Hi, I'm Amy!

One of the projects I’ve been working on as of late is my personal identity. I’ve heard quite a few of my classmates say “I don’t know who I am” and have thought the same many times. While I feel like I know myself, I have a hard time explaining it to others, and an even harder time communicating it visually. How can I communicate to potential employers that I’m hardworking, detail oriented, into knitting, love crafts and can be quite fun once you know me, with a brand. I’m sure it’s possible and am getting closer each time I work on it, but I still feel like part of my personality will be missing.

Networking with people in the business and potential employers can be very intimidating, add in the judgment that comes when you hand over your business card and it’s almost too much. My professor strongly suggested that my classmates and I have our business cards ready for Design Thinkers (a design conference in Toronto) and I thought it was a great idea, until I realized he wanted us to hand them out. Hopefully all goes well and it is a successful learning and networking experience.

Project: Interaction

While looking for ideas for a skate park re-brand, I came across Project: Interaction, a project to invent, design and change. Project: Interaction is a ten week program that helps high school students use design to change their community. Each week students take on a new lesson to help them improve storytelling, communication, creative thinking, and problem solving skills. Here is a re-cap of each lesson:

1 - Look at Times Square: How does design work, how do people interact with design?

2 – High Line: Take a look at reinvention, how can something be completely transformed?

3 – Union Square: How does the design of a space meet the needs of those who use it?

4 – Into the Wild: Students visit a design studio to see how the concepts they learned play out in the working world.

5 – Did you Check in Here: Check out the app Foursquare and see how it relates to the city setting.

6 – How to Find Info in NYC: What is the difference between a good and a service?

7 – Green Buildings: Examine what designers have done to make buildings more environmentally friendly.

8 & 9 – Final Project: Students work on their final project and have one last lecture from a guest speaker.

10 – Reflection: Students informally present their work and discuss the solutions they came up with.

While programs of this sort are popping up in large cities all over the place, small towns are still missing design in the classroom. Maybe by the time I have my own family; design will be available more readily in the classroom setting. Maybe I’ll be the one teaching it?

Create-A-Thon

Although I’m nervous, and have been anxious about it all week, I’m getting kind of excited for Create-A-Thon. For 24 hours I will be doing pro bono work for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waterloo Region. After the Cambridge and KW branches amalgamated the group was left with outdated campaign materials. Our goal is to get their new name and logo out there with new brochures, signage and a new booth display for employees to take around to events in the area. I hope everything runs smoothly and that we have enough time to get everything done. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a great cause and they deserve the attention of the local community. Keep your eyes peeled for the groups’ new look!

DIY Bag

Every year for around the last ten years, I have participated in the Alzheimer’s Walk for Memories. Each year I get a new canvas bag filled with goodies for my fundraising efforts. While the bags are nice, they are a little bit boring and I wouldn’t mind if they were a little bigger. Design*Sponge offers the perfect solution; add a pocket to the outside. After adding a cute flowered pocket over the logo, my bag is personalized and has more space. Perfect!

The Sketchbook Project

While looking at Design Sponge I came upon the Sketchbook Project. The Sketchbook Project allows artists to display one of their most prized belongings, their sketchbook. To get the artists started they select a topic, they are then sent a moleskin sketchbook in the mail. The only rules are that they must stick with the topic they choose, must fill their book, and most importantly must avoid messy supplies like glitter.

Sketchbooks are collected by the Brooklyn Art Library then toured across the United States. All sketchbooks that are submitted by the deadline will be included in the tour and artists are able to have their sketchbooks scanned for $20.00. After the sketchbooks are finished the tour they will become part of the permanent collection at the Library and the scanned sketchbooks will become part of an online gallery.

I can’t wait to check out the site when it is launched, I love looking through artist’s sketchbooks more than looking at their work. I am always amazed by the way artists can casually sketch something and it be better than anything I could ever do. I guess I best get back to the drawing boards. Pun intended.

Many Thanks

Last year around this time I was just starting to plan how I could positively change society with design, this year I'm re-designing that project and making it a live website. Formerly called 1000 ThankYous, Many Thanks is a website that promotes positivity and the lost tradition of saying thank you.

With a positive outlook on life everything is just a little bit easier, your body is a little bit healthier and you appreciate your loved ones that much more. The website gives visitors a place to submit their thank you notes and read the stories of others who have submitted on the site. MANY THANKS also includes a variety of printable thank you cards to promote the giving of physical cards. Even if you don't have a story to submit, check out the site and see what others had to say, I guarantee it will brighten your day.

The Internet Case Study Book

To help improve the designism (Design for positive social change) project I am working on (1000 Thank Yous) I have been doing some research. Dave, a classmate suggested that I read The Internet Case Study Book to find out what successful websites have done in the past. In the social media section I read that there are three things that most good websites have; publishing, participation and personalization. Users like being able to add to the content of the site, participate in games and blogs, and personalize their own area of the site. Users need to be engaged, have a reason to stay on the site and a reason to return.

One of my favourite websites was last.fm. last.fm is a website that collects information on your favourite bands then suggests other songs and bands that you may like, your own personal music guru! On top of suggesting cool new music, the site has free MP3 downloads.

Some other websites that I found interesting were the Eternal Moonwalk in memory of Michael Jackson and Green Peace Brazil’s online web campaign. Green Peace Brazil created videos speaking out against the government and the things that are affecting the environment the most. Their creative and diverse approach helps to touch a wider audience and keeps repeat viewers interested.

While I don’t anticipate my website becoming an instant hit, if I could brighten at least one person’s day, I’d be satisfied.