Mac Training Class starting Feb. 2nd

I am teaching a Mac training lab at the Salt Lake campus starting Monday, February 2nd. It is specifically for new students just getting their computers but anyone who wants to learn more about their Mac is welcome to come. It will be held 2nd period (11:30 - 1:50) in room 217 during the day and 5th period (Tuesdays & Thursdays at 6:00 pm) for the night classes. It is a free class and will be a chance to network with graphic design students and learn how to fully utilize your macintosh computer. I will specifically be covering the System Preference panel, how to customize your computer, create file folders, burning CDs and also introducing the programs in ilife which include itunes, imovie, iphoto and garage band.
If you want to come, just show up!

Please contact me if you have any questions at Jenny.Rhodes@stevenshenager.edu

Photoshop Brushes & Job Tips

These articles are credited to one of my favorite design blogs "youthedesigner.com"



Here are 25 new splatter brushes for Photoshop to download

Here are some great tips you can do now to prepare for getting a job when you graduate - or before you graduate! Click here

itunes & Sundance

I Just got an email that itunes is offering 10 short films to download for free that are showing at the Sundance film festival. Go to the website and scroll down to the link that says 'Shorts - 10 Shorts/10 Days' and it will open up the download page in itunes.

I went to my first movie of the festival on Saturday - Wounded Knee. It was a documentary about a standoff on an Indian Reservation in the 70's. Very interesting and the director and producer where there to take questions. That is my favorite part of seeing movies at Sundance is that the filmmakers and the actors are often there and talk to the audience.

As I said in my post last week, you can try to get into any movie even if it's sold out, which every one is at this point, by waitlisting for tickets. I am going to try to get into a movie tonight that's written by one of my favorite authors - Nick Hornby. He wrote the books High Fidelity and About a Boy which were both made into movies. It is a long process of getting waitlist numbers and then waiting some more - wish me luck!

Great website

Heid Ross sent me this website and I thought it was so great I wanted to share with you. It covers everything from websites of the week to Photoshop and Flash tutorials.
Enjoy

Sundance is Coming Tomorrow!

Most of you know about the Sundance Festival from what you see on Entertainment tonight or the E Channel. Movie stars and parties happening up in Park City but a lot of locals don't know what an amazing opportunity we have in our own backyard. Tickets to movies aren't as hard to get as everyone thinks and you can wait in line for any movie offered. Tickets are $15.00 and often include a Q & A session after the movie with the director and sometimes the actors. It's kind of a process with waiting for a number, then waiting to get in - but it can be done and I've never been turned away for a movie I waitlisted for. Here are details on how to do it

Theater locations aren't just in Park City, The Broadway, The Tower and the Rose Wagner in Salt Lake city show films as well as a theater in Ogden.

Another great part of the festival are the panel discussions on all things creative and film making. Many of these events are free and open to the public - make sure to read if tickets are required.
Click here for panels and non-film events

Another way to get up close and personal is to volunteer for the festival. I have volunteered for the last few years and having credentials gets you in to activities that the general public can't. If you have the chance, take in a movie, or a panel.
Click here for a survival guide

This is a perfect example of an amazingly creative venue in our own backyard - get out and experience it if you can.

Eye on 2009

Good-bye 2008 – Hello 2009!

Some of you are probably glad to leave the last year behind, others not so much. The one thing we can all agree on is that 2009 is upon us and it is an opportunity for a fresh start. I have long ago given up on lofty resolutions that I have already broken by January 5th. I have replaced them with realistic goals and expectations. For most of you I hope, you have a goal of graduating from college and becoming employed in the field of graphic design. That might be next month or next year but that date will come. I challenge you all, wherever you are in the program, to set yourself up for success upon graduation. I believe the most important tool you can develop is a great resumé and an online portfolio showcasing your work. Start on that now – with that in mind, approach every school project and assignment with the possibility that it might end up good enough to end up in your portfolio. Your school projects will become your portfolio. The students that I know will get jobs in their field are those that do great work in school. I am not your harshest critic and neither are any of your instructors. We give you feedback to help you to improve but if you do the assignment as assigned, you will probably do o.k. in your classes. But graphic design is a competitive field – why would an employer pick ‘just o.k.’ or a ‘satisfactory’ designer when someone else who applied for the same job is ‘exceptional’ or ‘inspiring’? All things being equal – who wouldn’t choose the best designer?

So, how to become the best you can be – (to quote the army). What little steps can you take right now to help you reach your goals? Like I mentioned earlier, approach every school project as if it could be a portfolio piece. Get out and about – find out what’s going on in your town creatively and support it when you can. Attend an art show, go to the theater, go to open mic night at the local coffeeshop. Seeing other creative people with the courage to present their work is always inspiring on some level. Join your local AIGA and attend sponsored events. Start networking with peers and people in the field of design. Be observant – look for color trends, new fonts, a redesign of a product or its packaging. Gather samples of great work and put them in a file folder to use as inspiration later on. And finally, take a look at your communication skills and your attitude in general. Are you easy to talk to, do you take direction from employers, can you take criticism of your work without getting defensive. I’ve worked with a lot of creative people but that trait means nothing if someone is a complete jerk – trust me on that one.
Make a resolution to be inspired in the coming year – here are some links to events in the Salt Lake area.

Salt Lake City AIGA


Gallery Stroll


Art galleries


Happy Designing