Event Wrap-Up: Hot Sauce Label
Design Competition
The CADC held their first annual Hot Sauce Design Competition where all were welcome to submit their peppery visions of what a hot sauce label should look like. The name of the Hot Sauce was “Deadline Hot Sauce.” Most creatives know how hot-under-the-collar deadlines can make them, so naturally we had our name. The judging night (and all around general hanging out + merrymaking) was held Thursday, May 14th at Agave Grill in Hartford.
The Hot Sauce Headquarters donated the hot sauces as well as the prizes, their expert opinions for judging and a lot of insight for designers on how to constantly get involved with projects like this on a regular basis. The judges were: David Ashley and Chris McCarthy of The Innovative Company LLC, and Jamie Klim of Brand Creative.
The event was also sponsored by Appleton Coated Papers, a company that has helped many designers make their spicy-art-sauces look (and probably taste) even better.
The event was a great success and everyone had a great time. A big thank you to all of the people who donated their time+energy+money to put this on and let us not forget all those who submitted their designs to be ruthlessly judged (it wasn’t that bad, but it sounds so much better). Photos of all designs + the winners are below, please check them out.
The Winners
First Place: Deb Kline
Second Place: Shannon Brenek
Third Place: Beth Ann Strong
The Complete List of Participants
Holly Atkinson + Sebastian Brengle + Shannon Brenek + Rich Ciotti + Lane Cooper + David Cushman + Rena DeBortoli + Amie Fanning + Brian Grabell + Gary Holmes + Steve Habersang + Ken Hocker + Nastassia Johnson + Ben Jura + Tomasz Kazmierczak + Deb Kline + Lee Moody + Erik Nilson + Lisa Silva + Beth Ann Strong + Michael Toti + Brian Vogel + Patrick Yario
The event was such a hit that it looks like we’ll be having a round 2 sometime next year… stay posted for updates.
June 18: CADC’s 34th Annual
Awards Show
The entries are in and the judges will decide who are the Big Fish in our Small Pond. Come congratulate and celebrate this year’s winners at our 34th Annual Awards Show.
DATE/TIME:
18 June 2009
7 pmLOCATION:
Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration
Mystic, CT
DirectionsADMISSION:
$75 member
$90 future member
$50 students and student family
This year’s Show is being held at Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration. A portion of the entry fees will be donated to the Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program at the Mystic Aquarium and Institute for Exploration!
Tickets can be purchased online here.
Special thanks to this year’s judges:
John Madere, John Madere Photography
With a passionate eye for capturing the mystery of people, John Madere seeks the unique human moments that animate photographs. John’s fascinating subjects, from over 40 countries around the world, have kept his work fresh and constantly evolving. His photography awards include: The Art Directors Club, the AR 100 Show, The Mead Show, The ARC Awards, Graphis, and American Photography.
Josh Silverman, Schwadesign
Josh Silverman is the Minister of Perspective and President of Schwadesign, Inc., considers the big picture while minding the details. In 1997, he founded the adaptive collaborative model studio. Independent strategists, designers, writers, and developers convene and collaborate in project teams of one to twenty—as each discrete opportunity dictates. Josh has taught at RISD, The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University, and MassArt, and has lectured and critiqued about the power of design. He is currently the Regional Development Director serving five New England AIGA chapters, and is co-founder and President Emeritus of the AIGA Rhode Island Chapter. When he’s not turning what-if’s into ways to make the world a better place through design, he’s mixing tunes as his alter-ego, DJ Dijon.
Aaron Belyea, Alphabet Arm
As the founder and senior designer of Alphabet Arm, Aaron oversees a full-service design studio known for its striking logo identity, print designs and marketing solutions. A self-taught artist, Aaron launched his graphic design career while performing in numerous bands, for which he would create a visual image that complimented the band’s music. This niche interest in music-based design led to freelance jobs, designing edgy, pop-art logos and marketing materials for Boston-based bands such as Pooka Stew, Gigolo Aunts, Little John and Letters to Cleo. Aaron’s bold typography and designs soon attracted a loyal fan base comprised of nationally known musicians, recording studios, radio stations, record stores, artist management companies and record labels.
Aaron later honed his artistic talents at The Planetary Group, overseeing the design department for this artist development company specializing in radio promotion. His ability to successfully develop identities rooted in decisive, visual concepts led to the establishment of his own studio in 2001, Alphabet Arm Design. The company name comes from Aaron’s design moniker, “Alphabet Arm,” which refers to the alphabet tattoo wrapped around one of his arms. In addition to specializing in music-based design, Alphabet Arm has expanded and diversified its client base to include advertising and word-of-mouth agencies, entertainment venues, entrepreneurial start-ups, higher education institutions, non-profit organizations and retailers.
Megan O’Connell, Hill Holliday
Megan O’Connell graduated from FIT with a degree in Advertising Design. After freelancing as an art director at several New York agencies, she landed at Hill, Holliday in Boston. There, she handles print, tv and interactive work for a variety of clients, including Dunkin’ Donuts. This particular account is a really good fit, since she always has a cup of coffee in one hand and a pencil in the other. When she’s not drinking coffee and coming up with ideas, you can find her rearranging her apartment. She’s always finding unfinished business — in life and design.
Rick Koconis, Rick Koconis Photography
My first camera was a Bell & Howell/Canon 35mm. It was a gift from my dad when I was… yadda, yadda, yadda… // I have been a dishwasher, draftsman, graphic designer, carpenter, creative director, photographer, employee, manager (yuk), freelancer, and business owner. // My family thinks I’m nuts, and I still love them even though the feeling is mutual. // There’s nothing better than summer, being outside, and wearing tee shirts and shorts. // Natural light is always best, and attempting to recreate it is an exercise in futility. Still we try. // I am wildly enthusiastic about working with big fat film transparencies as well as teenie, tiny, itty, bitty, little pixels. // A picture is worth WAY more than a thousand words. Shhhhh. // I love photographing people. // Everyone should visit the Grand Canyon at least once in their life, just to put things in perspective. // The old cliché still holds true, Less Is ALWAYS More.
This year’s Show is sponsored by Curious Collection, Appleton Coated, Preferred Printing Company and Mohegan Sun.
June 11: Out of the Box New Haven
Out of the Box hits New Haven County on Thursday, June 11th — at Park Central Tavern in Hamden — from 6:30 to 9:30. Share Happy Hour with your fellow creatives. Absolutely fun. Absolutely free. (Well, except for the cash bar.)
Event Wrap-up:
2009 Student Conference and Scholarship Competition
The 2009 Student Conference and Scholarship Competition, hosted by the CADC for over 20 years, was held on Saturday, April 25th at the Hartford Art School. Students and faculty from Quinnipiac University, Sacred Heart University, University of Bridgeport and The Hartford Art School attended.
The event kicked off with keynote speaker, Alexander Isley. Mr. Isley spoke of the passion he holds for design and encouraged students to be enthusiastic about their work and careers. To provide further inspiration, he showed recent work for A|X Armani Exchange and The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Following Mr. Isley was Rhode Island based photographer Rick Kononis, who showed work from his online portfolio and blog. Mr. Kononis also had advice for students, stressing the importance marketing and promotion.
The morning presentations continued with Dan Ben-Kiki, Art Director for ESPN, who wowed the crowd with an amazing capabilities video. He discussed the challenges and opportunities working in an in-house art department. Next, Connecticut resident, Gerard Huerta, designer of logos and logotypes, advised the students to work hard and spoke to the staying power of design. Huerta is the designer responsible for the iconic logos of AC/DC, HBO, Swiss Army, and the Type Directors Club. Following Mr. Huerta was Karl Smizer, Principal of Smizer Perry, a Connecticut marketing communications and design firm. Mr. Smizer presented his thoughts on the key traits of successful designers as well as his firm’s recent work. The morning sessions concluded with interactive designer, Glen Kennedy’s presentation on problem solving for online communications and the hottest social media trends.
Students continued to receive career advice during the afternoon sessions. These programs, each a half hour long, gave students a chance to be in smaller, more intimate groups. Students participated in a recent graduate panel discussion moderated by Deb Kline, Creative Director for Group 4 and HAVE Faculty. The panel consisted of five former students from Central University, Paier College of Art, Inc. and the Hartford Art School. Another afternoon session was Karl Heine’s “Designing a Design Career” which had been previously shown to students at RISD, Cooper Union and Syracuse University. His presentation gave students advice for landing that first job and how to develop their own identity. Mr. Heine is the Principal of creativeplacement, a Connecticut talent placement firm. Lee Moody, Account Manager for Mohawk Paper, also in the afternoon sessions, provided information on the latest greens trends in paper manufacturing and the company’s sustainability efforts. Students who attended these sessions received goody bags filled with design related items from House Industries, Veer, New Page, creativeplacement and Mohawk Fine Papers.
Five scholarships were awarded to students, whose portfolio demonstrated exceptional ability. The winners were:
DESIGN SCHOLARSHIP
Darcy St Onge
Hartford Art School, University of Hartford
DESIGN HONORABLE MENTION
Joshua Long
Hartford Art School, University of Hartford
ILLUSTRATION SCHOLARSHIP
Abigail Zambon
University of Bridgeport
ILLUSTRATION HONORABLE MENTION
Cassandra Ondich
Hartford Art School, University of Hartford
PHOTOGRAPHY HONORABLE MENTION
Crystal Cote
Hartford Art School, University of Hartford
Marketing/Creative Intern
MNI (Media Networks, Inc.), a Time Inc. company and the leader in targeted advertising in magazines, online and direct mail, is looking for an outstanding individual with an interest in creative and corporate marketing materials. The position is located at MNI’s Stamford headquarters, and pays $10/hour.
The Marketing/Creative Intern’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Website design/updates
• Create Flash presentations
• Scan and color correct photos for print
• Design PowerPoint templates
• Design/Prepare files for print/web
This position requires a person who is creative, has strong technical skills, and has a desire to learn how to develop and produce corporate marketing materials. Experience with InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Office a must. Flash and web design experience a plus.
MNI is an equal opportunity employer.
Email resumes to: danielle.martin@mni.com
