Top dogs Ty Rarick, Tim Fletcher, and Brian Roderman ham it up at the Saturday night festivities.

Georgia Tech hit IDSA Memphis with 63 students and a clear determination to make themselves known! At night they hit Beale Street with clearly blurred vision...
University of Houston meets Georgia Tech.

More Georgia Techies representin.

Props out to the Georgia Tech students for putting together an awesome booth this year. They included a display for prototypes, sketches, their personal designer trading cards and mini portfolios to thumb through. Dont forget the classy hardwood floor with imbedded Studio 104. Sweet.

Student designer trading cards, shown in an acrylic display case, featured a portrait on one side and designer stats on the other side. The stats side included the contents of that designer's desk(top)... or a part of their body... hmmm...

Tom Yurken, our presenter of the Multi Sensory Exhibit Design presentation is actually the CEO of th International Student Exhibit Design Scholarship Competition. OK, thats a big title, but with $4000 in scholarship monies we'll say it over and over. Limited to Juniors and Seniors. To confirm details and cash awards visit www.launchyourcareerinexhibitdesign.com

Tom Yurken: VP creative, Freeman transforming emotion into results.
Taste, touch, smell, see, hear and how to apply it to exhibit design.No longer a exhibit, more of an experience. Last several years the industry has grown and changed immensely. Large, wall sized graphics are now the norm. What’s next? Scott says wall sized video is possible, but still expensive. It's just matter of time. Be creative. Don't limit yourself to the premanufactured resources. Scott found and cut recycled wood from an old barn for use in a Polo clothing exhibit.

Reactive table (shown above) was made with a LCD tabletop, but reacted to touch by creating waves like touching the surface of a still pond.

Corin Ludwig showed some of her work from a branding and identity class. She is graduating with her Masters in Industrial Design from Auburn and looking for a job this August. You can see the rest of her fantastic work by contacting her at: 256-490-1876 or ludwicm@auburn.edu

Ali Khalifa: Creativity and Connectivity
Photos: As expected Ty Rarick, our beloved IDSA Southern Chapter Chair, delivers an awesome opening speach at the conf. Ali pictured with fellow Design Box member Becky Shankle.

If you had a design box what would it look like? DesignBox is democratic, creative outlet, and above all a collective of friends started by Ali Khalifa. (You may recognize Ali from Gamil Design.)

Ali stressed a few main points in his creative approach... The essence of understanding is to see all the connections between things. Look at how they are connected by using an experiencial approach. The most innovative work is done by networked individuals. It's really about synectics; the most creative group ideas come from outside of your profession (utilizing lateral thinking). Respect these relationships on the "fringe", as Ali put it. Its those differences between people where creativity comes from.

And finally... Cultivate your own garden. Get involved with your community. Get involved with children. They have an awesome perspective and will share their honest clarity where the "jaded" elder is sometimes amiss.

How do you become a member of Design Box? Contribute 2 hours a week and curate a gallery show. If all goes well the group will vote you... and watch the fun unfold.

Like many of our peers across the south, Ayham and I (Mardis) made quite a trek across the south to attend the IDSA conf. We left University of Houston's new ID studios on Thursday. Barelling accross Louisiana, high on energy drinks and gas station goodies, we were determined to roll into Memphis in style -jittery and windblown :) Nine and a half hours and a speeding ticket later we arrived in Memphis (86mph in a 60... who knew that wouldn't play well in LA? -duh!). 4:15am to bed and up at 8:30... ahhh, the things we do for the love of design.
Not to be disappointed, IDSA has stepped up to the bar. They have planned an action packed weekend full of design workshops and events (parties) from dawn to dusk. Seriously folks, its gonna be a hell of a weekend. "Wish ya'll were her... -Mardis"

Jeff Smith of Reflexdesign borrowed a couple images from one of his employees for his presentation at the Portfolio Workshop. They should not be too complex. They should offer enough to wet the taste buds critical info. Text is not mandatory though. It should be used in moderation. (sorry for that second blurry image, but it was worth seeing ;)

The portfolio workshop was awesome. Robert Fee of SCAD and Jeff Smith of Reflexdesign gave presentations on portfolio dos and don’ts. Afterwards the a panel consisting of (back row LtoR) Jeff Smith of Reflexdesign, Robert Fee of SCAD, Tim Fletcher, (IDSA's very own National Chapter Vice-Prez) of Elumens, Brian Roderman of PDS Development, (front row) Lauren Brenneman of id-one, and Carie Davis of Coca-Cola fielded questions from the student audience.


Robert Fee- "Don't show washing machines to a washing machine design studio." They probably know more than you about w/m. If you design shoes, but want to get into washing machines then consider banging out some quick concept related design. A little ideation is better that nothing.


Jeff Smith - "Always show lots of sketches." If you came into his office without a sketchbook "YOU WOULD NOT GET HIRED!" Wow what a statement. Without it, it doesn’t show the intimacy of your designs and communications. We are designers. This is how we communicate. Sketches are critical.


Digital or tactile???
PDF, CD, web site or printed portfolio -why not all. Let the potential employer choose what they want to see. Be sure to keep file sizes small. Make sure the PDF can be printed well.


Don't go in blind. Send plenty of info to employer. Hopefully they should be at least familiar with one of your images when you follow up phone call or visit studio. Also, another comment to consider... don't illegally use a industry logo to make your design look real world. The company you are interviewing with will kill you.