AIGA Charlotte

Laura Knight is a junior graphic design student at UNC Charlotte. Currently, she spends her time scheming escapades in the creative world as president of the AIGA UNC Charlotte student group and as a freelance designer. Her passion is driven by beautifully honest solutions that edify others and are rooted in relevance.

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How and why did you get involved with AIGA? Approximately how long have you been involved with the organization?
When I first transferred to UNC Charlotte from CPCC I was looking for a strong design community to get involved with. After attending UNC Charlotte for a semester I met Adam Iscrupe, the founder of the AIGA UNC Charlotte student group, who introduced me to AIGA. I knew that as a designer I had a lot to learn (and still do) but I knew that I needed the influence and wisdom of others. After one semester I became the 2011 president and have been doing it since, and was involved in the AIGA Charlotte mentorship program. Since then my abilities have abounded and my passion has become even more ablaze.

What’s your favorite font?
So, despite the fact that it has escaped the jail bird Martha Stewart and fallen into the hands of a big wig bank, I would have to say that one of my favorite font families is Archer. It is a friendly, yet sophisticated, typeface with a balance of curves and geometry making it extremely versatile. The ball terminals are what first captured my eye; not too flamboyant yet just enough to give it an attractive personality.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
This past year was incredible. One of my proudest accomplishments includes fostering growth and expectations for the AIGA Charlotte student group, as well being Associate Editor In Chief of the Sanskrit Literary-Arts Magazine book.  During my AIGA UNCC student group presidency we created a phenomenal design gallery exhibition at the Design Center, served the non-profit organization Arts For Life with my group, led several studio tours, organized guest speakers and helped increase student membership. In the midst of all this I was also honored with Best of Show, and a gold and silver at the ADDY awards in the student category.

What are you currently working on?
I wouldn’t necessarily call it work, but I am learning to relax and enjoy the people I love and creativity for what it is. After an extremely busy year, I am currently teaching myself how to balance and find refreshment in the simple things.

What sound or noise do you love?
The pure sounds of the acoustic guitar always soothe my soul. There is something about the raw chords unadulterated by other instruments. This adoration formulated during my childhood years as I sat and listened to my father prepare worship for Sunday mornings. The sounds of an acoustic guitar are malleable and have the ability to perform a wide range of music; and when united with other elements creates an unforgettable experience. It is the instrument used to set a mood, a tone, and drives the piece, much like a well rounded concept within design.

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About AIGA Charlotte’s Member Spotlight
Each month AIGA Charlotte interviews a selected AIGA Charlotte Member. It is a great opportunity for the Charlotte design community to see who AIGA Charlotte is along with all the amazing things our members are doing. If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed and appear on AIGA Charlotte’s Member Spotlight, please contact Kevin Brindley, Membership Director.

Last week we asked our Twitter followers what kind of advice they had for students who want to get their work online. Many students are able to create their own sites, but there’s a large group of illustrators and designers who are scared of jumping into an online portfolio. If you’re one of those people, here’s some advice for you. 

Having an online portfolio is important. Really important. If you’re looking for a job, freelance work, or just a way to get your name out, you need to have your portfolio online where people can see it. But in order to put your portfolio online, you need to know how to code, right?

No, you don’t need to know how to code to get your work online. There are great sites that let creative professionals share their work without having to know anything about coding. Virb, Cargo, and Behance’s ProSite all offer ways to get your portfolio up quickly, easily, and at a reasonable price. 

While coding isn’t required, we would definitely encourage you to learn how to code. If you’re interested, especially if you are still a student, take some classes. Look up resources and teach yourself. There’s so many tools, like Wordpress, that can be incredibly powerful if you approach them with a little bit of knowledge and the willingness to learn.

Regardless of your coding ability, choose an option that represents you well. Keep things simple. You want people to see your work, not be distracted by your portfolio site. This is a window into who you are and what you do.

Only show work that makes you proud. It’s better to have five solid pieces displayed simply than twenty mediocre projects that someone has to dig through. You have complete control over what people see and how they perceive your work. 

So do it! If you don’t have an online portfolio, it’s time for you to start creating one. You control your online destiny, so take your future in your hands and start working. Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have—we’d love to point you in the right direction.

On Thursday, April 26, AIGA Charlotte will be kicking off our local Get Out the Vote Campaign. This campaign invites designers to create nonpartisan posters and videos that inspire the American public to participate in the electoral process and vote in the 2012 general election.

What is Get Out the Vote?

Get Out the Vote is a national AIGA Design for Democracy initiative. It enables designers to engage in the public arena by contributing to a coordinated voter mobilization campaign. By motivating eligible citizens to register and turn out on election day, Get Out the Vote fulfills an ongoing AIGA objective of demonstrating the value of design to the public, public officials and business by providing a clear call to action for an activity that is important to everyone. 

How to Participate

AIGA members are encouraged to submit designs by June 1, 2012. The ability to submit a design is a benefit of AIGA membership. Sorry non-members. But if you’re interested in participating, now’s a great time to become an AIGA member.

To get started, come out to our event on April 26. If you’re unable to make it, or want to get a head start, download the design brief and templates. Then create your poster or video and submit your entry. We’ll be talking more about this at our event. 

After June 1, all the submitted posters will be available in PDF format for you to download from aiga.org, to print and hang in your neighborhood. We encourage you to share video and poster entries with your friends, colleagues and social networks. 

AIGA Charlotte Poster and Video Show

AIGA Charlotte will be putting on a pop-up Poster and Video Show in June with our member’s work on display, similar to our TweetMarket and the Design for Good Poster Show events. We’re looking forward to displaying your work and encouraging our community to vote in November. 

Assistant Creative Director at Moore & Van Allen, PLLC
Member of AIGA since 2010

Marie Spears has been working as a graphic design professional for the past 6 years. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from East Tennessee State University where she graduated with honors from the graphic design program. While a student at ETSU she was awarded a silver Addy for her work on the school’s Mocking Bird publication. Though her career started in Memphis, Tennessee, Marie moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2007 to accept a position at Moore & Van Allen, PLLC. A law firm is an unexpected place to find a creative outlet, however, it has allowed her to work on political issues as well as provide pro-bono services to worthy causes such as the Arts and Science Council. Coming from a family of engineers and mathematicians, Marie has always been a bit more analytical and procedural in her approach to design than most artists. Working at a law firm has allowed her to use both her analytical skills and design skills to meet the client’s needs. Marie has found her career in the graphic design field to be extremely rewarding and full of surprise.

What attracted you to the design profession? Did you have particular mentors or experiences that opened the door to the profession for you?
After my junior year of high school, my father convinced me to go to an industrial design camp at Auburn University. He was worried that I hadn’t considered professions besides teaching, and wanted to make sure I explored other options that would let me combine my art and technical skills. It was the first time I was exposed to graphic design and even Photoshop. While that was only a minor part of what we did at the camp (the main focus was on making drafts and a prototype), it was what I enjoyed the most. After coming back home, I decided that I wanted to become a graphic designer and began looking at colleges.

What’s your favorite font?
I have a love/hate relationship going on right now with Neutra Text Expert. The hate part comes from seeing it used in inappropriate ways. It seems to be getting used wherever I look, but rarely does it actually fit the design. The love part comes from instances where it is used properly, and is just beautiful. The simple, modern lines of the font work very well to compliment a clean layout. Mix and match the different weights a little, and you can get some very visually interesting text.

What would people be surprised to know about you?
I’m an engineer at heart, and am more comfortable around engineers than artists. I come from a family of engineers and mathematicians. My mother, an engineering professor, let me sit in on one of her classes when I was in middle school, and I spent the summer learning to program a robot arm far beyond what the instructions laid out. I spent middle school participating in Science Olympiad competitions and loved it. I love reason and logic, which shows through in my choices as a designer.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Drop the accounting major. At one point in college I began to worry about being able to make a living in the art field. I decided to sign up for a double major, and earn an accounting degree as well as my bachelor of fine arts. It would have lengthened my time in college significantly. In one of my many conversations with my mother, who was also the best academic adviser I ever had, she convinced me to drop the accounting major. She helped me realize that what I truly wanted to be was a graphic designer; if for some reason that didn’t workout, I could always go back for an accounting degree. I took her advice, graduated on time, and got two job offers three weeks after graduation.

What’s one goal (professional or personal) you have for the future?
I hope to one day earn my masters of fine arts. I enjoy the academic atmosphere and would love to one day become a graphic design professor. Since I was little, the idea of being a teacher has been appealing to me. I have always enjoyed teaching other people and helping them understand concepts or programs.

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About AIGA Charlotte’s Member Spotlight
Each month AIGA Charlotte interviews a selected AIGA Charlotte Member. It is a great opportunity for the Charlotte design community to see who AIGA Charlotte is along with all the amazing things our members are doing. If you or someone you know would like to be interviewed and appear on AIGA Charlotte’s Member Spotlight, please contact Kevin Brindley, Membership Director.