Top 5 Things I’ve Learned about Being a Designer from Kids
Posted by: Alissa Ampezzan
As most of you know (I think), I spent the last three months working from our partner office in Wiesbaden, Germany, soaking up their atmosphere and traveling as much as possible. But maybe you didn’t know that during that time, I also spent some time in the USA. Well, technically. I was volunteering with the USO at the Army base in Wiesbaden, which is like being on a little American island in the midst of a German city. I ran a weekly arts and crafts group for soldiers’ kids and it was a blast. A huge challenge, but really rewarding.
I don’t have a lot of small children in my life so it was definitely a learning experience, not only in how to handle 15 energy-filled kids, but also I got a close look at their way of making things. I reflected a lot on my own design processes and how I could benefit from a more childlike approach.
The top 5 things I learned from 6-10 year-olds about being a designer after the jump.
All Wrapped Up
Posted by: Tim Montie
This summer I was given the opportunity (and extreme challenge) to work on a graphic design project that would need to translate and scale into a full-size graphic vehicle wrap.
The Most Beautiful Character
Posted by: Alissa Ampezzan
Having been at Q over 2 years now, I’ve often found myself exclaiming such oddities as “Check out THAT Q! The tail is detached!” My friends and family ignore my nerdy typographical rants and have even started pointing out interesting Q’s for me to document. They’ve caught the Q bug. A few weeks ago, I left Germany for a 10-day vacation in Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, and Paris. And, I made it my side-mission (my main mission being spend as much money as possible) to document international Q’s.
Want to go on a typo/geo-graphical adventure?
Voices That Matter
Posted by: Jocelyn Edin
Last Monday and Tuesday, Todd, Rie, and I attended Voices That Matter, a web design conference at the Mission Bay Center in San Francisco.
User Experience People
Posted by: Jeff Callender
One of the goals Peter Morville and I had with our book, Search Patterns, was to have our ideas and concepts live beyond the pages, allowing readers not only to be inspired by the content, but to utilize it in developing and explaining there own ideas and concepts.
Fritz Kahn: Man Machine
Posted by: Alissa Ampezzan
Monday a slightly belated birthday gift arrived on my desk at Q. Thilo at Q old world sent me a copy of his book Fritz Kahn: Man Machine, which he co-wrote with his sister Uta.
Storymakers Dinner for 826 Michigan
Posted by: Jocelyn Edin
Last Thursday night, I was fortunate enough to tag along to the Storymakers Dinner, a fundraising event for 826 Michigan, held at Zingerman’s Roadhouse here in Ann Arbor. Q has graciously donated design services to 826 for a few years now, and after hearing first-hand what an effect they have on so many lives, I am so thankful Q is a part of it! Kudos go to Rob Jurewicz, our freelance creative, who designed this year’s identity and print materials, above.
The Top 1Q Things I’ve Learned as a Designer
Posted by: Jocelyn Edin
A list of the top 10 lessons I’ve learned as a designer, during the 10 years I’ve been with Q.
10. Do not underestimate your connections.
When I graduated from college, “social networking” was a term used only to refer to the physical world. Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook did not exist, but the concept was just as important then as it is today. During college, I was an intern at the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Soon after graduation, I ran into my professor and advisor for that position at the post office. She mentioned that Q, a local design studio, was looking for a junior designer. Should she give them my name? Of course! This small bit of networking affected my whole career, and through the years I’ve learned that every interaction and connection can be meaningful. Have a business card and a smile on hand at all times.
Topography as Typography
Posted by: Jocelyn Edin
A Google Earth alphabet created from locations in the Netherlands. Lovely and amazing, and almost hard to believe! Be sure to follow the link to see the full alphabet, including numbers and extra characters.
Spring Break in Italy
Posted by: Christine Golus
Just returned from a spring break trip to Italy with my daughter. Rome, Florence, Tuscany all in one wonderful whirlwind week. Way too much to document in this blog, but here are a few highlights.
Terumo Conduit Quality Campaign
Posted by: Jocelyn Edin
Earlier this year, Q collaborated with longtime client Terumo Cardiovascular Systems to create a new marketing campaign for an existing product line of vein harvesters. The product, the VirtuoSaph<sup>TM</sup> Endoscopic Vein Harvesting System, has been in the market for over 4 years now. And though the product has seen great successes during that time period, the annual tradeshows earlier this year were an excellent opportunity for Terumo to give the line a fresh and impactful message. Q was the perfect partner to make this happen.
Recognized Locally
Posted by: Jocelyn Edin
Each winter Q participates in the local Ann Arbor Addy awards competition. This year we took home two Addy’s; a gold for the 2010 Ann Arbor Folk Festival poster (mentioned in a post below) and a silver for the 2010 SIGGRAPH Asia Conference poster. What’s notable about this recognition is that both projects are for long-standing Q clients; The Ark and ACM SIGGRAPH. Year after year, Q is able to deliver fresh, innovative, award-winning design for our clients. Go Q!
Singapore Design Society
Posted by: Tom Rieke
The new Singapore Design Society hosted its first design conference on Saturday, 23 January, in the Drama Theatre at the National Library.
Presentation is Everything
Posted by: Jocelyn Edin
This project has gotten a lot of publicity and for good reason. It completely stops you in your tracks. Would you buy the yarn? I’m not sure, but it definitely would out-compete on the shelves, and this time of year that makes a huge difference.
Q, Album Art and Stereophile Magazine
Posted by: Paul Koch
While recently flipping through the October issue of Stereophile magazine, I came across a familiar looking CD cover accompanying an article. Oh that’s right, I’ve seen that around the Q office – the new David Grier CD designed by our own Jeff Callender.
Page 3 of 5 pages < 1 2 3 4 5 >
