View Map

Join AIGA Detroit and Freshtight Designs for Celebrate Michigan Design, an exciting night of informative presentations and informal festivities. This is a unique opportunity not only to look back at our history for inspiration, but also to toast Michigan design as the magnificent force of innovation it continues to be.

Music by Jimmy Edgar, Silkscreening demo by Progress of Design, Gallery show by the Silent Giants, Michigan themed merchandise by Handmade Detroit and Angela Duncan, posters by Freshtight Designs, hors d’ourves and cash bar immediately following presentations.

Michigan hosts a world-class collection of artists and designers who are dedicated to producing great work in a great place. Now more than ever, we should celebrate design as a vital engine in our state’s on-going recovery. Designers are problem solvers. Whether it’s a city designer working to solve the issue of affordable housing, or a graphic designer bringing legitimacy to a non-profit through branding, the range of conflicts designers encounter is infinite. It’s no secret that Michigan has significant problems, however every challenge the state presents is an opportunity for innovation.

$5 AIGA Members / $10 Non-AIGA Members
To RVSP and pay at the door, click here.
To purchase tickets online, click here.
Ticket Services donated by ticketweb.com

+++++

Julie Lang

Julie is Associate Design Director at Campbell-Ewald advertising, dedicated primarily to the Chevrolet account. Through her 18 years in the industry she has worked as an illustrator, art director, magazine design director and as an independent in her own one-woman design firm. Her clients have included Herman Miller, Chevrolet and Detroit’s Epoch Restaurant Group. Her work has been recognized by publications and competitions including Communication Arts, AIGA, the ADDYS, the One Show and The Art Directors Club.

+++++

Jody Levy

Jody Levy is an artist and designer. She has been with experience design firm o2 Creative Solutions since the company’s inception in 2001. Jody works with the multi-disciplinary team at o2 to create interactive and immersive experiences such as live theatrical productions, museum and gallery exhibits, non-traditional communications campaigns and more. Jody is an artist and travel writer. Her travel website, Native Nomad, features the best experiences in cities across the globe.

+++++

Susan Skarsgard

Susan Skarsgard is an artist and designer known internationally for her original fine art works, site-specific installation art, graphic design, artist books, & calligraphy. Her work is widely collected by individuals and institutions which include the United States Library of Congress Rare Book Room; Newberry Library, Chicago, IL; University of Michigan Special Collections, San Francisco Public Library, and Smith College, Northampton, MA. As a lecturer and teacher, Ms.  Skarsgard has conducted workshops and presentations for numerous institutions, organizations, and conferences, traveling extensively throughout North America, Australia and Europe. She has worked for 15 years in the Industrial Design department at General Motors and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Michigan.

View all upcoming AIGA Detroit events

Meet Liu Bolin, the Invisible Man, an artist with the ability to disappear.  This 36-year-old is able to blend into any surroundings – no matter how complicated they might be.

Actually, he paints himself to merge with whatever scenery is behind him.  But still, it’s pretty amazing.  In some of the pictures it takes a minute to spot him, and when viewed from a distance in real life, people have stated they don’t even notice him until he moves.

Liu Bolin graduated from the prestigious Sculpture Department of Central Academy of Fine Arts in Shanghai.  He says that his work requires a lot of patience, sometimes spending 10 hours trying to get the details just right.  He says his intention is to show how city surroundings affect people living in them.  He is inspired by “not fitting in to modern society.”  He sees his work as a silent protest against the Government’s persecution of artists.

The Chinese authorities shut down his art studio in Beijing in 2005. Contemporary art was in quick development, but the Government decided it did not want artists to gather and live together.

“The situation for artists in China is very difficult,” he says.  “The forced removal of the artist’s studio is in fact my direct inspiration for this series, ‘Hiding in the city.’”

Here a SimpleViewer Flash gallery should be displayed. Click here to open the post in your browser to see the gallery.

A great way to gain exposure for your product or service is to advertise at bus stops. Usually they are placed in highly visible areas, with a lot of traffic – both pedestrian and automobile. In addition, people waiting at the bus stop itself have to wait until the bus arrives and do not have too much else to do besides… wait.

We have selected some of the most creative bus stop advertisements that will make you look twice!

Here a SimpleViewer Flash gallery should be displayed. Click here to open the post in your browser to see the gallery.

December 31, 2009 – January 3, 2010
The Elbow Room
6 South Washington Street
Ypsilanti, Michigan

A benefit for 826michigan, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center serving approximately 2,000 local students at their downtown Ann Arbor location as well as at numerous classrooms, community centers and elsewhere. Their free programs are based on the understanding that writing is important for every child, and that one-on-one attention is key to building academic skills and confidence in the classroom and beyond.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Doors 4 p.m. $9. 18+

Semi-formal attire encouraged!

“Champagne” toast courtesy of Quite Scientific!

5:00-5:30 HALLWAY – Ypsilanti, MI

5:50-6:20 STARGRAZER – Lansing, MI

6:40-7:10 THIS IS DEER COUNTRY – Houghton, MI

7:30-8:00 ELLE AND THE FONTS – Detroit, MI

8:20-8:50 ANNIE PALMER – Ypsilanti, MI

9:10-9:40 THE FERDY MAYNE – Ypsilanti, MI

10:00-10:30 ELECTRIC FIRE BABIES – Detroit, MI

10:50-11:20 WHITE PINES – Akron, OH

11:40-12:10 CHRIS BATHGATE – Ann Arbor, MI

12:30-1:00 MATT JONES & THE RECONSTRUCTION – Ypsilanti, MI

DANCEPARTY UNTIL 4 AM w/ DJ TODD OSBORNE!

=========================

Friday, January 1, 2010

Doors 4 p.m. $7. 18+

5:00-5:30 TIMOTHY MONGER – Ann Arbor, MI

5:50-6:20 GHOST HEART – Grand Rapids, MI

6:40-7:10 FIELDS OF INDUSTRY – Lansing, MI

7:30-8:00 GHOSTLADY – Ann Arbor, MI

8:20-8:50 THE JULIETS – Ypsilanti, MI

9:10-9:40 PRUSSIA – Detroit, MI

10:00-10:30 SILVERGHOST – Detroit, MI

10:50-11:20 LIGHTNING LOVE – Ann Arbor, MI

11:40-12:10 CHAMPIONS OF BREAKFAST – Detroit, MI

12:30-1:00 GREAT LAKES MYTH SOCIETY – Ann Arbor, MI

w/ DJ CHUCK SIPPERLEY!

=========================

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Doors 4 p.m. $7. 18+

5:00-5:30 NATHAN K. – Ypsilanti, MI

5:50-6:20 ETHAN MILNER – Ann Arbor, MI

6:40-7:10 SPITTING NICKELS – Detroit, MI

7:30-8:00 GREGORY MCINTOSH – Ypsilanti, MI

8:20-8:50 JIB KIDDER – San Francisco, CA

9:10-9:40 BLACK JAKE & THE CARNIES – Ypsilanti, MI

10:00-10:30 JIM ROLL – Ann Arbor, MI

10:50-11:20 DRUNKEN BARN DANCE – New York, NY

11:40-12:10 FRIENDLY FOES – Detroit, MI

12:30-1:00 CHILD BITE – Detroit, MI

w/ DJ WILL YATES!

=========================

Sunday, January 3, 2010

10 a.m-4 p.m. Brunch at Beezy’s!
8.26% of sales go to 826michigan!

* * * * *

Doors 4 p.m. $7. 18+

5:00-5:30 WHISKEY BOTTLE – New York, NY

5:50-6:20 ALEX GREINER – Brooklyn, NY

6:40-7:10 LANDFILL MOUNTAIN BOYS – Ann Arbor, MI

7:30-8:00 SMALL HOUSES – Lansing, MI

8:20-8:50 PHOTOGRAPHERS – Traverse City, MI

9:10-9:40 ANNA ASH – Oakland, CA

10:00-10:30 SECRET TWINS – Ann Arbor, MI

10:50-11:20 MISTY LYN & THE BIG BEAUTIFUL – Ann Arbor, MI

11:40-12:10 FRED THOMAS – Ypsilanti, MI

12:30-1:00 FRONTIER RUCKUS – Lansing, MI

w/ (DJ) ACTUAL BIRDS!

=========================

Discount 4-day wristbands* available for $25 at Liberty Street Robot Supply & Repair, 115 East Liberty Street, Ann Arbor.

Presented by The Detroit Red Wings. Exclusive tickets to the Open Skate section at upcoming Wings games and limited edition Red Wings merchandise designed by local artists will be available, in addition to raffles of autographed Red Wings gear, tickets, and other items. All proceeds will be donated to 826michigan.

With additional support from The Elbow Room, Quack! Media, Quite Scientific Records, VGkids, Beezy’s, Angela Duncan, and Diamonds in the Rough.

Special thanks to all allies of 826michigan and the extended Michigan independent music community.

*wristband does not guarantee admission if venue is at capacity. For best results, arrive early!

Fede Alvarez’s YouTube video, “Ataque de Panico,” which features giant robots invading the city of Montevideo, has landed him a $30 million Hollywood movie deal.

Created on a budget of $300, “Ataque de Panico” (Panic Attack) shows the gigantic CGI humanoids capturing the capital of Uruguay as citizens flee.  Alvarez says that after uploading the video on a Thursday, he was receiving offers from Hollywood on the Monday.

He eventually accepted a $30 million dollar deal from Ghost House Pictures for a full-length sci-fi thriller set in Uruguay and Argentina.  The movie will be sponsored by director Sam Raimi, whose credits include the Spiderman and Evil Dead films.  The movie, though, won’t be based on the YouTube video itself, Alvarez told the BBC.

While it makes for a remarkable story, you might be less surprised after watching the clip: it has a Hollywood polish that implies Alvarez’s work is ready for its big screen debut.

Source: [YouTube] [BBC] [Mashable]

Have you ever wondered how the first Apple logo looked 30 years back? Did you know that Volkswagen was Hitler’s idea? Or have you seen how the IBM logo changes over the time?

As we already know, logos are identities that are fundamental to building a brand and communicating with that brand’s target demographic.  Many large and well-known companies tweak their logo slightly (or change it dramatically) to reflect the changing times, hierarchy, or just to keep their image fresh and tight within the community.

Below we’ve listed a handful of logo evolutions so you can see how some seemingly minuscule changes actually turn out to be very significant.

Here a SimpleViewer Flash gallery should be displayed. Click here to open the post in your browser to see the gallery.

An attempt to remake cover art for every magazine he owns (and a few record covers, too).  ”Covers” is an homage to the creative men and women who produce such “disposable perfection.”

In 1969, the 14-year-old Jerry Levitan, armed with a reel-to-reel tape recorder, snuck into John Lennon’s hotel room for a chat.

It went like this…

I Met the Walrus!

Living statistics – showing how active & dynamic the Social Web is.

Personalize Media

Digital Illustrator and Graphic Design student Alex Beltechi is based in Romania and currently writing tutorials based on personal projects. He also works as a freelancer and enjoys composing piano based music in his “non-existent free time.”

PSD TutsPlus

Alex Beltechi Flickr

Here a SimpleViewer Flash gallery should be displayed. Click here to open the post in your browser to see the gallery.