Trips!

So AIGA Appstate has been doing a lot of trips over the past few weeks. First, we went to Washington DC to tour some in-house design departments for the Washington Post and the Discovery Channel. We also checked out independent design studios CDG Interactive and Free Range. We also got to stay at the App House, a really cute brownstone in the heart of DC’s fun Eastern Market area. Appalachian State owns this property and another place in New York where students, faculty and alumni can stay during trips/internships for very reasonable rates. In my opinion, definitely one of the best things about this University.

The trip was a blast, planning it was not. There were a few last-minute crises which threatened to derail the whole thing (getting the vans, having to completely change parking arrangements when we arrived, a scheduling issue with one of the studios, etc.) Luckily, everything somehow fell into place. My design buddy and fellow student, Andrew, has been interested in sustainable design lately and got really excited about what Free Range was doing. A lot of the other students seemed to be really happy to be able to talk to working designers, I know I was! I believe this is the ultimate purpose of the Appalachian student AIGA branch: to put students in contact with professionals and help them learn about the industry.

A week or two later, we set out for Charlotte to meet up with Aaron and some of his students for a whirlwind tour of various studios around town. There was some confusion about the address of one of the studios and the accuracy of some of the directions, but thanks to some quick thinking, cellphones, Erin Martin’s boyfriend, and Aaron’s papa-duck style caravan, we made it to each of the studios. A little late, perhaps, but we still made it.

We visited our buddies Gage, Rhonda and Jason at Eye Design and got to talk to founder and creative director Chris Bradle about what they look for in new talent. We then headed to HMH to learn from director/manager Mark Conachan about running a full-service advertising/marketing agency, and where designers fit in. Up next was Limerick Studios, where director Mark Kelley showed us their vast range of postproduction work. Afterwards, lunch at Fuel Pizza.

Our last half of the day took us to Brinkley Design where we talked to creative director Leigh Brinkley about her experiences in the field and met our friend and Appalachian alumni Lauren Thompson. Next we talked to creative director Banks Wilson and client services director Christy Vannetta at Studiobanks about webcentric design studios and how designers and developers/programmers work together. Our last stop of the day was at Mode, where we met John Pietrafesa and discussed their work.

Great times were had, business cards were traded, and we all trekked back up the mountain a little tired, but much wiser. Massive thanks for Amanda Altman, Aaron Shurts and AIGA Charlotte for helping us get the Charlotte trip together.