Looking for an art school? A job? A creative? Inspiration? Other communities and professional organizations? Finally, a place where people involved with visual communications in Connecticut can find what they're looking for.

Connecticut Art/Design Schools

Hartford Art School, University of Hartford The Hartford Art School is a preeminent professional art school, acknowledged for their nationally distinguished studio art and design programs. Central Connecticut State University The Department of Design provides the academic structure for the advancement of Graphic and all forms of Information Design instruction at CCSU. The Department of Design offers a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic / Information Design and a Master of Arts Degree in Information Design. University of Connecticut The goal of the Communication Design program at the University of Connecticut is to educate students as responsible thinkers, citizens, and professionals in an increasingly complex world of evolving technology as applied to the dissemination of ideas and information. University of Bridgeport The four-year Graphic Design BFA program curriculum consists of an integrated, interdisciplinary sequence that is designed to stimulate creativity, strengthen communication, and provide both traditional and technological skills for the student.

Connecticut Job Placement Agencies

creativeplacement Specializes in advertising, new media and corporate communications recruitment. The company is comprised of its Principal, Karl Heine and skilled talent advocates. Karl Heine has more than 25 years experience in marketing communications, and 20 in the field of creative professional recruitment. CreativeNet Workgroup As a creative talent placement specialist, Diane Harrick acts as a go-between for freelance graphic designers, production specialists, writers, proofreaders and interactive media pros and the businesses that need them – primarily marketing/advertising firms and design shops. All The Best PEOPLE For years, All the best PEOPLE has been the pre-eminent source in central Connecticut and Western Massachusetts for advertising, graphic arts, interactive media, marketing, printing, public relations and publishing professionals. They earn our money by sending employers only highly qualified, carefully screened candidates. Aquent Aquent is a marketing and design staffing agency, matching professionals with freelance, contract, try-before-you-hire, and full-time job opportunities at top organizations. The Creative Group The Creative Group specializes in placing highly-skilled creative, advertising, marketing, web and public relations professionals with a variety of firms.

National Professional Organizations

AIGA AIGA, the professional association for design, is the place design professionals turn to first to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice. Art Directors Club The ADC is the premier organization for integrated media and the first international creative collective of its kind. Founded in New York in 1920, the ADC is a self-funding, not-for-profit membership organization that celebrates and inspires creative excellence, connecting creative visual communications professionals from around the world. Type Directors Club The objectives of the TDC are to raise the standards of typography and related fields of the graphic arts, and to provide inspiration, simulate research, further education, and disseminate information relating to the typographic arts. American Association of Advertising Agencies Founded in 1917, the AAAA is the national trade association representing the advertising agency business in the United States. The Advertising Club of Connecticut The Advertising Club of Connecticut is the largest professional association in the state serving advertising and marketing professionals. Their members include ad agency executives, media reps, public relations people, printers, photographers, graphic designers, art directors, copywriters, web gurus and many more. Society of Illustrators The mission of the Society is to promote the art and appreciation of illustration, as well as its history and evolving nature, and to encourage high ideals through exhibitions, lectures, education, and by fostering a sense of community and open discussion. Society of Publication Designers The SPD is dedicated to promoting and encouraging excellence in editorial design. Their members are art directors, designers, photo editors, editors and graphics professionals.

National Job Boards

creativehotlist A Communication Arts website, creativehotlist allows readers to search and browse job listings for those seeking employment and portfolios for those seeking creatives. Krop Fortune 500 brands and the world's most familiar companies use Krop and its Network to locate, reach and recruit first-class talent. AIGA Design Jobs Find a job, post a job, view portfolios or simply connect with other designers. Coroflot Coroflot is a career and community site for creative professionals. It hosts individual creative portfolios and a database of job and project openings. Media Bistro Covers media jobs, including editors, writers, producers, graphic designers, book publishers, and others, in industries including magazines, television, film, radio, newspapers, book publishing, online media, advertising, PR, and design.

Further Reading

Communication Arts The premier source of inspiration for graphic designers, art directors, design firms, corporate design departments, advertising agencies, interactive designers, illustrators and photographers — everyone involved in visual communication. PRINT PRINT is a bimonthly magazine about visual culture and design. Covering a field as broad as communication itself, PRINT documents and critiques commercial, social, and environmental design from every angle. HOW HOW magazine’s goal is to help designers — whether they work for a design firm, for an in-house design department or for themselves — run successful, creative, profitable studios. HOW strives to serve the business, technological and creative needs of graphic design professionals. CMYK CMYK is where aspiring creatives showcase their talents to the industry and where creative directors, agency principals and art buyers recruit students and recent graduates at today's top design schools. STEP Inside Design STEP takes readers behind the scenes to meet the creative problem-solvers that make it possible for us to move through the world in brilliant and dynamic ways. Each issue includes profiles of visionary creatives, thoughtful analysis on business issues, and essays and commentaries on design’s most relevant questions.

Blogs & Portals

Design Observer Founded in 2003 by Michael Bierut, Rick Poynor and Connecticut residents William Drenttel & Jessica Helfand, Design Observer is an intellectual blog on design and culture. Speak Up The brainchild of Armin Vit, Speak Up is an author-based, reader-supported community devoted to graphic design open to conversation and dialogue. It stresses and questions the importance of the profession in our culture. QBN Sometimes skewing more towards web designers and developers, QBN has a lively discussion board and a blog with posts from both QBN's editors and readers. Drawn! Drawn! is a multi-author blog devoted to illustration, art, cartooning and drawing. Its purpose is to inspire creativity by sharing links and resources. Brand New A companion to Speak Up, Brand New focuses on corporate and brand identity work, with deep and lively debate on good, bad and ugly rebrands. FFFFOUND! FFFFOUND! allows users to post and share their favorite images found on the web, and also dynamically recommends each user's tastes and interests for an inspirational image-bookmarking experience. The Serif Your daily dose of design inspiration. A List Apart A List Apart explores the design, development, and meaning of web content, with a special focus on web standards and best practices. kottke.org kottke.org covers the liberal arts 2.0 — technology, art, culture and the Web.