Staci Paul :: Brew Love

Our very own Staci Paul made it on Design Sponge and Benign Objects for the wonderful label designs she did for valentine's day.

Jeff Carpenter :: Soup Kitchen

One of our own received an honorable mention in Graphic Exposure. Congrats Jeff Carpenter

Jeff took a sculpture course in New Zealand last semester that hosted an exhibit titled "Soup Kitchen". Appropriately enough they also served free soup.

From Jeff:
The concept behind the poster is pretty simple. Soup Kitchen>feed homeless>hold cardboard signs. I just took advantage of the fact that homeless people have their own unique avenue for displaying messages (no pun intended?). That pun may have been a stretch. Either way, there you have it!

Graphic Exposure is in Stevens Point and runs from Feb 14-March 14. Other accepted work from: Derek Huber, Kayd Mustonen, Stacey Kanarski and Matt Kuglitsc. 

University Recreation Graphic Designer

Just a follow up to the post: University Recreation seeking Graphic Designer - Juniors you should really apply! Not only will it be a little extra cash in your pocket but it's a phenomenal way to build your portfolio.


Staci Paul,  a graphic design senior and AIGA member, currently works for the University designing recreation posters.
Below are just some of her pieces.
Also check out her website, flickr, and blog
 

Daily Drop Cap : Jessica Hische

 
One of my favorite typographers is Jessica Hische - I blogged about here on her months ago but if you missed that post click here.

The Daily Drop Cap is an ongoing project by typographer and illustrator Jessica Hische. Each day (or at least each WORK day), a new hand-crafted decorative initial cap will be posted for your enjoyment and for the beautification of blog posts everywhere.

Check out her other work - everything is just lovely!

Where are they now? : Justin Mueller

We're going to try out another new thing on our blog where we take a peek at what Stout Grads are doing these days.
The first up is Justin Mueller, a Multi-Media Design graduate of 2008. I met him through mutual friends and he has been one of my favorite 'go-to' guys. He is full of tips and tricks and is always willing to share his knowledge. Visit his site too! Justin currently works at August Ash in Minneapolis as a web designer. He is not able to show what he's been doing for them but a few of his freelance projects are pictured below.

Dessert First is in Eau Claire. Check out the website here

Live Nocturnal was Justin's senior project which helps assist planning a night out on the town.
Check out Live Nocturnal here.

Justin's also worked on BDP's website and the Art and Design Department's website.

So here's the informal interview:

Who are you?
I am Justin Mueller.

When did you graduate?
I graduated May of '08 in Multimedia but took a good share of GD courses.

What was your favorite class at Stout?
I would have to say screen printing or exploring photography, just the process of creating a physical copy of my image was quite enjoyable.

What advice do you have for other GD students?
Everyone says to develop your portfolio, which is great and a major aid. But another thing is once you actually get an interview, make sure to talk well of your work. I have heard too many people, even in just this year, talk about what they could/would do better. Don't give to much focus to what you could do better in your interview, put the most effort in to what you do well, play your strengths, state eagerness to learn new things, and it never hurts to talk about wanting to build up and be an asset to their company. Also, if you have the slightest interest in web or interactive design, try it out. Quite a few design jobs are moving towards the digital era now.

How did you land your job?
I was working at a nice little firm in Eau Claire right after school but I was also cold calling firms in the cities just to get my name out there. I got a few interviews and offers but the most appealing was a smaller web firm looking to expand, being they had the most work coming in.

What type of work do you do there?
I started as a designer but quickly shifted to web development where now I deal a lot with planning solutions, user experience, and making back-end systems fit the needs of the client. My current project is a social networking site for people to help each other and themselves, but I can not go into much more detail than that yet.

Stout's Photography Club

Stout's Photography Club is making a come back!
Join E X P O S E D photo Club on Monday, May 4th at 7pm in the Terrace to explore upcoming trips and fun events.


Whether you are an amateur or an avid photographer, you are welcome to share you ideas and learn about the modern technologies and techniques of the photography world

Best of all... PRIZES WILL BE WON!
Posters and Photos done by UW-Stout Junior Staci Paul. View more of her work here

Student Spotlight: Genevieve Ruebel

The next student spotlight is one of my favorite people to have design classes with.
Drum Roll please....
introducing Genevieve RuebelShe's on a huge kick right now to create scenes with her tablet and place in photos she's taken of her friends. I love them. Genevieve probably wont turn down any freelance opportunities so you're welcome to contact ruebelg@uwstout.edu. She's also mad crazy with her photography skills and works in Millennium photographing student work. Check out some of her other work here

Student Spotlight : Joe Aliotto

We're going to try a new thing out for the blog by featuring students as often as possible. If you would like to be considered for a spotlight position please e-mail Kayd (kaydmustonen@gmail.com) with a few samples of your work as well as some of your personal information you wouldn't mind sharing with everyone.

The first brave soul is my classmate Joe Aliotto who designed this year's UW-Stout annual Fashion without Fabric poster. Joe's also VP of Sout's AIGA group and available for tons of freelance this summer AliottoJ@uwstout.edu

Spotlight: Jessica Hische

Right now I'm obsessed with Jessica Hische's work. She's a designer from Brooklyn that specializes in hand drawn Typography and Illustration. Her recent clients include Tiffany & Co. and the New York Times. I wished I payed more attention in Dehoff's typography class because I am just lovin' everything Jessica does with her type.

Connect with LinkedIn

We all know that networking is one of the single most important things you can do as a designer. It's as simple as getting to know the students around you - super seniors through freshmen - staying connected, and ideally landing your dream job. Having a connection in a company can greatly increase your changes of getting an interview... then the rest is up to you.

But how do you start networking in the small town of Menomonie? There are tons of networking and self promotional sites out there. Create an account (many sites are free), find people you know, see who they know and get an introduction.

LinkedIn does a great job keeping the information you provide simple and to the point. It's easy to find people you know and browse through the people they know. LinkedIn then provides ways to ask for an introduction. EX: Mary wants to find a job. Mary and Joe went to school together and were great friends. Joe knows Kristy who is a designer for a sweet firm. Mary wants to work at the place Kristy works. LinkedIn helps Mary tell Joe of her intentions and Joe tells Kristy what a dedicated little worker Mary is. (fun right?)

This is also a great way to keep all your contacts together and even lets employers list jobs and search for potential candidates. The more connections you have, the better your chances of scoring that perfect job.

Spotlight: French Paper

Every once in awhile we will spotlight a company and I would like to start it off with French Paper Co.

French Paper isn't your ordinary paper mill. Besides the awesome micro pattern papers and custom paper colors they are eco-friendly... and not just your jump on the band wagon eco friendly. For almost 100 years water has powered the French Paper Co. mill. A hydroelectric generator located in the river at the base of the mill gives it energy and also provides surplus electricity before being returned to the river cleaner than when it was pumped out.

How you can use French Paper:
You can choose from any color, weight, size and grade of paper. Better yet, they can produce any color of paper to match your pantone color with one of the smallest minimums in the industry. (GREAT FOR SENIOR PROJECTS!)

I just love their website and they ship within two days. Check it out - they a section with samples printed on their paper, previews of all their paper and gifts.