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For the past five years, Launch has awarded $1,000 scholarships to the top design and art direction portfolios at University of North Texas’ College of Art and Design. Based on a portfolio review, these scholarships are given to the design and art direction majors whom Launch representatives and UNT faculty recognize as having achieved an outstanding body of creative work. David Wilgus, agency principal and creative director, was on hand for the judging and to meet the winning students.
This year Aaron Kotara (left) was the winner of the 2011 Launch Agency award in Art Direction and Ashley Ayer (right) was the winner of the Graphic Design award. Eric Ligon (center) is the Associate Dean at the College of Visual Art and Design.
Kotara, Ligon and Ayer at UNT
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Launch Agency has once again added creative firepower with intern Jeffrey Rodriguez, aka “J-Rod 2.” (Art director Joanna Rodriguez has already claimed the original “J-Rod” moniker). A recent graduate from the University of North Texas, Jeffrey joins the team bringing with him his passion for graphic design.
A native of the Lone Star State, Jeffrey grew up in Plano, Texas. The Communication Design major studied typography, graphic design, packaging, publication design, art direction and AfterEffects motion in earning his degree.
Jeffrey’s other interests include discovering new music, hanging out with friends, working out, and — believe it or not — cleaning and organizing. He will also be Launch’s “go to” man when it comes to smooth R&B and Top 40 music.
We interrogated Jeffrey to figure out how this “neurotic” (his words, not ours) designer works:
Q: Most unique talent?
A: I’d like to think I’m a good whistler. Name a song!
Jeffrey Rodriquez, Launch Agency's cleanest creative
Q: Favorite kind of games? Board games, mind games, video games…?
A: I LOVE Scrabble/ or Words with Friends — any kind of word game.
Q: What is your favorite piece of art?
A: “The Great Wave of Kanagawa” by Hokusai
Q: Celebrity you’d most like to meet.
A: Beyonce Knowles
Q: What is your favorite children’s movie?
A: Disney Pixar’s “Up”
Q: Favorite inspirational rocket/space related saying?
A: “Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
Please join us in welcoming Jeffrey, along with his eye for graphic design and tidiness, to Launch.
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We’re ready to impart more wisdom from Launch Art Director Reuben Miller’s experience at the 2010 HOW Conference.
An interesting session, “Building a Business: If I Knew Then What I Know Now,” featured Brian Dougherty and Marcia Hoeck. Dougherty is a founding partner of Celery Design Collaborative, which has studios in both California and Paris. Marcia Hoeck is president of Hoeck Associates, Inc. and acts as a business coach. Her mantra is, “Create a business that will run without you.” These two entrepreneurs described their tried-and-true methods for starting a successful business and growing it — specifically, how to keep from getting sidetracked so you can focus on why you started the business in the first place.
Next they explained Dougherty’s “design backwards” approach. By starting from a design project’s ultimate destination and working backwards, designers are able to make more informed choices, allowing them to creatively avoid many roadblocks that might prevent solutions. The best way to begin brainstorming is to imagine the “best possible destiny for a design. Next, imagine the user’s experience with the design and envision scenarios that would make the experience particularly memorable or valuable.”
Reuben said the last session he attended featured “the most inspirational speaker [he'd] ever seen.” The session, “Rediscovering Play: Bringing Fun and Passion to Your Work. . .and Life,” was given by Kevin Carroll.
Carroll’s childhood was less than idyllic; his parents struggled with substance abuse problems, so he moved in with his his grandparents. One day, he found a red rubber ball on the playground, and from that point on, focused his life on the pursuit of fun and the “red rubber ball mentality.” Now he collects different and interesting balls from all around the world as a source of inspiration.
After 10 years in the air force, Carroll spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers and Nike before starting his own business, Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC. We don’t do Carroll’s story justice, so check it out after finishing our post.
One of Reuben’s takeaways from HOW was that, “It’s an incredible asset to be a great presenter; it can be the tipping point between whether an idea sells or not.”
Find more information on 2010 Conference sessions visit the HOW website.
