D&AD Awards, October 28 -- tickets on sale

Click here for information on the upcoming screening of the D&AD award reel here in Toronto.

ADCC Featured Student: Nik Firka

Congratulations to Nik Firka in our Graphic Design advanced diploma program -- the the ADCC's featured student.

Text for Haiku

Fun idea. It will be interesting to see whether it takes off. The "29 minutes ago" entry was in response to my text. http://n8rtxt.org/

TypeCon 2008 -- NLXL

Dawn Lambert and I are currently in Buffalo at this year's SoTA conference. About 450 people are in town from all over the world to enjoy lectures, panels and workshops with a focus on typography and education.

Last night's opening presentation featured three energetic designers from NLXL in the Netherlands -- Bob van Dijk, Oscar Smeulders, and Joost Roozecrans. NLXL is a small office of eight creatives who work in one room and enjoy the process of creating visual communication as a team of close collaborators. Take a look at their innovative graphic design, interactive design and advertising work.

ADCC Student Competition -- Humber Finalists

I am happy to announce that two of our Advertising & Graphic Design students have been selected as one of the final five teams for this year's Advertising & Design Club of Canada national student award competition.

Congratulations go out to Michael Siegers and Trevor Laporte! Well done!

The final results will be announced in November.

Maggie Ziemirska -- Applied Arts Winner

Congratulations to Advertising & Graphic Design diploma student (now grad) Maggie Ziemirska for her winning entry in this year's nation-wide Applied Arts magazine awards competition.

ADCC Portfolio Night Feedback

Click here for the follow up with reviewer and student feedback.

TypeCon Buffalo -- July 15 to 20

Follow this link to information about this summer's ultra-affordable and proximal type conference. If you can swing the $125 student fee and the cheap hotel ($109 a night for a double), I highly, highly recommend this event.

"Me and the CBC, up in a tree. The show airs tomorrow and Saturday." -- Patrick Griffin, Canada Type principle, type designer, and Humber instructor has an interview about typography airing on the CBC today and Friday. Click here for the link. I assume there will be a podcast to download after the fact. Congratulations, Patrick!

Click Here for Sustainable Design

Please visit this site to investigate (and potentially join) a great initiative on design and sustainability. This is a collective effort involving many design and ad agencies in the GTA.

The Co$t of Typeface Piracy

The cost of typeface software piracy is described in this posting on Letterhead Fonts. Well worth a read for those of us concerned with the law, ethics, and the protection of intellectual property.

Apple's Design Process

Follow this link to an article on Apple's design process. An interesting read, indeed.

(from gdc.net)

Day marks Icograda's 44th year

On April 27, graphic designers around the world, connected by their passion for their profession, can take a moment to collectively feel pride in their work, and their role in helping their communities and the world.

On this day, we also celebrate role of graphic design organizations around the world – bringing value to our profession, giving us a voice, showcasing our work, and giving us a national and international presence.

World Graphics Day marks the 44th birthday of Icograda (International Council of Graphic Design Associations) in 1963. It is celebrated by graphic designers, communication designers and design associations around the world.

Graphic design has become one of the most influential professions in the world. It shapes the daily lives of people everywhere. World Graphics Day is an opportunity to recognise graphic design, and its role in the world, and to celebrate the birthday of Icograda.

On this occasion, designers reflect and hope that our global network can contribute to greater understanding between people and can help to build bridges where divides and inequities exist.

Please let us know if you have special plans to celebrate World Graphic Design Day, at president@gdc.net.

Humber alumnus speaks at Type Club -- GO!

FITC

Not a great time of year for students, but worth a mention (and thanks to Andrea Ruales GDA for the suggestion and link).

FITC Toronto 2008 – Break it. Break your tools. Break your patterns. Break the norm. Break the standards. Break it.

Explore the creation of NEW ideas and concepts, where the limits of technology in design and art can be experimented with, explored, broken and reinvented.

Learn how designers and technologists are pushing limits that go beyond what their tools are designed to do, how they find alternate ways to get what they want, and push the boundaries of what is possible to avoid mediocrity.

Jam packed with fun and information, as well as massive networking opportunities, FITC consists of presentations, demonstrations, panel discussions, the kick ass FITC awards show, and of course the most talked about...parties!! With some of the most interesting and engaging presenters from Toronto and around the world, it's 3 days and nights that will leave you inspired, energized and awed.

Humber will participate in Earth Hour

On March 29, 2008, cities across Canada and around the world will turn off their lights for Earth Hour, a World Wildlife Fund event to raise awareness about climate change and symbolize that, working together, the people of the world can make a difference in the fight against climate change.
Humber will participate by turning off all lighting from 8 to 9 p.m. on March 29 (with the exception of A Building and the community pool). The college will be closed from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m.
Events are planned at both residences to reflect the spirit of Earth Hour. Students who live on campus will have a chance to head outside to take part in some star gazing. Both campuses are also organizing an opportunity for students who play an instrument, and those who like to listen, to take part in an “unplugged” musical event.
“Humber’s commitment to sustainable practices is evident in the Centre for Urban Ecology, our work to maintain the Humber Arboretum, our building practices and our programs, particularly in Sustainable Energy and Building Technology,” said Humber president, John Davies. “It is a natural fit for Humber to support Earth Hour and we would encourage others to join us in making a difference in the fight against climate change.”
Information on Earth Hour is available at http://www.wwf.ca/earthhour/.

Don't forget about ihaveanidea's Portfolio Night on Thursday, May 8. This is the perfect launch for those of you interested in getting into Advertising. Sign up now before it is too late!

Gelvetica, Tomatica, Heldentica

Fresh fonts... ;- )
Helvetica is alive—in many other dresses.

See the website

Whopper Freakout

In December of 2007, Burger King put together and posted an experiment via candid camera testing customer loyalty to their Whopper sandwich.

Click here to join the almost four million people who have played seen the video.

London International Awards Reel -- March 11

Recommended event hosted by the ADCC.

If you are interested in buying a ticket for this event, please reserve your ticket by dropping off your $5 (ADCC member) or $10 (non-member) payment to my attention in a sealed envelope with your full name, semester and section number in F102 by Wednesday, February 27.

Thanks,
h

__________________________________________________
Student-Only Screening
London International Awards Reel & Panel Discussion
Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

Date: Tuesday, March 11th, 2008
Time: Start time 6:30pm
Price: $5 for ADCC student members, $10 for non-members
Venue: The Downtown YMCA - Auditorium
Street Address: 20 Grosvenor Street (Near Yonge & Wellesley)

More Info:
The ADCC will be holding a students-only screening of the 2007 London
International Advertising Awards Broadcast Reel, followed by a panel
discussion and Q&A. This reel highlights some of the best broadcast
advertising from around the world!

Following the screening there will be an intensive Q&A moderated by
Anthony Kalamut of Seneca College.

This is a unique opportunity to see award winning broadcast advertising
from around the world and to participate in a discussion with some of
Toronto’s finest advertising minds.

For tickets please see your program coordinator or contact Kirsten at
the ADCC by calling 416.423.4113.

The Evolution of Tech Company Logos

Another great website suggestion from David Barkworth -- the evolution of tech company logos. See Apple, Canon, IBM, Microsoft and more here.

Xdata and InData

A suggested resource sent by David Barkworth.

X-Ray Magazine: Say goodbye to repetitive tasks -- helllloooo automation.

How much time do you spend applying text style sheets? Changing master pages? Creating headers and footers? Updating price lists? Compiling directories? Tired of it? Check out Xdata for QuarkXPress and InData for InDesign and find out how you can automate these repetitive tasks and give your fingers a rest. Read online here.

Repost: Weather, College Closures & Absences

[This was originally posted in November]

You can check whether the college has made the decision to cancel classes by calling 416 675-6622 or visiting www.humber.ca after 6:00am on a day with inclement weather conditions.

While we want student and staff to exercise caution and care when travelling in threatening weather, if the college is open, classes do proceed as usual.

Any student who makes the decision to stay home should communicate immediately with their faculty member through email or phone before the usual class start time. Project work due during class time is subject to late marks as per our usual policy and at the discretion of the instructor.

Please note that project work due on a day when classes are cancelled should be submitted to the instructor via F102 before noon on the next business day. Ensure that work is clearly labelled and date stamped.

Firebrand -- great commercials online

This is a great resource.

Firebrand is a website dedicated to commercials. It is privately funded by NBC Universal (GE),Microsoft (MSFT) and GE’s Peacock Equity Fund. It makes money by charging advertisers to be on the site. Saying that it’s dedicated to “commercial culture,” Firebrand curates the site to include only what it considers to be the best video advertisements from around the world. You can peruse a host of ads from big-brandnames like Nike, Apple and Volkswagen. Or you can watch Firebrand Live, which is a lot like MTV circa 1983.

HEMA -- great website design

Click here for an incredibly bright, fun website by HEMA, a Dutch clothing store.

Calling this clever is an understatement. (Turn on your sound for the full effect.)

Alexx Swanson: Chai Tse IAPC 2007 Award

David Barkworth has submitted this good news for posting.

Congratulations go out to Alexx Swanson, a student in the final semester of our AGD program. Alexx was awarded this year's Chai Tse IAPC Award for excellence in pre-press.

To quote David:

"Alexx is a very dedicated and accomplished student who achieved one of the highest grades ever awarded in our pre-press class. She is professional, eager to learn, happy to support her colleagues, and a complete asset to the classroom. There is no doubt in my mind that Alexx will ultimately be a leader in our field."

PRI’s Peabody Award-winning "Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen" from WNYC is public radio’s smart and surprising guide to what's happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt Andersen introduces you to the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Life is busy – so let "Studio 360" steer you to the must-see movie this weekend, the next book for your nightstand, or the song that will change your life.

Kurt Andersen – novelist, journalist, and co-founder of legendary "Spy" magazine – gets inside the creative mind through conversations with guests such as Yo-Yo Ma, Zadie Smith, Sean Lennon, Sean Penn, Walter Mosely, Dolly Parton, Ang Lee, Dave Eggers, Frank Gehry, and Tori Amos. "Studio 360" is also the place where a Freudian shrink can analyze a videogame about bunnies and astronauts play piano on the International Space Station.

Spend an hour at Coney Island with the band They Might Be Giants, walk through steel monoliths with sculptor Richard Serra, and hang out with indie rock stars in an Omaha basement. Let "Studio 360" be your cultural guide.

BeatBearing Music Sequencer

Clearly, this is a day of ultimate coolness in design and innovation. Check this out. Whoa. On the announce date of the MacBook Air, I am shocked to find myself finding something else in the running for the most fascinating example of great design I've seen today.

Wow.

http://www.geekologie.com/2008/01/simple_music_sequencer_uses_ba.php

Quote:

We've seen music sequencers in the past, but nothing that rivals the BeatBearing for simplicity and number of balls. The unit was designed by Peter Bennett during his studies of new techniques people can use to interact with musical instruments. Sequences are composed by placing the metal orbs in a grid of receptor cups which represent the different rhythm tracks (kick, snare, hi-hat and cowbell) along the vertical axis, and beats along the horizontal. So it works like any other sequencer, but with balls. And let's face the facts people: balls make everything awesome.

Demo seen here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wreP8FMupyM&

Wow. Macbook Air. Announced today.

Check this out. Beautiful, integrated design.

Inspiration: Theo Jansen

This is amazing.

Theo Jansen, a kinetic sculptor from the Netherlands, makes these incredible structures that move by the power of the wind. They are hauntingly beautiful and elegant. To quote Jansen, "the walls between art and engineering exist only in our minds".

BMW have harnessed his brilliance here in a South American ad. Youtube has a number of videos posted. Jansen's own site is here.

Push the boundaries.