Apparently the “Walleye” is Minnesota’s state fish. There’s even a painting of one hanging in my cabin here at Design Camp. Hence I sketched a rough Walleye to signify Day 1 of AIGA Minnesota’s wonderful design conference. (Not sure I was really even aware of the whole “State Fish” thing. I have heard that Minnesota’s “State Bird” is the mosquito though…)

Paula Scher kicked off the day with an amazing keynote based on her long career of design work. Above is an obligatory Paula Scher photo showing her iconic Citi Bank logo.

I was actually blessed to have lunch with Paula (and a handful of other amazing design celebrities) – and I was faced with a moral dilemma: Paula left her name tag at lunch! I knew she was flying back to New York soon after lunch, and I thought it would be awesome to wear a Paula Scher name tag around the campgrounds. But in the end, I figured getting her on The Reflex Blue Show and getting her autograph was enough. When I returned her nametag – she exclaimed, “Good! I forgot who I was!”

Eric Madsen gave an unusual and moving speech about his childhood in Texas, starting his design studio in Minneapolis, his practice of sketch journaling and the passing of a dear design friend. It was refreshing to hear a designer talking about his life – not simply about his “work”. There were large portions of his talk that seemed to have nothing to do with design at all – but it was ok, because we all connected to his story in different ways. Very inspiring.

Right after Eric’s talk, Neenah’s own Jamie Saunders gave a workshop entitled “Print Lives!” to a packed room of designers and students. Her presentation was a great follow up to Mr. Madsen, since much of his talk highlighted the tactile beauty of paper and traditional media.

One of the highlights of Jamie’s talk was an opportunity to do some arts and crafts: cutting out paper steaks and assembling them! (After all, the theme of this years Design Camp is MEAT)

This young lady went an extra step and designed blood to adorn her steak. Almost too realistic…

I know this doesn’t have really anything to do with Design Camp, but during Jamie’s talk I had a few moments to FaceTime with my wife and kid. This is Jonah. I thought you’d think he was cute too…

BTW – we’ve been eating good at camp. Lunch was a full Thanksgiving dinner (turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing etc.), and Dinner was an eclectic assortment of appetizers, salads, sandwhiches and pasta. Very delightful.

Here’s Jamie keeping in line with the camp’s “Meat” theme. (While Kim Shannon looks on in horror.)

The Grand View Lodge is beautiful after dark.

When the exhibit hall opened, the Neenah ladies were ready to rock!

Neenah was bombarded by designers eager to feel fresh paper samples… and sample their assortment of cured meat giveaways.

The frisky Joe Isaak cleans up pretty good!

Showing off our Neenah aprons. I’m the one in the middle.

AIGA’s national president, Doug Powell told me he liked my apron… but that it was a little too “skimpy” on me.

The night ended with a small after party in the Neenah cabin. You can’t really go wrong when you combine good drinks with great designers.

♥♥Some People Make Their Own Lucky-Luck: Jungyeon Roh♥♥

♥♥There’s a little saying at the end of illustrator Jungyeon Roh’s email signature that reads, “I want to be a genuine, humble, and pure artist.” It’s even book ended by two little hearts. In other words, it’s the kind of thing the Internet loves to rip apart with a few snarky comments…♥♥

♥♥…Except that Jungyeon Roh comes across as so kind, humble, talented and sincere that instead of reaching for the sarcasm you’re wondering if she might want to be your friend. And create some kick-ass illustrations for your next project.♥♥

♥♥Because it’s the art where Roh puts all her bite. She combines a strong voice and powerful storytelling with often eye-popping color. When you look at her work, it’s clear that she has something to say and she knows how to say it. A skill that’s already earned her two gold cubes from the Art Directors Club and appearances in Communication Arts, Print and American Illustration magazines.♥♥

H.O.T.

♥♥Roh recently earned an MFA from the Illustration as Visual Essay department at the School of Visual Arts in New York. This handmade, silk-screened book, called H.O.T., was her thesis project and covers the environmental and health benefits of a vegan diet. Roh made the switch to veganism two years ago, and her passion for the topic shines through. She’s currently shopping for a publisher.♥♥

All About the Public Bath

♥♥This silkscreen piece offers up tips on how to act at a public bath, and it helped snag Roh a gold award at this year’s ADC gala. Roh is from Korea, but she hopes to stay in New York and pursue a career as a freelance illustrator. She originally started entering competitions, because she thought it might help her achieve that dream.♥♥

Desire  No. 4

♥♥If you’re a fan of Showtime’s Nurse Jackie, you may have spotted some of Roh’s work in the background. This piece, Desire #4, showed up on the set as part of a funky east village apartment in season two. It’s done in silkscreen, Roh’s favorite medium, and shows off her love of bright CMYK colors.♥♥

Illustration, New York Times

♥♥For The New York Times, Roh created a series of four illustrations about being a Korean/Chinese girl who lives in New York City. They appeared in the Townies blog last year. While Roh loves working by hand, she finds the speed of editorial illustration projects often means turning to the computer, as she did for these pieces. She’s also landed work in Playboy and Bitch magazines.♥♥

♥♥Miss Eggplant’s American Boys♥♥

♥♥Roh studied fine art in Korea and painted what she describes as typical still lifes. She credits illustrator and SVA teacher David Sandlin with helping her find her own voice. This piece is from a 16-spread book she made called Miss Eggplant’s American Boys. The title character is a vegan from an Asian country who comes to America to meet boys. The basic story was inspired by the song American Boy from Estelle.♥♥

Today is Sushi Day

♥♥Another ADC Gold winner, this book follows a group of female sushi masters as they teach Americans how to properly eat sushi. We could use a few of those lessons ourselves.♥♥

{Editor’s note: In the many years of meeting and reporting on people with talent who get noticed, I have never met one who is arrogant, close-minded, rude or lacking in humanity. That does not mean that they do not exist. They merely rarely win public acclaim and/or affection from their peers. This young woman has the talent and the humanity to keep rising, and assuredly bring friends and collaborators along for the rocket ride.}♥♥!!

That Sweet Smell of Success? Sweat.

[By Matthew Porter}  Jessica Hische’s path is marked by hard work and a gift for friendship and experimentation. For young designers, her story should encourage and inspire. For older pros, her will to learn should remind and reaffirm. Either way, Jessica is proof that the best things in life are not free but hard won.

No RISD, Cooper, Art Center or SVA for her:  Jessica went to the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Philadelphia, she says, “Because it was a good school that I could afford.” There, she received a lot of time and attention from her instructors and valuable hands-on experience.

“I had a wonderful experience at Tyler, once a professor saw that you were truly interested in design they helped you in any way possible to get you to where you wanted to be. You couldn’t passively wait to be taught, you had to really put yourself out there and prove that you wanted to be taught and then the world was yours. Education is definitely what you make of it, you don’t have to go to the most expensive school to get an amazing education.”

Jessica loves typography. But! She does not limit herself to it or any strict discipline. She started drawing type out of necessity because she “couldn’t afford to go on a font buying spree.” So why not buy them on line rather than create them? For her it is easier to draw one than pick one out as she shares on her must-see FAQ page on her website:

“I am TERRIBLE at picking out fonts for projects. Every time I’ve needed a crazy display font for something, I’ve just made it myself because it takes me less time to make it than it does to scour the Internet for something good. Don’t ask me to recommend a similar font to anything I’ve made, I won’t know what to tell you and then I’ll feel like a lame designer.”

After a few internships during college and a job helping to design lots of books for the idea fountains at Headcase Design in Philadelphia, Jessica decided it was time to branch out. She created a self-promo piece themed on the 12 Days of Christmas, dropping nearly $2,000 on the 250-piece mailing. She received one call back. From Louise Fili. It was the most successful direct mailer in the history of the world.

Hired as a senior designer at Louise Fili, Ltd, she remained for 30 months, maintaining a lively independent design practice at night.  Exhausted from non-stop work, she left Louise Fili Ltd in 2009 to pursue her own vision. Since then accolades have been rolling in—as have interview requests.  Jessica fields them all with good humor, making new friends while maintaining close friends with Louise Fili and the folks at Headcase Design, where she remains on their list of illustrators.

To this designer/illustrator/typographer/artist there is no substitute for variety, practice and hard work. She says her work has improved due only to time and experience. “Type is a skill that you can only improve on with a lot of practice. Drawing it day in and day out for three years has had a massive impact on my type work.”

Take note. And adopt (or not) some of her recommendations on how to survive, thrive and revive in your own creative career…

1)    Be Nice: Don’t count pennies or get upset when new clients ask for changes

2)    No PJs in the Office: Separate your home from your office

3)    Return the Love: Don’t say “no” to small pubs run by folks who are excited by your work

4)    Mix It Up:  Repetition kills the soul; find opportunities that challenge you to try new things

5)    Birds of a Feather: Maintain friendships and business relationships that motivate and inspire

6)    Teach Yourself: Got time on your hands? Teach yourself some new tricks and techniques

You are never to young to be wise—so long as you are willing listen and learn. Act now and avoid the rush in the middle of your career.

Neenah’s Against the Grain blogger in chief is always looking for interesting people doing interesting work. Von Glitschka is one such person. In fact, he is so prolific that he might actually be two such persons. We asked Von once about his name. The answer was beautiful and profoundly moving. But why don’t you contact him, introduce yourself and ask him yourself. You couldn’t know a nicer — or smarter — fellow. Here is his interview.

How do you define yourself professionally? In other words, is “designer” or “branding” the sum total of your offering?
The duality of skills within my creative arsenal inspired the title of “Illustrative Designer.” I coined this title because it more accurately defines what I do on a day to day basis. My work reflects the symbiotic relationship between design and illustration, and I leverage both disciplines on almost every project I work on.

Against the Grain
How do you convince prospects and clients that what you offer is not a commodity, especially during hard economic times?

Von Glitschka
I take the time to explain to prospective clients everything I do before I start any of my creative work. I share with them my creative process, how I research, glean information, ask questions, and process ideas which all facilitate the approach I’ll take with their project.

Too many designers can’t explain in a practical way how they approach their work, so why would they think their clients will be to understand it or appreciate the value of what they do? So it really isn’t a surprise that the public views design as a commodity.

Against the Grain
Where do you see you and your business in five years? Ten years?

Von Glitschka
I’d love to be doing more TV production design and custom product development. I’ve started to move into those areas now but hope to continue that growth moving forward.

Against the Grain
What do you think of this statement: “when you print, print it well.”

Von Glitschka
If you value your profession, and invest your time creating a well crafted design and want to get it printed, then don’t do it on cheap ass paper. Or in other words, don’t be a fast food designer and compromise your work printing on glorified hamburger wrappers.

Against the Grain
Do you think upcoming generations of designers can be better informed about printing, ink and paper?

Von Glitschka
Yes. The next generation of designers needs to set aside their graphic air of entitlement and learn from the veterans. Sure, this applies to older designers, but the real gold mine of insight can be found in work horse pressmen who’ve been in the trenches pre-computer and now direct to press. Learn from them, ask them questions because they’re a wealth of real-world non-theoretical information you’ll never find googling for it.