Heather Grimstead Creative Director

American Inhouse Design Awards
Exclusively for Corporations, Publishers, Universities, Associations and Other Institutions
Last known deadline: April 10, 2009
Spotted: http://www.gdusa.com/contests/aida.php

Creativity Awards
Last known deadline: August 15, 2009
Spotted: http://www.creativityawards.com

HOW Promotion Design Awards
Last known deadline: March 20, 2009
Spotted: http://www.howdesign.com/competitions/

HOW International Design Awards
Entry Deadline: September 1, 2009
Spotted: http://www.howdesign.com/competitions/

HOW In-HOWse Design Awards
Last known deadline: April 15, 2009
Spotted: http://www.howdesign.com/competitions/

HOW Interactive Design Awards
Entry deadline: July 15, 2009
Spotted: http://www.howdesign.com/competitions/

HOW Poster Design Awards
Last known deadline: December 1, 2008
Spotted: http://www.howdesign.com/competitions/

Don’t forgo employee training just because the budget is tight. There are plenty of free training opportunities if you just take the time to look. Here are a few:

American Marketing Association - Look under Resources for webcasts. Some of the webcasts require membership, but many of them are free to anyone. http://www.marketingpower.com/

illustrationclass.com - Illustrator Von. R. Glitschka shares some of his techniques. Look for tutorials under “Archives” in the left column. Right now, there are 72 of them! This guy is good. http://www.illustrationclass.com/

lynda.com - Look for “free sample training” under Online Training Library. Plus, the monthly subscription is a good value if you’ve got a little bit of cash. http://www.lynda.com/

Adobe Design Center - Find tutorials based on industry standard Adobe products. http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/tutorials/

This presentation is written as a typography refresher for graphic designers. It’s intended to remind designers of the importance of type aesthetics and the role it plays in communicating a message. It also aims to encourage good habits such as not distorting type forms and minding the details of setting type. (more…)

Establishing an environment that fosters good creative work requires more than hanging up groovy posters and turning on some mood lighting (though both can provide some nice atmosphere). Provide a place where you’re team can turn for some inspiration - build an in-house library. Subscribe to some of the industry standard magazines. Consider buying a book or two each month. That way, there will always be fresh materials to browse.

Below is a suggested list of books and magazines to start your library. Also consider your employees’ goals and the department’s skill gaps when making your purchases. Most employees will particularly appreciate books that are added to the library to match their particular interests.

Magazines

HOW Magazine - This is my personal favorite. The articles are always relevant and I get lots of good information to help grow the team. For example, October 2006’s issue features an article from a Crayola staffer that lists 50 ways to keep a creative team happy. Who can’t use that information? Subscribe to HOW Magazine

PRINT Magazine - Another industry favorite. Subscribe to PRINT Magazine

Communication Arts - Also an industry standard. Covers advertising, photography, illustration, design. Subscribe to Communication Arts at Amazon

Books

The Designer’s Complete Index - These three books by Jim Krause come in a really cool box. Included are “Idea Index,” “Color Index,” and “Layout Index.” This is a good, basic set. The content isn’t mind-shattering but solid, useful formulas. For example, the color book shows a whole range of color combinations that would take a huge amount of time to create. I find these particularly useful when you’re in a time crunch and need a head start. Purchase The Complete Index from Amazon

Speak Up
A forum for designers. Be sure to check out and participate in Word It, a monthly creative exercise based on a word of the month.
http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/

Vonster.com
Von Glitschka’s illustration website. Look under biography/freebies for his take on a creative brief. Those funny creative types.
http://www.vonster.com

Most designers have at some point been asked to “work their creative magic.” But, back to reality, creativity is a lot of work. A really good campaign is rarely instantaneous. It’s usually the result of lots of exploration, a whole stack of not-so-hot ideas, the motivation to keep searching, and the experience to know when to stop.

Open the door to creativity by helping your team identify specific tactics for getting past creative roadblocks and by creating an environment that encourages new ideas. Try changing perspectives and drawing from experiences. Consider adding a creative exercise to weekly team meetings. Here’s one to try:

Creative Exercise: Make a You Tube Video A few days before the meeting, ask team members to bring in a prop. You’ll get questions about why - just tell them it can be anything and avoid giving away the surprise. A hat, a boa, a stuffed animal - whatever’s handy. Bring in a video camera or even just a digital camera with a recording feature will do. Ask the team to write a joint script that involves all the props. Since there was no pre-planning, it’s unlikey the props will go together. There will have to be some creative thinking to get the story going. Videotape the production and post it to You Tube. You’ll get the added benefit of learning about You Tube, one of the hottest internet trends.

It may take a few exercises for your team to feel comfortable with each other. Keep at it and your team will be sharing ideas in no time.

Recommended Game: Hoopla by Cranium - A quick game of charades, pictionary, and words designed to be played in just 15 minutes. Plus, the group plays as a team to beat the clock. Everyone wins or loses together. Buy Hoopla on Amazon