AIGA | Grand Valley State University

Logo Competition

2010-02-14T19:04:00.001-08:00

National Endowment for the Arts is now accepting logo designs for Art Works. The deadline has been extended through March 5, 2010. Please click on the links below for more information:

Project Description

NEA Website Post

More Info on Art Works

AIGA Meeting

2009-09-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

Our next meeting on the docket is tomorrow (Wednesday the 23rd) in Calder Art Center, room 1302. Please join us at 9:00 PM for lively discussion and delicious snacks!

Make/Think AIGA Conference

2009-09-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

The Make/Think Conference is coming up (AKA mecca for current design). Seeing as it's a Pretty Big Deal, a bevy of us AIGAers are headed down to Memphis for the festivities. Carpool leaves Wednesday, October 7 and returns Sunday, October 11. Please e-mail us at aiga@student.gvsu.edu for more info about the trip. Did I mention Demetri Martin is closing this bad boy down? Nuff said.

Lecture Series: The Purpose of Design

2009-09-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

John Berry, Director of Design West Michigan is to speak at Loosemore Auditorium (Grand Rapids Pew Campus) this Thursday, September 24th at 5:30 PM. He will discuss the purpose of design and how it relates to art.

Free parking is available in the Front Street lot. For more information, please call the Art Gallery at (616) 331-2563.

ArtPrize: Opening Season

2009-09-22T13:00:00.000-07:00

For anyone who's interested in checking out the ArtPrize exhibitions, many of the venues are hosting opening receptions this week. For a full list of events and information on registering to vote, you can visit their website.

If you are a Do-Gooder who would like to pitch in for what is sure to be an amazing arts extravaganza, you can fill out the online form with your availability and contact info (the event lasts from September 23 through October 10).

Coincidentally, we are planning an AIGA group expedition to downtown GR on Saturday the 26th for anyone who would like accompaniment in their trek around the newly improved artscape. Interested parties should e-mail us at aiga@student.gvsu.edu so we can be sure to meet up with you or arrange carpooling from Allendale.

AIGA West Michigan

2009-09-15T07:42:00.000-07:00

AIGA West Michigan is holding a meeting this evening from 5:30 - 8:00 pm at the JW Marriott. Rick Grefé, executive director of the AIGA will be speaking, along with Congressman Peter Hoekstra, former vice president of Herman Miller. Preregistration is required.

AIGA Valentine's Day Card Sale

2009-02-09T12:41:00.000-08:00

If the February thaw has yet to infiltrate the recesses of your seasonally depressed heart, perhaps you could benefit from some eloquently designed Valentine's Day cards. You can find these lovely anecdotes to loneliness in the Calder atrium (the 9th through the 12th) and the Henry Hall atrium on February 10th. Hope to see you there from 10 am to 2 pm. Prices are $2 per card or $5 for three.

The Bowled and the Beautifully Designed

2009-01-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

If you're wondering what to do with yourself next Thursday's eve (assuming you do indeed think that far into the future) and are a little tired of the usual options, which generally include but are not limited to:

(A) Burrying your nose in the informative yet dryly-written tomes of yore;

(B) Stubbornly waiting for crop circles to reemerge, though antithetical to both their off-season existence + hypothetical nature;

...Then have we got the pastime for you: BOWLING!! Apparently, the best thing to do whilst stranded in the frigid epicenter of Nowhere is thrust the heaviest orb you can comfortably wield in the general vicinity of curvilinear "pins" in the hopes of annihilating their ability to stand in a fixed/orderly fashion--followed of course by the alluring yet impractical *Victory Dance.

Most Importantly, don't forget to tote those Valentine's designs... you know, the kind of kitsch that's plastered shamelessly to Hallmark-esque propaganda in a passive-aggressive gesture of affection? We hear your Grandma loves That Sort of Thing, and you do want to keep that steady supply of chocolate chip cookies rolling, don't you? Though your grandmother may or may not be involved in the voting process (who am I to say if she's a card-carrying member of the AIGA//Grand Valley Student Group?), decisions will be made--so bring it! Participation is encouraged If and Only If you crave the type of glory garnered from the sale of minute images professionally printed on pretty paper from a card table at the Kirk.

Where will this fabulous occurrence take place you're wondering? Thursday, January 29th @ 9 PM // AMF Lincoln Lanes // 485 Lake Michigan Dr.

How much, you say? $5.00 cover & a mere quarter (that's 25 red cents) per game and shoe rental.

There you have it: you are now rendered Excuseless, as it's both affordable and comfortably situated in the path of public transport--I hear the fifty makes the rounds occasionally, as in every 7 minutes. So prepare to defend that Designerly Valor (should you possess such quality or strength of character)!

Footnote on the Much-Coveted AIGA Membership You Now Happily Possess

2009-01-21T15:29:00.001-08:00

Finally--recognition! AIGA now officially acknowledges our existence as a student group. Your pertinent membership paraphernalia is in the mail, so hold those horsies until it arrives. Tragically, those of you who are new joiners to the Wonderful World of Organized Design Community will be missing out on the 365:29th Annual. Our membership petition was a few weeks post cutoff date for the order. Those who were merely renewing their accounts will make like a Care Bear and share. Apologies for the let down (if one did indeed occur). In the meanwhile, you can comfort yourselves in the knowledge that next year's edition will most assuredly be resting on that doorstep.

There's Still Time!

2009-01-21T15:13:00.000-08:00

But not much. Better get cracking if you want to win the forthcoming AIGA feat of excellence. I am of course referring to the 2009 Design Re:View. Just follow the link (there may be a pot of gold... or merely information on how to submit).

Hear Ye, Hear Ye.

2009-01-21T11:38:00.000-08:00

Now called to order as of 5:00 pm Wednesday the 21st--another raucous AIGA meeting. We'll rant about upcoming events & divulge more than you could possibly want to know about the second annual Valentine's Day Card Fundraiser. Design room locale for interested parties.

1st Ever AIGA Meeting for G-Rap

2009-01-20T12:32:00.000-08:00

First and foremost, happy inauguration! And what better way to kick off a four-year period of change (at least) than by gathering for the first ever TBD AIGA powwow tonight in downtown Grand Rapids. We figure there might be enough of us design folk in the area to band together at this point... let's prove ourselves right.

Should you wish to join in this novel foray, you can aid in populating the J.W. Marriot from 6:00 to 8:00 this evening. For exact details, more information, and answers to all of life's most difficult questions, you can visit http://event.pingg.com/aigawestmi.

PATTERN SHOW

2008-11-12T18:18:00.000-08:00

Pattern Show is an open submission poster exhibit curated by the AIGA Grand Valley Student Group and hosted by FLUX Gallery. Collectively, submissions chosen for display will visually represent the unity of designers and artists of all disciplines, promote the AIGA Professional Association for Design as a valuable resource for young artists, and help support the local art community. A portion of all proceeds will help benefit the UICA’s Artworks program.

PATTERN SHOW GUIDELINES
Deadline: Entries must be submitted by Saturday, November 30th.
Show Date: Friday, December 12th from 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm
Location: FLUX Gallery--14 Williams Street SW, 49503
Entry Fee: $5 for each entry (maximum of two entries per artist); first submission is free for AIGA members.
Theme: There is no set theme for the show. The only requirement is that the posters contain a pattern created by the artist.
Entry Submission: An eps file with the exact dimensions of work to be submitted may be downloaded from the Pattern Show's website at www.patternshowgr.com. All entries will be submitted in vector format to AIGA Grand Valley Student Group at agia@student.gvsu.edu. Please include entrant's name and e-mail address, as well as the title of the poster. Upon submission, all artwork will become property of AIGA Grand Valley Student Group.

ARTWORKS
ArtWorks is an innovative youth program of the Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts, which prepares students for tomorrow’s workforce through art-based projects and experiences. Professional artists, educators, and business leaders mentor students in the process of completing real-life, art-based job assignments.

To learn more, contact Becca Schaub at artworks@uica.org.

URBAN LIGHTS
What: Urban Lights Event
Where: S. Division between Williams and Fulton
When: Friday, December 12, 2007, 6-11 PM
Who: South Division Street Business Owners and Artists

Pattern Show will coincide with The Avenue for the Arts' Annual Urban Lights Event. This is a great opportunity for entrants to have their work seen by the greater Grand Rapids art community and to network and connect with other artists.

MEETING ...oh, and You're invited!

2008-10-30T14:37:00.000-07:00

Come one, come all to this, our fourth AIGA meeting. Where you might ask? Oh, you can find us in Kirkhof, room 1142 (the conference room next to the Office of Student Life). When did you say? Tonight! October 30th at 9:00 pm. Be there, or be square (trust me I've seen 'em--& they ain't pretty*).

****beep beep boop bip beep****We interrupt my inane blathering with a special message from our sponsors (i.e. The AIGA Grand Valley Student Group Bake Salers) who are greatly indebted to all of the volunteers who have dedicated their precious time and sugar cookies to our great cause: so thank you! Now back to the program... ****

You might also want to know what we'll be bantering about this evening. It may go something like this:

We will be announcing the upcoming poster show and explain what to submit and how and announcing a few other upcoming AIGA events. We will also me discussing our status as a student group; both at Grand Valley and in AIGA at large.

Your registration in AIGA is key for us to become an official student group, so please invest some time and look around www.aiga.org to become familiar with the organization and what it can do for you. If you are looking to complete an internship soon or are graduating and looking for a job, the AIGA job search is a great resource for members. Finding professional designers with the designer directory is also a great place to look for employers if you are looking for work in a specific area.

Those aren't the only benefits for student members. As a member, you get a discounted rate to most AIGA sponsored events and conferences, including the Detroit Sponsored Student Portfolio Day coming up in the spring!

Now here's the greatest part. If you register through us, you only have to pay $50 for the full year membership. That's $25 less than if you were to pay for your membership on your own. We have to send all the payments in together, however, so if you are interested in registering, please come to the meeting tonight and express your interest to us. If you can bring your payment tonight that would be great! If you won't be able to make it, please email us and let us know that you are interested and we will wait to send in our final payment.

That's all for now. We hope to see you tonight, or at the bake sale tomorrow.
Tomorrow's sale will be in Kirkhof from 9:00 am to 4:00pm. Spread the word!

Thanks everyone!

AIGA Grand Valley Student Group

*No offense meant to any right-angled rhombuses (should you know any personally or if you yourself possess equilateral sides). Additionally, I would like to assure you, Dear Reader, that none were harmed in the making of this message. Live safe, kids ...and as always, design well.

2008-10-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Hey, kids. It's autumn, and not the warm, sunny coddling last breaths of summer we're used to. It's getting blustery and colorful. This means you'll probably want to be contemplating the hues of dying deciduous decor from indoors whilst nursing some hot cider and caramel apples. So come fill those tummies with delectable goodies... or if you have something to contribute in addition to your soon-to-be-satiated hunger pains--such as babysitting the snack table for a shift or toting some treats—we’d be honored to share you company.

Hope to see you there: there being Kirkhof & Calder Wednesday October 29th; just Calder on Thursday October 30th; and one, the only Kirkhof on Friday October 31st (an excellent day for snacking on sucrose). 9 am to 4 pm every time, baby. [Hosted by AIGA Grand Valley Student Group, which cannot be held accountable for any raucous roused by such pleasantries but as always encourages you to cause some.]

Student Call for Entries

2008-03-26T22:12:00.000-07:00

Communicate: An Exhibition of Michigan AIGA Student Groups
Western Michigan University is pleased to present an opportunity for you to participate in a fall 2008 design exhibition sponsored by the WMU AIGA Student Group.

This is a POSTCARD show. Pieces are to be created and mailed to WMU, where they will be exhibited in September. We will accept ONE composition per student. Read More

THEME
Communication

WHO
+ Graphic design students, AIGA membership is irrelevant

WHAT
+ 5” X 7” postcard, double-sided
+ Heavyweight material (Bristol, high stock paper, etc)
+ Any medium that is mail-able without packaging (3D, 2D, screen printing, photography, graphic form, drawing, etc.)

WHERE
+ Pieces will be exhibited in September 2008 in conjunction with the AIGA national exhibition 365. There will be a closing reception we encourage all participants to attend.

WHEN
+ DEADLINE for submissions: Postmarked by MARCH 31, 2008 to the following address:

Design Center
Gwen Frostic School of Art
Western Michigan University
1903 West Michigan Ave
Kalamazoo, MI 49008

This exhibition is our first step in creating a network for design students in Michigan—it’s up to you to make it successful!

AIGA Detroit Student Portfolio Review 2008

2008-03-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

This years portfolio review is Saturday March 29, 2008 at Eastern Michigan University Student Center: 900 Oakwood, Ypsilanti, MI Read More

9:00am - 10:00am
Registration and Breakfast

10:00 - 11:30
Keynote Speaker: Armir Vit (founder of underconsideration.com)

11:30 - 12:30
Lunch

12:30 - 4:00
Reviews: two per student

The cost is $10 for AIGA members and $15 for Non-members
Car pool sign up will begin at Tuesday's meeting. Please let us know if you are willing to drive.

Presenting Chip Kidd

2008-03-11T14:56:00.000-07:00

Grand Valley State University's Art & Design Department is thrilled to present Award-winning Graphic Designer and Best-selling Author, CHIP KIDD Tuesday, MARCH 18th, at 7:30pm in the Louis Armstrong Theater, inside the Performing Arts Center on GVSU's Allendale campus.

Graphic design pioneer Chip Kidd is credited with changing the way modern books are packaged. With THE LEARNERS, the fascinating follow-up to his debut novel The Cheese Monkeys, Kidd again shows that his writing is every bit as original and memorable as his celebrated book jackets. This time, Kidd conjures up a remarkable story about advertising, electro-shock torture, suicide, a giant dog, potato chips, and the Holocaust.

For THE LEARNERS, Kidd re-created the infamous Milgram psychology experiments, down to the very words found on historical tapes and transcripts. Originally designed to determine how much one individual would hurt another when given orders by an authority figure, the experiments have fresh currency today, when each news cycle reveals fresh details of horrific war atrocities. Ridiculed in their own time, Milgram and his team were the first to learn just how little we each would question authority, even in dire circumstances—a lesson we’re re-learning on a daily basis.

This event is free and open to the public.

Parking is available in Lots H & K, or at metered spots adjacent to the Arts Center

Varsity Lecture Series

2008-02-21T14:28:00.000-08:00

AIGA (The professional association of design) presents the second annual Varsity Lecture Series. The lectures will be held in the Graphic Design room, 1302 in the Calder Art Center, from 9pm-10:30pm each night until through thursday evening.

Monday 25th, 9:00pm
Adobe Illustrator

Tuesday 26th, 9:00pm
Adobe Photoshop

Wednesday 27th, 9:00pm
Adobe Flash
Adobe Dreamweaver

Thursday 28th, 9:00pm
Adobe InDesign
Font Management

A week of demonstrations by senior graphic design majors, discussing useful tutorials of Adobe programs, as well as design strategies and techniques. Everyone from beginners to experts are welcome to attend, ask questions, and/or share personal knowledge in an open forum at the end of each presentation.

Feel free to invite your friends or anyone interested!

Next Meeting

2008-02-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

The next meeting will be February 19th, Kirkhof Center, Room 072 as 9:15 PM. We will be going over ideas for the Varsity Lecture Series that we will be sponsoring. We will also be working on the Urban Forest banners (please bring in general art supplies to sketch ideas). If anyone has any show and tell, don't forget to bring them to share. Hope to see you all there.

Valentines Day Card Results

2008-02-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

Thanks to everyone that participated in the Valentines Day card sales. We made a profit of $125. Great job!

Thanks again.

Urban Forest Project

2008-02-14T14:17:00.000-08:00

The Urban Forest Project is an installation of designed banners that will be displayed on main street in Ann Arbor to raise awareness about sustainability issues in urban areas. The banners will then be taken down and converted into tote bags and sold to raise money for a local Ann Arbor environmental charity. This next meeting we will be focused on brainstorming and sketching our banner design. The 28" x 48" banners must be designed using a tree as a metaphor. So be thinking of ideas and please bring art supplies to sketch with. For more information, check out the Urban Forest Project's website.

Valentines Winners!

2008-02-06T19:42:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for participating in the AIGA Design-a-Valentine contest. Our four winners are as follows.

1st Place: Ryan Greaves

2nd Place: Jamie Dumdei

3rd Place: Terrance Weinzierl & Jessie Mayes

Thanks for playing everyone! Submissions will go towards the production of our super cool fundraiser next week. Winners, don't forget about your prizes. As a reminder to what times we are selling, our location is next to the 2020 Desk. The times are as follows:

Monday: 10am-6pm
Tuesday: 8am-10am
Wednesday: 10am-6pm
Thursday: 8am-10am

We already have some people signed up, so if you feel like volunteering to sell, and can make it to one of these times, please email aiga@student.gvsu.edu , and we will let you know when you can help out. Thanks!

Next Meeting

2008-01-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

Our next meeting will be on February 5th, Tuesday at 9pm same place. Make sure to bring your Valentines or email them to aiga@student.gvsu.edu before Tuesday! We will be hanging them up on the wall and voting for our favorites. Also, don't forget to bring anything interesting you might have, for show and tell.

Positions Available for New Officers

2008-01-23T10:32:00.004-08:00

New committees are available to get invloved in. Each committee will also have need committee head to organize meetings and report back to the officers.

Events - The events committee will have responsibility of maintaining and coordinating technical aspects of events, such as planning for times, location, costs, food and other facilitative parts of upcoming events.
Fundraising - The fundraising committee will be a think tank and on the lookout for potential ventures, and events that we can hold to raise funds.
Public Relations - The public relations committee will be responsible for handling the press, advertising and promotional material, and facilitation of these things with the university.
Newsletter/Communication - This committee will be responsible for keeping us all connected, via email and our official online newsletter, as well as maintaining the blog in the future.

If you're interested in any of these committees, or even heading one up, let us know right away so we can start set interview dates and get these groups organized.

Valentine's Cards Fundraiser - Designer Style

2008-01-23T10:32:00.003-08:00

AIGA - GVSU presents a Valntines Day Sale, of unique, one-of-a-kind valentines for your friends and lovers. Submissions are $5 ea. Winners will be selected by all members via secret ballot next meeting. The format is plugger sized sheet (4.25" x 5.5"), front and back. The deadline is the next meeting, where we will be voting on them.

Valentines Day Entry Form
Download this PDF as guidelines for your valentines day card.

Valentines Day Poster
Print this poster and promote the event to your friends. They can get new original designer cards for only $1. It may even be yours!

First Meeting

2008-01-17T17:29:00.001-08:00

Tuesday, Jan 22, 9pm
Kirkhof Center room 072

This is our first meeting of the year! Come ready to learn about our organization and bring anyone who may be interested in a career in design. We hope to see you there!

Helvetica Screening - January 15th

2008-01-06T08:50:00.000-08:00

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the aesthetic choices behind their use of type.

Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day.

Come watch it with the officers of AIGA::GVSU in the Cook DeWitt Center on Tuesday January 15th, 2008 at 7pm and again at 9pm.

Blog Launch...Blaunch

2007-12-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got this blog thing going. If you check out the links above, you'll notice we have a Google Calendar, where we can publicly add events and such, for others to see (If you are managing it, you just need to login to Google Calendar with the AIGA-GVSU blog login), but simply clicking on the link above will open a popup window for anyone to see, and you can scroll through the different months. In addition, we will have a page (post) dedicated to each semester's events, so that users can quickly see the entire list, when they are plus a short description of each one (content still being updated). If you are an author, and would like admin permissions let me know. If you have any suggestions on how to make this blog better, also let me know.

There are a few things that still need to be done, namely detailing out the Events Outline, and finishing our profile. I also want to have a page dedicated to reliable contacts of the E-board, and underneath that perhaps a list/directory of members, and their contact information if they wish to have it made public, so that we always have a resource for contacting each other. That, plus the calendar will need to be maintained whenever we add an event or a member. Other than that, new posts containing new information or news can be authored by any of you (authors).

We've also got a neat little shout box to the right if you want to spam or...shout. Oh, and if someone wants to make a Flickr account, we can keep the slideshow filled with more funny images.

Events Outline

2007-12-22T17:09:00.001-08:00

Helvetica Screening + AIGA teaser

Design a Valentine

AIGA Lecture Series

Studio Visits w/ Kendall College of Art & Design (sponsored by AIGA - Detroit)

GVSU Art Department Presents Chipp Kidd

AIGA Portfolio Review Day (sponsored by AIGA - Detroit)

re:Charge Design Conference