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!

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!

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!

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!