Beefcake

Next on deck: Beefcake, Muscle Building Meals; "Eat big or go home"

 

CS Infinity (Booklet)

I wrote CS Infinity as a "parody of a tragedy." The basic premise is that three design students are working late at the Warehouse the night before finals. Throughout the course of the night, they're visited by the spirits of Irony (who causes the power to shut off in the Warehouse), Time (who offers the students the chance to go back to the beginning of sophomore year and start over), and Fate (who reviews the students past experiences with them).

 

 

 

 

 

 

CS Infinity (Musical Set)

Next up: Credits 2 & 3, My design musical :-)

The Set:

 Graphic Design &  Illustration Studios:

Industrial Design Studio:

 

Momosa Print Ads

Too Much is Not Enough

Get ready for an influx of work this week. I've made it my mission to share my projects as they are completed to give you some idea of what CommDesign finals entail. A debriefing of the week will come when I am again coherent and rested.


First up: Momosa- Vitamin Mocktails for the Mom-to-be :-)

Packaging:

 

 

In-Store Display:

Love

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

AIGA TSHIRT COMPETITION

AIGA was able to stay active over the Thanksgiving break by hosting a T-shirt design competition over Thanksgiving break. The majority vote when to this typographic entry, which we will be ordering this week (hopefully) and selling to raise money for the club :-)

I'm thinking navy colored shirts with electric green typography would look super sweet...

In other news, Sam and I will be retiring as Co-presidents after this semester and handing over the reigns to a newly elected president and executive board. It's been a pleasure and a trial trying to rebuild the club and strengthen membership, but hopefully now our successors will really be able to have the support to do something great!

Let the voting commence!

VPA is what I do

These are the finished bottles for my project Momosa: Vitamin Mocktails for the Mom-to-be. Hopefully more work will be coming soon... :-[]

*Note the cheesy drop-water reflection a la Apple.

Cool Video

"Handcrafted with love by BYU design students and faculty, for the 5th Typophile Film Festival. A visual typographic feast about the five senses, and how they contribute to and enhance our creativity. Everything in the film is real—no CG effects!

Shot with a RED One, a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, a Canon EOS 40D, and a Nikon D80.
Stop motion created with Dragon Stop Motion."


Sam showed this video as inspiration during our AIGA meeting :-)

Ducks in a Row

I am definitely ready for Thanksgiving Break, but in order to enjoy it, I really need to make sure several of my projects are finalized.

CS Infinity (a.k.a. CommDesign the Musical)

• Finish Warehouse Set by Saturday (Lasercut clock, stairs, and arch & assemble, also print or spraypaint base)
• Take pictures of students in studio
• Create CD and booklet

Beefcake

• Vacform Trays
• Create web presence?
• Build POP

Momosa

• Print Labels
• Print 4 packs & assemble
• Create Ads
• Photoshop InStore Display

SPAM

• Press Kit
• Booklet?
• Spam Mobile
• Jingle & Ads

GNN

• Logo
• Flash Intros
  

Spring Registration

I just registered for my last semester of courses at SU! Next semester I will be taking CMD 452: Portfolio and Practice, CMD 450: Design Problems, MFT 400: Love, Lust, and Relationships, Box Aerobics, Beginning Tennis, Yoga, Piano for Non-Majors (maybe) and (hopefully) a writing class that is TBD.

So Excited! I always take an overload of courses the first week so I can decide which ones I really like, but they all sound like so much fun!

Halloweekend!

Halloween was on a Saturday this year, so the college festivities were many and varied this weekend!

On Friday, AIGA and IDSA hosted the MONSTER MASH on the fourth floor of the Warehouse (CoLab). At first, I was a bit nervous about the number of people who were going to turn out because we didn't sell many tickets beforehand, but we ended up making over $100 in ticket sales at the door! A group of our professors came as well and were special guest judges for the costume contest :-) My friend Casey's giant squid costume won in the "most unique" category. We also had a mummy wrapping contest and a powdered donut eating contest; it was a nice throwback to old school Halloween games.

On Saturday, I went with a bunch of Illustration kids to Casey's house in Marcellus (about 15 minutes away). Her neighborhood is REALLY into Halloween, and her mom had decorated the entire outside of their house in spiders and cobwebs. We also carved pumpkins and drank hot apple cider (so good!). Kids started trick-or-treating around 4:00pm, and by the time we left at 8:30pm over 1000 kids had passed through the neighborhood! We also watched Hocus Pocus to round out the night, and then it was back to campus for the rest of the night!

Ground Control to Major Tom...

Hopefully my journey to the Twilight Zone is over. I've had just such an "off" week, and I'm more than ready to get back to some normalcy.

Tonight is reserved for damage control:
1. Clean my living room (and my bedroom...and the rest of the house)- I prefer to do all of my CommDesign work at home instead of the Warehouse, but it looks like Hurricane Jess blew through the place this week
2. Go Grocery Shopping- I literally have NO food and have been making due with take-out & leftovers all week
3. Re-write my WTBI paper on the RIGHT book!
4. Get the door to my car fixed
5. Return unused supplies to Michael's

I think the oddness of this week came from the fact that it was Midterms. For me, it was mostly the same as any other week, so I actually think that the LACK of Midterms is what threw me off. It was especially noticeable in Comm Design this week, as most of the students in 450 were scrambling to get their projects done. My professor, Ken Hine (the mastermind behind the Comm Design program at Syracuse) runs his class a bit differently though, and we did not have a midterm. Evaluating my own work for this week, I know it definitely was not up to par (a problem I intend to fix in my next presentation).

On the bright side, I have identified the problems I had this week (second guessing myself, redoing things before the original designs were complete, etc.) and I now have two weeks to correct my approach!

Onwards and Upwards!

Mashing & Monsters

Who: The Warehouse Crew
Where: 4th floor, CoLab
When: Friday the 30th, 6-9pm
Why: Because all the cool kids will be there

Hosted by AIGA and IDSA

I was working in the warehouse late one night
when my eyes beheld an eerie sight
For my project from it's place did rise
and suddenly to my surprise

From my table in the warehouse east
to the colab floor where the cool kids feast
the students all came from their studio abodes
to have some fun at the festivities below

They did the mash
They did the monster mash
The monster mash
It was a Warehouse Smash!
They did the mash
It caught on in a flash
They did the mash
They did the monster mash!
--------------------------------------------------

TICKETS: $3 pre-sold in the warehouse lobby, bug Sam, Jess, or Liz
COSTUMES = A MUST!
Be prepared for a night of old school games, prizes, candy, food, mashing, and of course monsters!Sponsored by AIGA and IDSAGet Halloween off to an EPIC start!

There is a fifth dimension,

beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call...


So, I've been living in the Twilight Zone for the past week. First, someone broke into my car and stole my GPS and phone charger. (Granted, stuff like this doesn't usually happen in Syracuse, but when it does, it always seems to happen to me!) Anyway,I had my window fixed, but now the passenger side door will not open from the inside. Then, in driving to the apple orchard this weekend, our directions were wrong (oh, the irony), so we just ended up just driving in a big circle. Now yesterday, I spent the morning writing a "book report" on a 300 page book, only to get to class and realize that I had been reading the WRONG book. GAH! I felt like such an idiot! I've never done something that stupid; it makes me crazy!

On the plus side, work on my CommDesign projects is going quite well *knock-on-wood.* My roommate Marco helped me cut the masonite pieces for my musical's set design, then I spray painted all of the pieces, and now I'm just waiting for the glue to dry. Casey is also doing some illustrations for me for the book, so hopefully I can get a few of those from her today to start scanning and organizing :-)

I also created a mold for my packaging project and learned how to vac-form objects! Hopefully today marks the end of my stay in the Twilight Zone...


Work to Do:

1. CS Part I
- Finalize Playbill
- Create tickets
- Create poster
- Get illustrations from Casey
- Scan illustrations
- Take pictures of built set

2. CS Part II
- Finish building
- Take pictures of set
- Take pictures of "actors"
- Photoshop set into setting

3. ModBod (LB Plus)
- Cut Vac-formed packages
- Determine Logo
- Create Meal Guide

4. Fujin
- Logo studies
- Capabilities brochure
- Nested brochure

Weekend Weather Report

You know you're in Syracuse when it's expected to snow mid-October. Saturday has a 30% chance of snow, but that is not going to stop me from going apple/pumpkin picking! I'm also going to Casey's choir concert in the afternoon and then hopefully making some apple cider/pie later that night!

Work you ask? What work?

Warehouse Monster Mash

Exciting news on the AIGA front! AIGA, along with IDSA (the Industrial Designers Society of America) is throwing a Halloween party at the Warehouse! Sam and I are still in the planning process, but Chris McCray is allowing us to use the CoLab for our space, and we're expecting a good turnout for the actual event.

Spread the word :-)

What: Monster Mash
Where: Warehouse, 4th floor
When: Friday, October 30th, 6-9pm

Stephan Sagmeister @ RIT

On Monday, a few members of AIGA made the trek over to the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) to see Stephan Sagmeister's lecture.

(below: RIT student work for Sagmeister's design
challenge, "touch someone’s heart with design.")

The place was packed, so we got to sit in the aisles, but the good news was that we were super close to the stage :-D

Catch up

I went home to PA last weekend, and it was awesome! It was so relaxing and fun to just hang out and not have anything to do. It also means that a lot of work has to be completed this weekend.

On My List for this Weekend:

1. CommDesign Projects: Need to finish designing the theatrical synopsis book for my musical, create a CD booklet, and build sets. Also need to design logos and packaging ideas for "Beefcake," come up with 3 more "big ideas" + research, and start a 450 blog for the class

2. Soccer: Home game this weekend vs. ESF

3. AIGA: Meeting Sunday at 3pm to discuss membership and Stefan Sagmeister trip.

Tonight I'm taking people grocery shopping and then having a small feast with Simi (whose making potato pancakes) and Sam (who will be bringing fresh applesauce). I'm supplying the chili :-)

Stefan Sagmeister and Massimo Vignelli

What an exciting year to be in Syracuse for design! Last week, Michael Bierut was here visiting campus, and now Massimo Vignelli is scheduled to speak at SU in late-October! Also, RIT is having Stefan Sagmeister visit their school in three weeks and has invited our AIGA members to RIT for the event!


One of the things I'm most excited about is connecting with other AIGA groups. Albany's AIGA chapter will also be at RIT for the Sagmeister event, and I've extended invitations for RIT and Albany to join us at SU for Massimo Vignelli's lecture. Hopefully this is the start of greater communication and exchange between the chapters; I would love to have a giant portfolio show from the different schools at the end of the year!

Michael Bierut

Last Tuesday, SU's School of Architecture hosted a guest lecture by Michael Bierut, called "My Life as a Font." Unfortunately I was unable to attend, BUT because of my position as Co-President of AIGA, I had the privilege of attending in a special Warehouse luncheon instead! Hopefully, we represented AIGA (and CommDesign) well and didn't embarrass ourselves too much, because for those unfamiliar, Michael Bierut is something of a celebrity/hero to design students.


Blurb from the SU events site:
Michael Bierut, partner at full-spectrum graphic design firm Pentagram in NYC, will lecture. In 2006 Bierut received the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) medal, the profession's highest honor. His work is represented in several permanent collections including MoMA and the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in NYC. He currently serves as a director of the Architectural League of NY and of New Yorkers for Parks, and is a senior critic in graphic design at the Yale School of Art.

I think it's safe to say that I wasn't the only student in complete awe, but what really impressed me was how gracious and candid he was with his time and in speaking with us about design. We gave him a small tour of our third floor, and he even signed a poster for us!

I'm still giddy thinking about it.

Later that afternoon, the Warehouse showed "Helvetica," an independent documentary film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Michael was again a special guest speaker and participated in a Q&A after the movie.

I can't think of a better way to christen the renovated Warehouse!

Soccer Start Up

We just had our first soccer tournament of the season today. It was held at Cortland, which is about 40 minutes from Syracuse, but we had to leave at 6:30am in order to be there in time for our first game. We did pretty well considering we've only practiced twice, but I have a feeling a lot of people are going to be feeling it tomorrow. (I know I will.)

We played three games against Cornell (0-3), Cortland (1-0), and Ithaca (0-3), so we lost two and won one. We definitely could have taken Cornell if we had warmed up better, but it took the whole first half for our team to start operating at full speed, and they had already scored 3 goals by that point.

Next time...

Let's get it started...

Earlier, I had mentioned how great it was to have an easy schedule this semester, but I'm starting to regret those words a bit. On the one hand, it's great. I' m relatively unstressed, and I have a ton of free time. On the other hand, having a large amount of free time and a minimal workload for most of my classes is setting me a bit on edge.

On the plus side, soccer season is starting up again, and we have a full schedule this semester! Try-outs for the Women's club team were this past weekend, and we had a GREAT turnout. I think there were over 70 girls who signed up at the club involvement fair. I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to play all that much at try-outs, but as a senior, I was asked to observe and keep track of potential new players. At least it got me up and out of the house early. :-)

I'm also considering joining the Swing Club. The first meeting is tonight, and it's something I've wanted to do since Freshman year but was never able to because it didn't fit into my schedule. I sometimes seem to have a problem with taking on too many extracurriculars, but I'm somewhat bored with my lack of activity this semester. Maybe I should volunteer to work in the woodshop as well....

Practice safe design: Use a concept.

One of the great things about being in the CommDesign program at Syracuse is that we get to pick our own projects. From start to finish, our projects are something that we've created ourselves--from the initial idea to the eventual physical form it takes. When I graduate, I know that I'm going to be coming out with a portfolio full of projects that I love and that are unique from any other graduating senior. Yet while this method is a fantastic exercise in thinking, it can be quite frustrating in actual practice.

We're already two weeks in and I'm struggling a bit with my first project in CommDesign. I think I'd be more worried if I wasn't unsure because then the challenge would be gone (and the fun with it), but at the moment it is proving somewhat troublesome.

My idea originally came from an article I recently ran across with the headline"Male birth control pills soon a reality." Awesome! Now, what to do with it? Realistically thinking, it would be a pharmaceutical; therefore, I wouldn't really be able to brand the name (A friend of mine worked at Pfizer and said they name prescription drugs by throwing a bunch of letters together and checking with legal to make sure the name's not already taken), and the packaging wouldn't be that important since it's not over-the-counter.

After going in circles a bit this week, I think I've decided on 1 of 2 ideas:
1) A program that has teens who have had experience with teen pregnancy coming to schools and talking to other teens about the consequences of unsafe sex. (meh? or yeh?)

2) A cross-media campaign specifically directed at males, promoting responsibility and the use of contraception.

Thoughts are welcome. I need to hash this out before Monday so I can get cracking on the design.

Design for the Open Mind

While doing some research for my second credit project in Comm, I came across some fun quotes about design. For your reading pleasure...

It’s art if can’t be explained.
It’s fashion if no one asks for an explanation.
It’s design if it doesn't need explanation.
— Wouter Stokkel

A camel is a horse designed by a committee.

Art is like masturbation. It is selfish and introverted and done for you and you alone. Design is like sex. There is someone else involved, their needs are just as important as your own, and if everything goes right, both parties are happy in the end.
— Colin Wright

The difference between a Designer and Developer, when it comes to design skills, is the difference between shooting a bullet and throwing it.
— Scott Hanselman

Designing a product is designing a relationship.
— Steve Rogers

Being a designer is like being a porn star. You're hot and popular for a year or two, then everyone goes off and finds something new to screw around to.
- Jason Demetillo

Broken gets fixed, shoddy lasts forever.

Weekend Review

Friday I... worked in the morning, went to my kickboxing class in the afternoon, and then checked out my friend Travis' "rave" later that night. (Truth be told, it wasn't that great)

Saturday I... took the roomies grocery shopping at Sam's Club and Price Chopper. We later ate delicious grilled cheese sandwiches (our friend Sam makes them with bacon, apple slices, and Gruyère cheese, YUM!) at Carl's house, and rounded out the night be stopping by Tracy's birthday party for a bit.

Sunday I... grabbed some coffee at Recess in the late afternoon and then helped (and by helped, I really mean watched) Margaret make vegetarian chili for Derek's Chili Cook-Off. Margaret ended up winning second place at the Cook-off, and I bonded with some people by killing them in Mortal Combat on the PS3 :-D. Casey and I later met up with Travis & co. for game night at his girlfriend's house.

Monday I... did a lot of nothing. I relaxed on the Quad for a bit and tried out my new bubble recipe. I can happily report that I now know how to make 15-foot bubbles :-) I also stretched my legs a bit and played catch with Margaret & Casey. We later watched the Harry Potter Musical online and Empire of the Sun (Christian Bale's first movie).

All in all, my weekend mission of relaxing and having fun was a success.
Let the new year of CommDesign commence!

Our Warehouse...

(all images taken in the lobby )

...Is a very very very fine house.

Over the summer, Syracuse University's downtown location, the Warehouse (or Warehaus...brownie points if you get the reference ;-D ) went through some serious renovations. I think the Warehouse can now definitely stand my its unofficial motto...

"It's not a house, it's a home."


The new "Warehome" now houses the five VPA design majors: Communications Design, Ad Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Fashion Design. Each major has moved onto its respective floor, and although it's been strange adapting to the influx of students, it's also super exciting to be a part of this highly collaborative community.

If you do get the chance to check out the Warehouse, I would definitely suggest paying a visit to the 4th floor, which is the location of CoLab. CoLab is an area completely dedicated to collaboration, both between design students and nondesign students. It also looks like a funhouse.

In CommDesign, we like to play the XBox 360 on a projector...

don't tell anyone ;-)

S.U.Musical: Senior Year!

Being a senior rocks.

My first week back in classes has been amazing. Thankfully, because I have completed almost all of my required credits, I am able to have a wonderfully easy schedule this semester. For classes, I'm taking one CommDesign class (but for six credits, so the workload is comparable to taking two classes), Self Defense for Women, Cardio Kickboxing, Wine and Beer Appreciation (you must be 21 to participate, but I would highly recommend it), Ballroom Dancing, and a class titled "What's the Big Idea?"

What's the Bid Idea is, in my opinion, the most relevant and exciting class (aside from my major) I have taken at SU. It's a multi-disciplinary course, so students from VPA as well as the IT, Management, and Engineering schools are all in class together, and, since the course is designed for teaching and exploring different strategies for thinking and brainstorming, it's really great to have a lecture room full of students from different backgrounds.

Get pumped!

So long farewell goodbye

This Wednesday, I celebrated my last week in the city with my fellow commies (Kate & Brianna) and Sarah. We ended up going bowling at Bowlmor Lanes, enjoying some mixed drinks, and finishing the night off with the most AMAZING cupcakes from Crumbs. Not a bad way to say goodbye to the city :-)

I feel like a broken record, but this summer has gone by sooooo fast! Today is my last day of work, and tomorrow I'll be leaving NYC for good ol' Pennsylvania. It's a weird transitional time for me. On the one hand, I don't want to leave the city (or even JPMC) because I feel very independent here (I'm in the "real world"). Plus, there's always something exciting to do! For instance, I saw Jason Mraz perform live this morning (I pass where the Today Show is filmed on my way to work), and I can't think of a better way to start the day :-)

On the other hand, I'm anxious to move on to the next thing. I really want to get home, see my family, relax with my friends, move into my new apartment up in Syracuse, and start classes. I'll also have some more time to work on other creative projects! The first order of business when I get home is going through my room and getting rid of all the random crap I've accumulated. It's an ongoing battle with myself to not collect and save things that I don't need. I'm not always successful, which is why a purge is necessary. I love organizing anyway so it should be fun :-)

My parents are coming tomorrow to pick me up and then we're going to the MoMA and this really great rice pudding place called "Rice to Riches" Yum.

The First of The Last

Today marks the first day of the last week at my internship with JPMC. Part of me is so excited to be finished and heading back to SU, but part of me really just doesn’t want to leave New York City. It’s been very empowering to live here on my own, and I know now that I can make it anywhere! I wouldn’t have traded this internship for the world.

That being said, I am still slightly anxious/agitated about going back. I think what worries me most is the thought that I haven’t changed as much this summer as I initially perceived. I imagine that if I was to go back and examine the “Pre-summer Me” and the little moments that lead up to this “Present Me,” I would find a great difference, but as it is, I’m just illogically worrying about something I have no concrete way of gauging for myself.

I guess I’ll just hope that these changes are for the best!

Great Things Awaiting Yonder:

1. Moving into our new apartment with Allie, Margaret, and Marco!
2. Seeing everyone again at Syracuse before classes start
3. Senior Year
4. Playing soccer / being active again (been a bit lazy about the exercising thing, and it’s made me somewhat antsy this summer :-P )
5. Having time for creative endeavors (AORQuidditch…wouldn’t you like to know J )

Our topic for today (PGD)

A fellow CommDesigner Brianna and I were discussing the pros and cons of working in a corporate environment, which inevitably led to the creation of a list of what we'd (hopefully) like to have, in our future jobs. Here is her top ten list for our Future Fictitious Company (verbatim) with added commentary provided by me:

1) Come to work comfortable.
Why does the corporate world assume that people work better in high heels and constricting dress pants? In college, we do some of our best work while wearing sweatpants. Why? Because we're not confined and we’re focusing on our work instead of our wardrobe.
Me: Worrying about the creases in your pants is not conducive to creativity.

2) You don't have to be there at nine a.m.
Hours need to be flexible at jobs, especially if you have a family. Nine to five every day is exhausting, especially if you're up all night with little kids. Flexible hours mean better-rested employees, which means happier and more productive employees.
Me: Agreed. In the design world, work schedules are hopefully a bit more flexible? However, there are some days (around deadlines obviously) where it might be necessary to work overtime.

3) Don't have a killer commute.
This kind of goes along with flexible hours in that commutes often are stressful and add an extra hour to two hours onto someone's day that is rather unnecessarily frustrating. Work somewhere you can get to rather easily, whether that's a short amount of time or not too many changes of transportation.
Me: Door to door time should be less than an hour.

4) Breakfast food and snack food are always appreciated.
They really are.

5) Job titles should be concise and make sense.
We have a test in CMD called the Ken Hine test: if you can explain your idea in three words, it's a good one. The same, I believe, is true for job titles. Too specific a title and I think your purpose is a bit murky. You should be able to say what you do without having to explain in detail what you do.
Me: I would also prefer a more creative job title…Imagineer perhaps?

6) Everyone is important and everyone contributes.
That's not to say that leaders or managers are obsolete, but that a good idea can come from anywhere.
Me: And it shouldn’t have to be passed up a huge chain of command. A company should not be so big that the person with the idea cannot contact someone with the authority to make it happen.

7) No PowerPoint.
For the love of all things good and holy in this world, can we please come up with a more creative solution to how we present material? It's just depressing, people.
Me: What’s even more depressing is PitchPro, which takes away the slight amount of creativity involved in picking backgrounds and colors for PowerPoint.

8) Work in a fun, active, comfortable environment.
This one sort of goes along with the clothing thing, in that you should be comfortable. But not only in your clothes-- in your environment, as well. Sitting behind a desk all day can be mind-numbing. Instead, have a ping pong table to play on or an open space to just get up and move around in. It's a nice, refreshing break from staring at a screen or a paper all day.
Me: Eliminate cubicles. For some jobs I suppose they’re necessary, but for a design job, you need to be able to collaborate with those working around you. Also, people are always telling you to “think outside the box.” I imagine this ability is in direct proportion to the shape of your workspace.

9) Enjoy your coworkers.
Part of having a fun work environment is not just the physical space, but the people in it. Make friends. They'll help you keep your sanity when a project goes awry.
Me: Company’s should provide activities to make bonding with coworkers easier. Dodgeball league anyone?

10) Work on projects that interest you.
If you care about what you are doing, your work comes out better. 'Nuff said.
Me: Do what you love, love what you do :-)

Mid-Performance Review

It’s hard to believe I’m already half-way through my internship here at JPMC. I officially hit the 5 week mark before the 4th of July holiday, but it still feels like I just started. The summer is really flying by!

My Mid-Performance Review went very well, and while I don’t particularly see myself working here after graduation, it’s nice to know that I am in the upper range of interns being considered for employment.

So far working for JPMC has been a sort of crash course…
Welcome to the Real World 101, with topics including:

How Not to Starve or Overspend
Navigating the Underground
Living Without Mid-day Naps
Cost of Living in NYC & Taxes (a.k.a. How not to cry when you receive your first paycheck)
Personal Growth and Development

Highlights from this Weekend Include...

Meeting up with Kate (a fellow CommDesigner) in the city and having dinner at The Heartland Brewery. Kate lives in Long Island and commutes into the city twice a week for her internship, so it was exceedingly nice to see her and catch up.

Helping my cousin Cathy move from her apartment in Hoboken into her new place in NYC. Her family came into the city as well, so I was able to spend some time with my Aunt Silvia, Uncle Ray, and other cousin Chris.

Going to Panchito’s for Margaritas (apparently they are “1 of the 6 Best Places in NYC for Margaritas!”) with some new friends.

Getting in for free to the MoMA. I just discovered that because I work for JPMC, I can get free tickets to most of the major museums (except the Whitney for some reason) in the city! I spent most of Sunday there with Jackie (who is a museum studies major!) and her friend Sadie before going to the Central Park Zoo.

Doing laundry Sunday night and watching the new NBC show ‘Merlin.’ Not terribly exciting, I know, but increasingly important! Plus, sometimes it’s nice to have mundane activities to focus on and unwind from an exciting weekend!

Plans for this week include: TRANSFORMERS on Wednesday after work with Brianna and Kate, lunch with Jackie on Friday, and dinner with Simi. I love NYC!

Practical Things Learned in NYC So Far...

1. Always wear comfortable shoes. One of the best things about being in NYC is walking around and seeing the various stores and restaurants. If you’re traveling a few blocks, however, taking the subway will be much quicker.

2. Have your Metrocard at the ready. The method that’s worked best for me so far is to put the cards I use most frequently (NYU Housing Card, Metrocard, JPMC ID) in a separate, slim wallet that I can keep in the front (zippered) pocket of my bag.

3. The 30-day unlimited Metropass will save you a ton of $ and you won’t have to worry about refilling it.

4. No matter where you go (movies, festival, out to eat), you will have to wait in line, so leave early! (This one is something of a no-brainer, but it caught me off-guard when I went to the movies.)

5. New York City is made up of 5 boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx, and Staten Island). Most people, when they visit, go to Manhattan, which is home to the theatre district, Central Park, Times Square, Ground Zero, etc.

6. The subway system is color-coded and each color represent a different line. The lines run along a certain avenue, so for example, the numbers 1, 2, and 3 are red and they are the 7th Avenue line; the A, C and E lines are blue and they run along 8th Avenue (this is what I take to get to work).

That's all I've got so far, but I'm sure there will be more to come!

New York, New York! (sing it!)

Status Update: I got the JPMC Internship!

My first day on the job was June 1st, and the internship runs until August 7th. I am working with the Corporate Branding and Strategic Marketing team at JPMC with the official title of "Corporate Branding and Strategic Marketing Analyst." IT IS A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

Luckily, I was able to find housing with NYU, and I am living in a dorm-style room, downtown, in a beautiful part of the city (right across from Washington Square Park). I have one roommate, Sarah, who is a soon-to-be senior at Vassar. She's from Pennsylvania, we get along very well, and she is studying English and Literature and working for a non-profit Law organization that deals with Human Rights cases (very cool).

Since I've only been to the city a few times on day-trips with the fam and school field trips, I've never really thought about what it would be like to live in the city. In all honesty, I really thought that I would hate it, but each day I'm discovering something else that I love about it.

I can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring!

Irony and Orientation

Status Update: I got the JPMC internship!

My first day of work consisted of an entire day devoted to Orientation for all of the JPMC interns. Now, there are approximately 200 JPMC interns in New York City alone, and 50 of us are from Syracuse University. Of those 50, 48 of the SU interns are from either our Whitman School of Management, the iSchool (Information Studies), or the College of Engineering and Computer Science.

Now, I’ll have to do the math later, but what are the odds that the first person I meet, in the room of 200 interns from all different schools, would be a Syracuse University student from the College of Visual and Performing Arts!?

The Start of Something New

I'm nearing the end of the homestretch this week, and some big changes are happening! A lot of my summer plans are still contingent on whether or not I have an internship this summer, but JPMC is still looking promising!

To recap:

The last class of 2D went well. The students all seem ready to move on and start classes in their respective majors, so it was really exciting to see the transformation in their work throughout the semester :-D Best of luck to them all & hopefully I'll see a bunch of them down at the Warehouse next semester!

The Final Critique of Fiber Arts also went very well. I ended up making a wearable costume that was the companion piece to a sculptural hat I had made towards the beginning of the semester. The class was a definite change of pace from my CommDesign classes, but it was a nice break.

I still have to finish the paper for writing and turn it in, but my plans are to write it today and get it done! It's the last assignment I have to turn in, and then I'm home free! I think I've been procrastinating on it though because I'm not ready for the year to be over :(

CMD 352 (Project Management with JPMC) went really well for me. I think it's the one class where I learned the most about myself, and I really grew into the role of a design project manager. Plus, my professors recommended me (and two of my classmates) for the internship in NYC this summer! I already had one in-person interview, and I have a phone interview later today before they make their decision (I want it sooooo badly! wish me luck!)

CMD 450 is also finished. I had my final review on Saturday. It turned out about how I expected. Looking back on my projects I can see a lot of things that could be improved upon, and I'm excited to maybe take another crack at them over the summer so I'm in a good place for putting together my portfolio next year...
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My friends are also back from Italy! One of my friends, Travis, is living in our house over the summer and taking classes at SU, and another , Casey, already lives in Syracuse, so if I end up staying here for the summer, I'll get to see them all the time :-D

I'm hoping to keep updating my blog over the summer, so keep a look-out for exciting things to come!

Ciao Bella!

End of the Year Wrap Up

3 Classes down, 3 to go.

This week we had our final CMD classes for the year! Wednesday was a debriefing after our JPMC presentation, and Thursday was the last day we critiqued our work for 450. Now we have a week to redo any projects we need to before grading day next Thursday.

I still have 2D (the class I TA for on Monday) and Writing, in which I have to write a supplement paper and present my final project, and Fiber Arts, where I also need to present my final project.
It's so exciting to be almost done! I'm going to be a senior!

On another note, my friend Tracy's recital is tonight. She plays the Cello in the SU orchestra, so I'm looking forward to some great music & a fairly relaxing night before I really dig into the work I have to tackle.

Also, my friends abroad in Italy will be back April 30th, in time for graduation & X-Men!

Ciao!

JPMC Presentation

So, the final presentation for the JPMorgan Chase project was last Wednesday, and it was a HUGE success! The presentation covered all of the work our CMD class had done for the entire semester, but we showcased the information in a more imaginative/unique format: a newscast. It probably sounds a bit "out-there" but the way we scripted it made a lot of sense with what we had to show. Hopefully, I'll eventually be able to post a video of the presentation (right now, everything is very confidential), but until then, you'll just have to take my word on how awesome everything went :-)

Also, JPMC decided that they are going to consider three students from our class for a paid internship in NYC...

...and I'm one of them! I have an interview next week with one of the representatives, so wish me luck!

Updates (Summer Style)...

....Summer Classes
As of right now I am registered for one Maymester studio: ADD 400

The course is a one week course in NYC where the group of students visits 10 different ad/design agencies and learns about the business.

Sounds exciting, yeah?

The only issue that I might have had was that we were required to find our own housing. Luckily, my cousin lives 15 minutes outside the city and takes the train in every morning! This class is definitely happening.

...Internships
Still on the hunt. For Hallmark, I ended up making it to the final round for their Creative Writing position (only 100 were chosen from over a thousand applicants!). However, I was not offered the internship. I've been applying to various places online, but I'm hoping that JPMC will fall madly in love with my directing abilities and hire me as one of the two interns from CommDesign.

...AIGA
We're going to have to have an end of the year meeting to discuss what's going to happen over the summer & beginning of next semester. We definitely want to organize a welcome to the Warehouse mixer for all the new students coming in, and hopefully take a field trip to a Print Studio. Since there's only a few weeks left in the semester it's unlikely we'll get much participation.

SO MUCH WORK!

Stand and Deliver

Tomorrow morning is our big CommDesign presentation for JPMorgan Chase! I'm super excited to show the representatives what we've been working on for the whole semester, and even the Chancellor is coming to the Warehouse for our event. Everyone has done such a great job so far; I just know the client is going to be blown away!

I was chosen to be the Director during our presentation because the format is going to be a bit...different from that of a typical presentation. There is a lot of video/image/sound/animation involved, and I've been compiling and timing out the final video to our script. Tonight is our Dress Rehearsal at the Warehouse, so hopefully everything goes smoothly *crosses fingers*. We met last night from 10pm-12am (I had to stay until 3 in the morning editing the video, but C'est la vi) to work out the major kinks and make sure everyone is on the same page. Tonight we're meeting at 8pm to do a dry run. I'm hoping we'll have everyone out by 11pm so we can all get some sleep before the big day!

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Side Note: JPMC is offering two paid internships over the summer for two Communications Design Juniors to continue the work that we did this semester. I want it sooooo badly! Wish me Luck!

Summertime, and the Livin' is...

...Easy (?)

Well, that's what I hope, but in order for that to happen, I need to plan in advance!

As of right now, I'm planning to take 2 Maymester classes at Syracuse after Spring Semester ends. I need 2 more studios to graduate, so I can either take them over the summer or as a Senior. The benefit of taking the classes over the summer is that, as a Senior, I will only have to take 12 credits, and I can focus solely on CommDesign.
So summer classes are definitely going to happen.

However, that also means that if I am going to get an internship, it needs to be in Syracuse. Luckily, JPMC is offering two paid graphic design internships to continue the work our CMD 352 class is doing for them, so if I could work for them in Syracuse, I'd be set!

If that doesn't work out, there are a few other design opportunities in Syracuse that I need to start applying to.

List Time!

Summer:
Classes (2 Studios & need to register)
Apply for Summer Financial Aid (take out additional loan)
Apply & Secure an internship in Syracuse
Possibly have workstudy job at VPA *crosses fingers*

I can make this work!

Updates...

...On the Internship front:
Students who applied for the Hallmark internship are beginning to hear back from the company. I unfortunately was not "selected to advance to the finalist round for this year's internship program" (at least for graphic design), but I also applied for the creative writing position and haven't heard back from Hallmark (I'm hoping no news is good news :)) However, my good friend & housemate Margaret actually has an interview with Hallmark this afternoon! Margaret is in Industrial Design and will hopefully *crosses fingers* be working for Hallmark in their Visual Marketing Department during the summer!

...On the Design Career Fair:
The Design Career Fair is still scheduled for April 2nd and 3rd. There will be 11 firms attending, a panel discussion during the day, and a networking mixer in the evening.

...From AIGA:
Our SU AIGA group will be having a peer workshop on cover letters, resumes, and portfolios this Saturday (March 28th) in preparation for the Design Career Fair. My CMD professor has a box of resumes from CommDesigners who have graduated, and he let me photocopy a bunch as reference material for the workshop. It was really helpful for me to see how designers organize their resumes (what's important, what's not, etc.), and I think the AIGA members will find it useful as well.

Hmmm, I think that covers all of my extracurricular bases for the week...

Second Verse, Same as the First

Still steadily applying for internships, but no word back on anything yet. I'm also gradually getting back into the swing of university life, but it's harder to concentrate on work when the weather is nice.

Last week in 450 (my CommDesign class that is a mix of junior & senior students) was research and presentation week, where everyone in the class presented their ideas for new projects. Juniors are required to do a publication for at least one of our projects, so I'm designing a magazine about hip-hop. The focus is going to be on the culture of hip-hop, but not just the commercialized veneer. It's going to celebrate DJs, MCs, style, writing, break dancing & graffiti, while delving a little bit deeper into the socio-cultural-political issues surrounding this lifestyle.

I'm so excited about the topic because the magazine is a sort of crossover between my design classes and the writing class I'm taking (Black Underground Music & Technology). My hope is that I can showcase both my writing and design in my portfolio, and this seems like the perfect way to do so! I need to flesh out the concept a bit more, but this week is "Visual Reality" week, which means I have to work on logos, covers, article layouts, and departments...whew! Better get back to work!

Back to the Grindstone

Spring break was a wonderfully relaxing week for me. I went home to PA, stuffed myself with my mom's home cooking, slept in, spent some time with my dear friend Katie, and watched SU upset UConn in 6 overtimes. My younger brother is a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh (rival basketball team, boooo), and even he was secretly rooting for Syracuse :) It was nice that we had the same break this year, so we could hang out at the house together.

I also spent some time filling out applications for internships this summer. In January, Hallmark had given a presentation at Syracuse about their company and the opportunities for students, but I didn't get around to completing my resume, cover letter, and portfolio until break. I applied for both the graphic design and the creative writing position, so keep your fingers crossed! I want to apply to as many companies/design firms as I can, so right now my goal is to complete two applications per week. I'll keep you posted on any new developments!

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program....

Back!

Midterms were intense, but I have survived! I wouldn't call it a triumph just yet, but as far as I know everything went fairly well. And even if it didn't, the benefit of being in CommDesign is that the professors don't officially grade your work until the end of the semester, so I can "Just Re-Do It" (the CommDesign way).

We're starting a new project in Fibers class where the goal is to take a cultural symbol (Statue of Liberty, Bald Eagle, Blue Jeans, etc.) and subvert or twist the image so as to communicate your own message about America. I'm going to silkscreen an image I created. It's going to involve Superman, but I'll leave the final idea as a surprise :)

The Remix project I was working on for Writing turned out really well. The assignment was to select 8-10 quotes from one of the texts we had read and remix them with sound, images, and video to convey a different idea--like writing an essay through technological means. The video is here for anyone interested.

Polaroid Project

VPA is doing this really cool Polaroid project in which students from VPA (usually the workstudy students) check out a Polaroid Camera & take snapshots of their life at SU. I have the camera this week, so I'm definitely going to take pictures of the warehouse space (it's starting to look like a creative explosion occured with everyone's projects). I've also taken pictures of our dog, my room, the house I'm living in next year, crit in CommDesign, and the Warehouse 3rd floor. I have 7 shots left, so I'm trying to conserve them so I can get pictures for a variety of activities.

The link is here for anyone who wants to check out the website. The Polaroids are nice because they're immediate & tangible, so the other thing VPA is going to do with them is make a book for visiting students and their parents to look at. Check it out if you get the chance!

Midterms (dun dun dunnnnn!)

Before I can get to enjoying myself on Spring Break, there is one obstacle that needs to be overcome...midterms. I'm lucky this year in that I don't have tests; however, I do have some pretty massive projects due by Thursday. Don't be alarmed if you don't here from me in a week. I will be living at the Warehouse constructing my massive bus exhibit. It's going to be awesome (staying positive).

So, since I'm a firm believer in making lists, below is everything I need to do this week in all of my classes.

Fibers (Tuesday):
Read Ch. 3 & id main points
Creat 6 Samples of dye techniques
Knit (2 sets, 8 rows of my own purl-knit pattern)

Writing (Tuesday):
Read Parts 4,5,6,7 (approximately 200 pages)
Create a "remix" video using a passage from one of the readings
Remix 1 page write-up

CMD 352 (Wednesday):
Questions for speaker
Go forward with designing for JPMC (can't say much more)

CMD 450 (Thursday): THE BIG ONE

SPAM-
Redesign labels
Spraypaint cans
Print & Attach labels
Design & Print SPAM Mobile
Create Newspaper Advertisement
In Store Promotion?

ECOBUS-
Better name, descriptor, & tagline
Buy TONS of Foamcore
Fix Interior Design of the bus
Print at EPC/DISC, I need to do this by Monday
There are 3 rooms, I have to build about one room a day
....There's too much to do to list it all

It'll be okay. I always get everything done. It's just a matter of how much sleep I'm going to get this week. At least I don't have a class on Friday. Spring Break will be a much needed vacation.

Internship Opportunity

One of the other events that I'm going to be helping with is VPA's Design Career Fair.

The Design careers event will be on April 2, 3 and will be held in the Rotunda of Bray Hall on the SUNY ESF campus. The College of VPA, SUNY ESF, and the School of Architecture are all going to be involved, so all areas of Design at SU will be represented!

On April 2 we plan to have:
panel discussion from 2-3:30pm (I've been asked to find a representative from AIGA to participate in a panel discussion on professional/career development in Design.)
Career Fair from 4-6pm
Networking Event from 6-7:30pm

On April 3 Employers can conduct on campus interviews for summer internships and entry level jobs in the interview rooms at the Center for Career Services at 235 Schine.

I'm really looking forward to it, and I can't wait to share this great networking & internship opportunity with the group!

Have Ball, Will Roll

We're finally getting the ball rolling for AIGA. My friend Sam and I took over the club this semester as Co-Presidents, and we've been trying to "revibe" (CommDesign joke:-)) the group and get other design disciplines from SU involved.

For those who are unfamiliar with AIGA, AIGA stands for the American Institute of Graphic Arts. It is the oldest and largest professional membership organization in design, and it is the premier place for any type of design (to discover it, discuss it, understand it, appreciate it, be inspired by it--you name it!).

Our student group aims to bridge the gap between student and professional by helping students network--both with one another, and with current professionals. To that end, we spoke with the head of the AIGA Upstate NY Chapter on Monday and were able to get some great ideas for inexpensive and fun activities. One of the things he suggested was to get in touch with the AIGA student group at Alfred and organize a portfolio night. That way, Design students would be able to share their work, get feedback from their peers, and see what programs from other colleges are producing.

Super exciting! I can't wait to start planning this (just as soon as my Midterms are over...)

Getting Back in the Swing of Things

Between my car being totaled, my house losing power, my phone breaking, and my beta fish dying, I've had a pretty eventful past two weeks. I'm now just starting to get back into a routine, which is right in time for Midterms (in 2 weeks and counting)!

On Tuesday, I played in my first soccer game of the semester. Our team is playing in a co-ed indoor league a little ways off campus. We ended up tying 4-4, but it was a good game.

In CommDesign, I'm working on a new project, which is a traveling exhibit set inside a bus. The idea is that this bus would travel around to different elementary schools and teach students about recycling. The challenge comes from designing the information in a way that is interactive, kid-friendly, and so that it fits within the dimensions of my bus. I've already determined the preliminary "look and feel" and what information is going to be included, so now I have to build a scale model...I'll let you know how that turns out.

Barbie Dream House

My friends and I have been in the process of looking for another place to live off-campus next year, and we've finally found the perfect place! On the outside, the house looks like an old sorority house; it's painted light pink and green and has some grand columns and a porch. It's about a 15-20 minute walk from campus (thank SU for the bus stop right down the street), and it's sooooo nice on the inside.

The house is split up into apartments, and we are going to have the whole first floor, which includes 4 bedrooms (everyone gets their own room!), 2 bathrooms, and a wonderful kitchen. Margaret (my current & future roomate) is already planning on having dinner parties at least once a month :)

We sign the lease on Friday, wish us luck!

Formal Recruitment (aka Rush)

This Friday kicks off formal recruitment (rush) for all of the sororities here at Syracuse. It's a pretty intense experience, but it's definitely also a lot of fun for everyone involved. There's so much positive energy and excitement; it's a refreshing break after a long week of classes.

Speaking of which, we're three weeks in, and classes are in full swing. The Writing class I mentioned in my previous post (WRT 426) is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. The topic we're analyzing is black underground music and technology, and although I have no real connection to the topic whatsoever, the teacher has so much enthusiasm that it's contagious. I honestly look forward to doing the readings and going to class each week!

In CommDesign, we're working on a project with JP Morgan Chase & Co., but I can't really say much more about it since everyone working on the project had to sign a confidentiality form. What I can say is that we're designing for a real-world situation, JPMC is covering our expenses, and you may see our design in some prominent places after the project is finished!

Keeping you posted,
Jess

Getting to know....me!

Hello, Hello

My name is Jess Gaito and I am a junior in the Communications Design program here at SU. I’m originally from Perkasie, Pennsylvania (about 45 minutes North of Philly), but when I'm at SU, I live off-campus with 5 other girls (all of us are in VPA) and my housemate’s black lab, Midnight.

This is my first year working in the VPA office, but I’ve been involved in a number of other clubs and activities on campus since my first year. I am a member of the Women’s club soccer team, a sister of the Pi Beta Phi sorority on campus, a peer advisor and tour guide for VPA students, and this year I was elected Co-President and Director of Communications for Syracuse’s AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Design) student group.

In addition to being in CommDesign, I am also (trying to be) a Writing minor. This semester I am taking WRT 426: Digital Writing, which I’m super excited about, and I am also a TA for the Foundation Course 2D.

I love talking about VPA and CommDesign in particular, so if you have any questions at all about what it’s like being a VPA student at SU, please feel free to leave a comment or send an e-mail!