AD2 Roanoke

AD2 Roanoke and Steve FM present you with the solution to holiday stress, the 2009 Ugly Sweater Gala. Cover up the extra pounds from Thanksgiving with glitter and horizontal neon stripes. Have a Cosby-esque jello shot and soothe away the facial tics. Whatever you do, make sure you wear something that would make Aunt Ethel proud. We know you have one. Work it. Wear it.

The cover for this event is $10 or $5 with a donation of gently worn clothing that will go to the Rescue Mission. This fund-raising event is open to everyone.

RSVPs aren’t required, but let us know if your coming on Facebook.

Listen:

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When I was wrapping up my graphic design studies program, I remember my professor encouraging us to think of ourselves as “professionals”. I had no idea what he meant by that. I now know he was trying to motivate us to polish our portfolios before being thrown into an increasingly competitive job market. He knew it was happening with more than just his classroom full of students, too. We had been studying techniques toward self-promotion, and one thing that stuck out in my mind was the idea of an online portfolio.

By this point in my education, I had been through all of one (1) class that even hinted at how I might get a portfolio online. I could build a web site, or at the very least modify a template, but beyond building the thing, I had no clue how to actually get it up and running. I also didn’t want to spend money on hosting space, although I did, eventually.

So, about 5 years later, thinking back on how big of a hassle that was I had one of those “if I knew then what I know now” moments. And with that moment came an idea for a professional-looking, low-cost portfolio website for those willing to invest the time. I’ll also share with you how to use it as a marketing tool and how to integrate some cool social media techniques. Let’s get started.

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A while back, I needed some inspiration and was looking at design books. It made me wonder if other designers and industry-gurus have book suggestions that have helped them along their graphic design travels.

Here are some suggestions that I received…

How To Be a Graphic Designer Without Not Losing Your Soul – Adrian Shaughnessy http://bit.ly/1s46ko

Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far – Stefan Sagmeister http://bit.ly/pF5xx

100 Habits of Successful Graphic Designers – Josh Berger, Sarah Dougher http://bit.ly/279h8O

Hey Whipple, Squeeze This – Luke Sullivan http://bit.ly/sId7r

And David Ogilvy is so rockin’ awesome that these were suggested several times:

The King of Madison Avenue: David Ogilvy

Ogilvy On Advertising – David Ogilvy http://bit.ly/1eP8v0

Confessions of an Advertising Man – David Ogilvy http://bit.ly/1gjwgN

Also see, David Airey’s blog on his favorite book: http://www.davidairey.com/whats-your-favourite-graphic-design-book

(Sidenote: I apologize to Brad and Patrick, since they responded to my query and unfortunately your answers were lost by a work email change-over. Sorry!)