How’08 Day 2 Recap: Part 1

Well, I have a few minutes before SmashLab’s session on Design can change. The 1st session of the day was a more technical one, on designing and color management for digital printing. Besides a few details about certain color profiles and such, it wasn’t very informative. Ironically, the best part was the shortest. Illustrator Jeff Moore talked about his experience working with Variable Data printing where you can customize the text and even images with the same print job. It’s the print equivalent to dynamic websites. No details on how you actually go about creating a file for that kind of print job, but at least it’s good to know what’s possible.

Inspiring Design for the Greater Good
This was by John Bieleberg, who talked about his work with Project M. A month long design intensive with mostly young fresh out of school designers, where they cultivate their ability to “Think Wrong.” His mantra for how creatives should think in order to effect change or bring innovation and/or meaning to their work. For the last couple of years his Project M team have created projects to help inner cities in Baltimore and more recently rural Alabama where they created a printed piece to help raise funds to buy water meters for Hale County. So far the outings have not only raised enough for 100 families to get clean water but the alumni have gone on to propagate the Think Wrong credo in their own practices and lives as a whole.

P.S. What is it with people and not wanting to sit in the front row?

John talking about Project M