoting on my own personal IG. I also informed my friends, coworkers, fellow classmates, and even family members about the Hispanic Heritage Talks. I think it’s important to emphasize that people in any non-creative field and people of different races/ethnicities are welcome to partake in the event. The variety of speakers includes Latinx/Hispanic chefs, musicians, illustrators, filmmakers, educators, advocates, and beyond. AIGA Unidos was created for everyone and anyone.

Are you familiar with the work of the majority of the speakers?

I recognized Gaby Hernandez – an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at University of Florida – who is facilitating a student panel. Super exciting! I have not heard of the other speakers, but I registered for a lot of talks. These talks are a really great opportunity to learn about Latinx and Hispanic creatives and their stories. I am particularly interested in Los Últimos Documentary about the Letterpress history in Argentina. Typography is something I’m incredibly passionate about whether it’s learning or experimenting.

How does your Asian Hispanic heritage influence your work?

My personal work focuses on introspection and exploring my heritage. My upbringing with two mothers and a predominantly female family has impacted my life. My upbringing was once seen as unconventional and wrong, which made me uncomfortable as a child. People would constantly pester me and ask me why I didn’t have a dad. Mind you I’m not even ten years old so I’m not even able to answer because I simply didn’t know.

The only male figure I had was my grandpa, who passed away earlier this year. He immigrated to the States from the Philippines by joining the US Navy. Since his passing, my life has definitely not been the same. Although he didn’t have a proper education, he was so innovative and smart, just like his daughter (my mama). He taught me a lot throughout his life. I believe our bond was like no other – we could sit in a room in silence and it wouldn’t be awkward at all.

My Abuelita and Abuelo also immigrated to the States from Ecuador. She was actively involved in raising me. One thing my Abuelita used to make were these fried empanadas con queso y azũcar blanca. I actually did a concept branding project that centered around this dish and it can be found on my website.

In 2016, I finally visited Ecuador and met so many of my cousins. The food, culture, and music was all very inspiring to me and I hope to visit there again.

Although my grandma is a native Key West conch, I explore my relationship with her in my work. She was recently diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, something my family and I have struggled with coping. Her mind tends to focus on the past rather than the present. Some of my visual art pieces explore the idea of fossilizing memories and find a deeper meaning in the comfort of familiar history.

Celebrating my family members and their positive impact on my life is key when identifying myself as they’ve helped me develop into the young Hispanic woman I am today. I work across different disciplines, so being able to utilize visual communication to honor my family members is virtuous to me. Expanding beyond personal reflection to a more universal level, I aim to utilize design as an accessible form of education.

   AIGA Unidos

Paul Sahre’s Two-Dimensional Man is without question one of my favorite books. If you’re in it for the pictures, it’s full of award-winning work Sahre has produced over his illustrious 30-year career as a professional designer. This being said, it’s more memoir than monograph (Sahre calls it a “Graphic Memoir” on his website). Bottom line: there’s something compelling about Two-Dimensional Man that clearly distinguishes it from other design-related books—it tells the story of a life informed and impacted by an ongoing process of designing more than it celebrates successful design outcomes. This book articulates how life informs design practice, and how design practice informs life—it showcases a full range of human emotion with a dry sense of humor and a healthy dose of design-dork related nuance. The work shown in this book ultimately underpins a sincere story of humanity and all its messiness. From the sadness and devastation of a long-term relationship ending, to the untimely death of a brother…and yes, even to a full essay about the cultural significance of ice machines and ice machine typography in America—this book puts it all in context, making everything feel cohesive and relevant.  As fellow designers, I’d like to think we can all identify in some way with how Sahre experiences this world.

And then there is the work…this book is full of great work, but what makes it special is that pieces are accompanied by equally excellent (and in many cases) hilarious back-stories. Sahre does an excellent job showing the evolution of his work over multiple decades and is able to pinpoint events (professional and personal) in his life that changed his perspective as a designer. Personally, my favorite part is when Sahre tells the story of building a full-sized monster-truck-hearse entirely out of cardboard for a They Might be Giants album cover. The story is hilarious, but more importantly, it captures how far some designers are willing to go to visually articulate an idea—even if it means working hundreds of hours for an outcome that literally only lasts a few minutes. This is a level of dedication I aspire to as both a designer and design educator.

As I write this, our world is in the midst of a global pandemic—many of you might be under “stay at home” orders from your local or state governments. If you haven’t picked up a copy of Two-Dimensional Man (it’s available in digital formats, too!) now would be an excellent time. This book serves as a great reminder of what makes us designers, but more importantly what makes us human.

Further Reading:

• http://paulsahre.com/
• https://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/paul-sahre-two-dimensional-man-a-graphic-memoir-publication-181017
• http://thegreatdiscontent.com/interview/paul-sahre

Creatives get into their craft because they love to make things and feed off that flow from productive sessions. In team meetings, oftentimes, good creatives find themselves in increasingly more managerial roles that perhaps they haven’t been exposed to or prepared for. The catch-22 for most of us is that to progress in our field, we need to take on these positions despite getting into the arts for the very personal act of creation. I could go on, but the short of it is most of us need help to become a great team if we choose to accept the increased responsibilities. A recent text on this is Kim Scott’s Radical Candor that has excellent insight on building and maintaining exceptional teams of people. I highly recommend it for those seeking to become better leaders, or frankly, better co-workers.

Kim Scott’s Radical Candor: http://smile.amazon.com/1250235275/ref+cm_em_r_mt_dp_U_87Q7DbXRSQK9J 

There is also a popular companion podcast: http://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/radical-candor/id1188489488 

Aaron Draplin Workshop & Talk
Thursday, January 30, 2020
San Felasco Tech City, Collective & Co.

Workshop tickets

Talk tickets

Come join AIGA Gainesville, Mama’s Sauce and Aaron Draplin for a workshop and talk as Draplin makes his triumphant return to Gainesville Freaking Florida.

Aaron James Draplin of the Draplin Design Co. proudly rolls up his sleeves on a number of projects related to the Print, Identity and Illustration categories. He makes stuff for Coal Headwear, Union Binding Co., Richmond Fontaine, Esquire, Nike, Wired, Dinosaur Jr, Timberline lodge, Chunklet, Eaux Claires Music Festival, Poler, Incase, Sub Pop, Cobra Dogs, Jill Soloway, Sasquatch Music Festival, Fender Guitars, Rhett Miller, Old 97s, Nixon Watches, Patagonia, Target, John Hodgman, Chris Stapleton, NASA/JPL, Ford Motor Company, Woolrich and even the Obama Administration, if you can believe that.

During his return to Alachua County, he will be giving a limited-attendance workshop from 1:00-4:00 pm. Get the inside scoop with about Draplin Design Co. and learn what goes on behind the scenes! He’ll give an in-depth walkthrough of some of his existing projects and answer questions in a more intimate setting. He’ll show you the finer points of his logo making process, from sketch to iterations to finalizing. Feel the power of pencil on paper! Unlock something in your hands and in your mind! Adobe Illustrator tips, tricks, tales, triumphs and threats will be offered up from our questionable existence! Questions answered. Riddles solved. Enigmas discussed. Don’t miss out!

At 7:00 pm, Aaron will give a talk he’s calling “Things That Don’t Have a Thing To Do with Graphic Design.”
Aaron says: As a graphic designer, I’m lucky to make things for all kinds of things. But more and more, I’m realizing the profound impact it has on the things in the rest of my life. Things in my backyard. Things that hold things. Things for my nephew. And things on one of the saddest days of my life. That’s a lot of things. Plus, we’ll update you on all the things we’ve been up to, aside from all those other things. Tons of new things!

Join us at the new San Felasco Tech City, just outside of the Gainesville city limits in beautiful Alachua! Seating is limited, so grab those tickets early!
Tickets are sold separately for each event. Make sure you register for each that you want to attend.

Workshop tickets

Talk tickets

BONUS CONTENT: check out photos from Draplin’s last visit to GNV in 2017

From the top brass at Mama’s Sauce: “Mama’s Sauce will be in tow as my Florida ambassadors. They’ll be setting up their wares like a bunch of carnies. Mama will even have a screen print press to give you a chance to print tour exclusive merchandise yourself.”

We’ll have FULL MERCH TABLES being set up with DDC goods, Field Notes memo books and Notes to Self nasties! Dragging it all down there.

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Event sponsors:

Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It, by Mike Monteiro, is my pick for this month’s AIGA GNV Book Club. This independently published book is available as a paperback on Amazon (and now includes a pro-union message for Amazon workers right on the cover) and as a 120 page 8 x 10″ zine at ruinedby.design/zine. The zine version is only $8 and was printed in California on the same employee-owned press that printed Maximum Rocknroll.

I saw Monteiro speak at the AIGA Design Conference in Las Vegas in 2016 (more on this in a bit) and loved that he challenged designers to really examine what it was that they were being asked to do. I wrote down a quote from his talk that day and I have kept it with me since then. He said “The world works exactly the way that it is designed to work. If we want to change the way it works, we need to change who is designing it.” 

Ruined By Design dives deep into the ethics of design in a way that is easy to digest, even for non-designers. Monteiro critiques many of the systems and services that we use every day but also the ecosystems that help morph these systems (for example, he explains a lot about the world of venture capitalism in a chapter titled “Ayn Rand is a Dick”).

Sample Chapter on ruinedby.design

Now… back to Monteiro’s talk in 2016. Ruined by Design includes a chapter called “The Case for Professional Organizations” where he talks about his experience with AIGA and specifically mentions the Las Vegas speaking engagement. He writes that after his talk a designer that he admired and who was very involved with the organization said that while “it was a good talk, it didn’t have anything to do with design because what we did out there in Silicon Valley wasn’t really design.” That, paired with AIGA’s consistent focus on visual design and failures to keep up with UX design, made Monteiro feel as though AIGA was no longer the professional organization for him. 

Reading this was especially fascinating for me. I had been so completely inspired by Monteiro’s talk at the AIGA conference. I agreed with him that AIGA should be evolving to meet the needs of designers, to act more like a union, to be providing things like legal services and guidance for members. At that time in 2016, I also happened to be right in the middle of jumping through all of the legal and logistical hoops of starting an AIGA chapter here in Gainesville. Monteiro’s talk made me want to get more deeply involved and to make AIGA Gainesville into something that could support designers. Through this book I learned that during the same event, he was made to feel as though he needed to turn away from the organization. 

Ruined by Design is a frank and honest look at every aspect of the design profession and it isn’t pretty. But it is optimistic. Monteiro is still very hopeful that designers will step up and turn things around. On the first page, he writes “So the fact that I’m writing this book is either the most stupid or the most hopeful act I can imagine. To be honest with you, I think it’s a bit of both.” I recommend this book and hope that we all start questioning why things are being done the way that they are before we just do the job we are paid to do. 

And on a personal note: I am also optimistic… Monteiro was right. AIGA needs to evolve. And the AIGA of 2016 is not the AIGA of 2019 and won’t be the AIGA of 2020. Chapter leaders from all over the country are currently diving deep and overhauling the way the entire organization functions. Because “if we want to change the way it works, we need to change who is designing it.”

Ruined by Design: How Designers Destroyed the World, and What We Can Do to Fix It
By Mike Monteiro

https://www.ruinedby.design/

Zine version: https://www.ruinedby.design/zinestore

On Amazon