AIGA DC SHOW OFF/ANNUAL STUDENT DESIGN COMPETITION
THE CONTEST
HOW TO ENTER
THE JUDGES
THE WINNERS
FIND YOUR BEAST
Q1: To choose which firms make your interview list, you:
look for studios with bars nearby—preferably on the
ground floor.
ask your professors which firms are best, and then ask for letters of recommendation.
find a place close to your apartment, so you can sleep a few extra minutes each day.
hunt for a firm that doesn’t clash too terribly with your
design philosophy.
Google Maps > “local design firms”.
Q2: At an interview, your future boss asks to see the work you're most proud of. You:
present a poster series featuring you wearing silly hats.
bust out your typographic “experiments,” sit back and wait for the praise.
show screen grabs of a web project from your sophomore year… of high school.
walk through a family of packages that took all night to comp (and it shows).
unfurl a cumbersome info-graphic, drop the names of your “famous” instructors.
Q3: It's your first big concept meeting, and it's your turn to present ideas. You:
introduce your idea by explaining your inspiration.
scribble out some rough thoughts while everyone else presents their directions.
size up the guy with the clipboard to see whether he’s your new boss.
throw out a few jokes before diving into your concept.
say nothing—just pass around your Moleskine and wait for the outpouring of praise.
Q4: It’s 5pm on Friday, and you need a break. But you’re a little behind, and a client is waiting for a PDF of a layout. You:
send what you have, and explain the rest in the email.
power through and send the design to the client. You thrive under pressure!
wait until Monday to send the layout. You can’t be expected to stay late on a Friday!
grab a drink with co-workers, duck back into the office later to send that last email.
get it done, and get it done before 6pm. Like always.
Q5: You present a final brochure design, and the client doesn't like the layout. You:
demand an explanation, and then mentally cross them off your “future clients” list.
offer to take him out for a drink and work out a design that he might like.
sleep. You’re just going to stay up again tomorrow night.
do exactly what the client asks. After all, the customer is
always right.
offer to re-design the brochure. Ask questions, and look for opportunities to educate the client.
Q6: A proof comes back from the printer, and the colors are completely wrong! You:
never mind the file, growl at the printer to fix the colors ASAP.
double-check your file, discover it’s not your fault, then chew out the printer.
double-check your file and make sure you didn’t mess with it while less than sober.
double-check the file and your notes for the printer, then call the printer.
tell the printer to go ahead — you don’t want to stop the job and hold things up.
Q7: Your brochure is accepted in the local AIGA design competition. At the reception, you:
flit from group to group—charming, networking and downing free wine.
find the most influential-looking circle of people and hand out business cards.
show up just before the awards ceremony begins (and before the bar closes).
stand close to your work, wait for someone to criticize it, and then pounce on them.
eat the free food, wonder what you’ll eat tomorrow.
It's a Jungle Out There,
AIGA Washington DC Chapter
Concept & Design
Design Army
Copy
Wayne Geyer