VCC Graphics Technology

Interns/Volunteers Needed for 2012 InControl Web Conference

kristy pennino — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:09:39 +0000

The Orlando AIGA is looking for up to six Student Workers / Interns to assist with the 2012 InControl Web Conference, and here are the shifts available (first come, first served):

Monday, February 20, 2012

7am–3pm (1 shift) — Help with checkin, directing traffic during busy times, checking badges at the door as needed, and general support
12pm-8pm (2 shifts) — Help with lunch signage & directing traffic, furniture setup for wrap-up panel, and leading groups to the Monday night event if one is scheduled.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

8am-4pm (1 shift) — checking badges, directing traffic, begin packing unused materials in the afternoon, and general support
1pm-9pm (2 shifts) — Help with signage & directing traffic, furniture setup for wrap-up panel, help with packing, help with setup/breakdown of closing party, checking tickets for closing party.

In addition to the shift of their choosing, all student workers/interns are required to attend the planning lunch & swag-bag stuffing party on Sunday, February 19 from 1pm-4pm

In Control Student Workers / Interns enjoy the following privileges:

Full access to the conference and evening events, even when you are not working
Access to all meals and snacks served during your shift
Conference swag TBD

Interested students should send their contact information to e4h@heatvision.com. AIGA Student Members preferred.

Awesome New Graphics Courses!

kristy pennino — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:44:02 +0000

Valencia will be offering 3 different “Selected Topics in Graphics” courses this Summer 2012 that we just KNOW you will want to take as your Graphics Elective!:

AIGA Miami Portfolio Review

kristy pennino — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:10:15 +0000

Re-posted from an email announcement sent by AIGA Miami:

Plan to Intern SUMMER 2012??

kristy pennino — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:29:25 +0000

NOTE:: ATTENDING AN ORIENTATION IS MANDATORY FOR ANY GRAPHICS STUDENTS WANTING TO INTERN THIS SUMMER.

Two days have been set for the SUMMER 2012 Mandatory Graphics Internship Orientation. In order to register for an internship this SUMMER, you MUST attend ONE of these three meetings:

MONDAY, MARCH 19: 1PM – 2PM, East Campus 1-214
TUESDAY, MARCH 20: 5PM – 6PM, East Campus 1-215
MONDAY, MARCH 26: 1PM – 2PM, East Campus 1-214
TUESDAY, MARCH 27: 5PM – 6PM, East Campus 1-215
MONDAY, APRIL 2: 1PM – 2PM, East Campus 1-214

NOTE: NO ONE-ON-ONE ORIENTATIONS ARE POSSIBLE AND YOU MUST ATTEND ONE OF THESE MEETINGS TO BE ALLOWED TO REGISTER FOR THE SUMMER!! YOU CANNOT WAIT UNTIL IT’S TOO LATE TO APPLY OR REGISTER!!

Who should attend?

Anyone planning to register for a SUMMER ‘12 Internship who has met the prerequisites.

How do I apply for an internship?

If you have already taken (or are currently taking) the prerequisite graphics courses (GRA21826 OR GRA2143) you need to fill out the Internship Application form on-line through Atlas. The application must be completed by April 6th!! Atlas will only allow you to fill out the application between the dates of February 27th and April 6th. Instructions are here: http://valenciacollege.edu/internship/students/applynow.cfm
YOU WILL NEED TO PRINT THIS APPLICATION AND BRING IT WITH YOU TO THE GRAPHICS ORIENTATION – DO NOT TAKE IT TO THE INTERNSHIP OFFICE.
Print your resume and select desired internship locations from the Internship Office on-line database. You will be providing the internship office with this list as a part of your application process as well as giving them a printout of your resume for them to send to employers. If you already have an employer lined up, just fill out the application without selecting employers from their list or printing a resume and instead fill out the area that requests the employer’s contact info.
Attend one of the Mandatory Graphics Orientation meetings (dates above) and bring with you the following:
a. Copy of your unofficial transcript indicating that you have taken or are currently enrolled in the prerequisite course(s), and
b. Copy of your well-designed and edited personal resumé, and
c. Printout of your application from step 1 above.
Attending this meeting without bringing the paperwork listed above will delay us registering you for internship.
Once you have been approved for an internship at the mandatory orientation, the internship office will be notified and provided with your application for processing (note this may take a couple of weeks). The internship office will then register you for the course and/or provide you with the override so you can register via atlas. There is no way to register for internship without this override and the internship office cannot give you an override if you haven’t attended the orientation and haven’t applied by the deadline above.

APPLYING FOR INTERNSHIP BY THE DEADLINE ABOVE AND ATTENDING A MANDATORY ORIENTATION IS THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN BE REGISTERED FOR GRA2942 – INTERNSHIP IN GRAPHICS (The internship office will register you for the course only once you have completed the steps above).

ADDY Gallery Night

Christine Cerniglia — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:08:15 +0000

How To Win ADDY’s: Tips from an ADDY Insider

Christine Cerniglia — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:26 +0000

Having been on the ADDY committee for the last 4 years — not to mention winning a few — I’ve seen and heard a lot regarding the work that is entered. The judges might change each year and each with their own personal preferences, but one thing is always certain: every year they are thoroughly impressed by the work submitted by Orlando students. This year, the bar gets raised even higher, because we are bringing LOCAL professionals to judge the student work. Yep… that means that a judge might see your work, think it’s amazing, and want to hire your for it. So, with more at stake then ever before (and a $40 entry fee that you’re probably questioning), here’s some honest advice to help you make the right decisions regarding the ADDY’s.

Tip 1: Only turn in your BEST work
Your project needs to WOW the judges. Mediocre projects don’t win ADDYs — that’s the bottom line, folks. If you didn’t get an “A” on it, you probably shouldn’t even consider submitting it. Refer back to your gradesheet. Did you lose points for technical requirements? For creative requirements? Fix them. Unless you’ve fully completed Portfolio Review, your projects are most likely not competition ready, so make any necessary changes before submitting the entry.

Tip 2: Consult your instructors
Contact your instructor from that particular class and ask if they think you should submit a project. They’ll either give you more feedback to improve it or tell you not to waste your money. Remember: A lot of your instructors have won ADDYs, or other competitions, themselves, so they know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t.

Tip 3: Enter both single AND campaigns
This, friends, is how you win ADDYs. If you have a project with multiple pieces (like an campaign of 3 ads, for example), consider entering the whole thing as a campaign AND submitting each piece individually as well. So a 3 piece project ends up being 4 entries total (one campaign and 3 singles). The reason to do this is sometimes the project works best as a campaign or sometimes just certain pieces are ADDY-worthy. Yes, it means spending more money, but that’s just part of the gamble. Ask Ellison if it was worth it.

Tip 4: Follow directions
Nothing disqualifies an entry faster than a student who cannot follow directions. Thoroughly read through the Entry Packet materials (which you can pick up in the lab) and the ADDY Rules pdf that is available on the entry site. Look at the StudentADDYs 2011 Presentation, watch the video (posted on this blog here) and go through the addy-checklist to make sure you’ve covered all your bases. Make sure you include a CD with high quality images of your project — if you don’t, then you can’t get upset if we don’t include an image of your award winning project at Gallery Night, in the winners book, or online. When in doubt, ask questions.

While those are all important tips to keep in mind overall, there are also a few things you should know about some of the categories.The categories that usually do best at the ADDYs are Consumer/Trade Publication (Ads), Packaging, Brochures, and Posters… though we do occasionally see an ADDY for Direct Marketing, Out-of-Home, and Non-traditional. Here are some thoughts on these popular categories what will hopefully help determine if your project is what the judges are looking for:

Ads (Consumer/Trade Publications… Single and Campaign)
Clever, witty taglines… humor… thought-provoking, even borderline offensive concepts… this is what they are looking for. You need to make the judges think “Damn…” It needs to be an interesting and innovative idea, accompanied by awesome artwork. Ads that are just “pretty” don’t have any place here. It needs to be the whole package… great concept, great artwork, great execution.

Packaging
The worst thing that you can do in this category is submit work that is down-right messy. It needs to look impeccable. No glue spots, curling corners, crooked edges, etc. And again, the concept and end product needs to be clever, interesting, and have a great design. Ideally, you want them to look at your project and think “Hey, is this in the right competition? It looks professional…” Oh, and submit the actual, 3-dimensional project. Do you really think you are going to win an ADDY with a photo alone?

Brochures
Oh, those judges just looooove a good brochure. And what’s not to love? We’re talking about a culmination of great design, interesting die cuts, finishing techniques, and unique binding. They just eat that up at the ADDY’s. A simple stroll through our Student ADDY Flickr Galleries will show you what an award winning brochure looks like. And again… assembly needs to be perfect.

Posters
Don’t confuse this with ads. They’re judged differently. Posters need to be visually stunning. They are either strong illustratively, typographically, or BOTH! And make sure you print it big… no smaller than 11×17. A small poster won’t have a big impact. Just don’t go overboard… it doesn’t need to be humongous. And hey, sometimes an ad will do better in this category… or vice versa. That’s just a risk you’ll have to take.

Lastly, here’s some advice regarding some of the more difficult categories. It’s not that you can’t win an ADDY in these categories, it’s simply that it’s a bit more challenging. So really take this advice to heart, especially if you are concerned about sending $40 per entry.

Stationery
This is not an easy category to win an ADDY in (look through our ADDY Flickr sets… how many corporate ID entries do you see?) A nice design alone won’t cut it. It’s gotta have that “WOW” factor: die cuts, special folds, interesting paper, interactivity… something! And you really should enter the whole set (letterhead, business card, envelope). Occasionally a single business card or letterhead/envelope will win on it’s own, but it’s gotta be mind-blowingly awesome… something really unique and innovative.

Interactive Media
It’s not impossible, but it is the most difficult of all the categories to enter (particularly websites). It’s simply due to the high standards of web. The website needs to offer a fantastic user experience, be free of bugs, and have great interactivity… and a few animations wouldn’t hurt either.

Elements of Advertising: Logos, Illustration, Animation
This is a tricky category, simply because it is hyper-focused on the design of that individual element. I mean, it’s gotta be STELLAR, especially illustrations. Logos… well, logos are really hard just because of how subjective they are. They gotta be cutting edge, on top of trends, and clever. Like the Sherwin Williams logo that Katrina Mustakas did? Genius in it’s simplicity. The original logo was identifiable (and definitely, ugly) and Katrina’s new solution was like a breath of fresh air. It’s a head turner, and that’s what they’re looking for.

So there ya have it folks… take it or leave it. These are just tips based on my observations and feedback that I have gotten. They aren’t rules that are totally set in stone — there’s definitely some gray area in there. But the bottom line here is that you should at least enter SOMETHING, cause you never know when you just might find yourself with some ADDY gold.

ADDY Entry Day is Friday!

Christine Cerniglia — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 17:21:23 +0000

It’s time to get your ADDY on! Entry Day is THIS Friday, January 13th at Full Sail. Pick up your Entry Packets in the lab starting tomorrow!

:::WHERE:::
Full Sail, Building 3B
3300 University Blvd
Winter Park, FL 32792
Enter via Driggs Drive/University Blvd, between Alehouse and McDonalds. Building 3b is right next to the new Full Sail Live (behind Ale House parking lot). Look for event signs.
NOTE: It is NOT the entrance with the plane sculpture.

:::TIME:::
10am-8pm
NO LATE ENTRIES ACCEPTED!

:::FEES:::
Students – $40 per entry
For single OR campaign entries

:::TO ENTER:::
http://www.addycompetition.com

:::ENTRY CHECKLIST::::
Download: addy-checklist

:::MORE INFORMATION::::
http://www.theorlandoaddys.com/

If you need more information about how to submit your entry, be sure to check out the Student ADDY’s Presentation PDF and the ADDY “How To” video below. Remember… you HAVE to submit your entry in the provided entry packets in the lab.

Download: StudentADDYs_Presentation2011

Good luck to you all! Let’s rock the ADDY’s this year!
****Stay tuned for an upcoming blog containing some insider tips about entering the ADDYs****

FREE PIZZZZZZA!!

kristy pennino — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:45:04 +0000

Visual Voices is hosting it’s semesterly FREE PIZZA meeting! Stop by this first meeting of the semester to learn more about Visual Voices, become a member and, of course, eat some FREE PIZZA!

Web & Design Interns Needed at The 2u Collection

Christine Cerniglia — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:33:41 +0000

The 2u Collection is looking for a Interns for Spring 2012! The 2u Collection is a full service national design studio specializing in custom designed invitations & stationery. They also specialize in advertising design and marketing for wedding industry professionals and various other industries. Student interns will have the opportunity to work in a fast paced, exciting and fun environment and help execute a variety of projects.

NOTE: This internship opportunity is only for students who are currently registered for Graphics Technology Spring 2012 Internship, and have already met previous requirements and registration (including attending the required Internship Orientation).

———————————————————————
Web Design Intern
Responsibilities & Qualifications:

The Web Design intern will perform a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to:

Maintain and update all websites for 2uCollection, including 2ucollection.com, Paper Couture (2ucouture.com), and their advertising division 2uCreative
Conceptual development and design of client websites
Help maintain the blog and other possible forms of social media as needed
Assisting in graphic design concepts and creation of a variety of media, including invitations, logos, collateral, etc.

A qualified applicant should possess the following skills:

Great sense of creativity and organization
Strong attention to details
Proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite (Primarily Photoshop)
Proficient Mac user
Motivated, self starter, not afraid to take the bull by the horns and run with it
Experience with Flash and Dreamweaver
Experience with light front-end web design

———————————————————————

Graphics/Production Intern
Responsibilities & Qualifications:
The Graphics/Production intern will perform a variety of tasks, including, but not limited to:

Assisting in graphic design concepts and creation of a variety of media, including invitations, logos,collateral, etc.
Design and production of various advertising work for clients such as for Wonderworks, PLAYGROUND Magazine, and more.
Perform a variety of hand finishing work, including, but not limited to, trimming, folding, adhering embellishments, tieing ribbon, etc
Work closely with art director and clients to design the perfect solution for their event

A qualified applicant should possess the following skills:

Great sense of creativity and organization
Strong attention to details
Excellent hand production skills (ie. cutting, using adhesives, etc)
Proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite (Primarily InDesign and Illustrator)
Proficient Mac user
Motivated, self starter, not afraid to take the bull by the horns and run with it
Comfortable using small format laser printers and inkjet printers, also preparing mechanical’s & press files for offset printing

Interested applicants please apply to amy@2ucollection.com with “Spring Design Internship” in the subject.

2012 ADDY Update

Christine Cerniglia — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:21:16 +0000

Hello future ADDY winners! As you’re finishing up those final projects and happily putting away your spray mount and EX-acto blades, keep in mind that you may want to break out those essentials during the holiday season. Entries to the ADDY awards are due January 13th — that’s the first week that we’re back in session. So, although you get 3 blissful weeks without us heckling you to finish your entries, try not to save everything until the last minute (as if you HAVEN’T heard us say that enough).

If you’re looking for a little more info, then check out our ADDY instructional video from last year, but keep in mind there are a couple changes (ie we are supplying envelopes/entry packets, you have to submit 2 copies in each entry, etc:

Check back in with us at the beginning of the Spring Semester for some insider tips on what to enter and how to enter. Entry packets will be available the first day of classes. Things will be quiet here over the next few weeks, but in the meantime you can stay up-to-date with the ADDY’s through the website:

http://www.theorlandoaddys.com/

AIGA 2012 Mentorship Program

kristy pennino — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 16:08:33 +0000

Application Deadline: January 12, 2012

Mentor/Mentee Announcements: January 20, 2012

To soar in this industry, “flying with eagles” is a must. And what better way to gain superior guidance in creativity and personal growth than under the wings of seasoned AIGA professionals in the field.

The 2012 Mentorship Program provides that very opportunity by matching qualified student members with experienced professional AIGA members. Students and professionals work one-on-one with each other through a series of meetings and correspondes to develop portfolio level work which is ultimately exhibited at the AIGA spot event. The winner of spot will revive a $500 scholarship.

If you’re a student looking to spread your wings and strengthen your craft or a professional in the industry interested in getting involved, visit http://orlando.aiga.org/student/mentorship-program for detailed program guidelines and registration information. Together we can soar and reach unparalleled heights. Sign up today.

Portfolio Show ‘n’ Tell

kristy pennino — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 18:23:56 +0000

Ever want to see what a finished Valencia Graphics Student’s portfolio looks like?? Well, here’s your chance!:

Show & Tell: Monday, December 12th from 6pm – 8pm in 1-214 on the East Campus.

This in an informal show ‘n’ tell event. Expect to have the chance to flip and click through finished portfolios, resumes and self promotional materials. It’s a great opportunity to ask soon-to-be graduates questions!

{Lots of} Help Wanted at Progressive Communications

kristy pennino — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 21:03:48 +0000

Progressive Communications is needing to hire a few new employees. They’re looking for a Project Manager, Web Developer, Production Artist and Senior Graphic Designer.

Interested candidates should CLICK HERE to read more about these positions and how to apply.

Student ADDY Workshop

Christine Cerniglia — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 23:05:41 +0000

It’s that time of the year again, and I’m not talking about Thanksgiving or all that Christmas fa-la-la-la-la-ing that’s coming up soon… I’m talking about ADDY’s! *sniff sniff* Do you smell that? Nope, it ain’t turkey… that’s the smell of ADDY gold, baby, and it could be yours for the taking.

Yep, folks, you heard right… the ADDY Awards are coming, and hopeful gold-winners should attend the upcoming Student ADDY Workshop being held at UCF (see below for details). I have it on good authority that UCF and IADT are gonna seriously bring it this year, so you best be prepared. You’ll have the whole of winter break to polish up those projects of yours and get them ready for entry day in January. Stay tuned to the blog for more ADDY details, but start off on the right foot by attending the workshop…

When: Tuesday, November 29th at 5:30pm

Where: UCF Student Union, Cedar Key, Room 223

Who: All students welcome – UCF, Valencia, Full Sail, IADT etc.

Get the skinny on all of the details about the Student ADDY Competition: what to enter, when and how to do it.

You can RSVP/post questions on the Facebook event: http://www.facebook.com/events/279463905422892/

Any questions? Post them here or email your ADDY co-chair (that would be me… ccerniglia@valenciacollege.edu

Web Professional Looking for Interns

kristy pennino — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:43:30 +0000

Diana Turk, a local freelance web designer with a home office in East Orlando, is looking for a paid intern immediately to assist with her heavy workload and upcoming deadlines:

Skills/Qualifications:

A dog lover who is comfortable working in her home office
Easy going and no stress
Very strong in HTML and CSS
Typography and layout skills are very important
Comfortable working in Dreamweaver, Photoshop and InDesign. WordPress knowledge is a plus.
A strong worker capable of hitting the ground running.

This internship has a strong possibility of turning into a part-time position.
1-2 days per week; Flexible hours; $8.00 per hour

Interested candidates should email their resume to: diana@dianaturk.com