SPARK with us in October at Air Conditioned, featuring a designer-stylized interior of dark wood walls, low-lighting and friendly servers. In front of a chalk-written menu, bartenders double as sommeliers, guiding guests through an extensive wine list and selection of light snacks like artisan cheese plates.

Get your drink on by SPARKing with others. Be one of the first 25 to show us 5 business cards you've collected from around the room and have a glass on us.

This season's series is sponsored by Imprint Culture Lab, whose annual creativity conference takes place on October 1st, 2008 in downtown Los Angeles. This year's conference features creative and design luminaries from around the globe.

About the SPARK Series
The SPARK series is a monthly social gathering for Los Angeles area creatives providing an opportunity to network and spark connections with others.

Cost : FREE. RSVP to rponce_aigauclax@yahoo.com by Oct 23rd

New Location: Rm. 2100-A - Broad Art Center (UCLA's North campus)
Link: http://maps.ucla.edu/campus/

Samantha Hoey is an Associate Art Director at Disney Online, a unit part of the Disney Interactive Media Group. Since joining the Disney Online, Samantha has been the creative lead for the Ad Sales Team, which produces advertising campaigns featured on Disney.com. Samantha has been responsible for the creative development between Disney and its top advertisers. Samantha and team, in collaboration with a top Disney.com advertiser, recently earned a Reggie award for an innovative online campaign, Hannah Montana's My Concert Memory Book.

Previous to Disney, Samantha has enjoyed a variety of experiences designing web sites for Shopzilla, Teleflora and Microsoft. She's also worked with brands such as Sunkist, Pom Wonderful, Figji Water; as well as entertainers, Elton John and Heart. She came to LA from Seattle, Washington where she worked for several years with high-tech startups and owned her own design agency. Samantha has a BFA in Design and Illustration from Radford University, in Virginia.

Join AIGA/LA and Mohawk Fine Paper for an evening at the Pasadena Museum of California Art to toast the design of the finalists and winners of the Mohawk Show 9, a collection of print work that should not be missed.

San Francisco-based graphic designer Michael Osborne designed the stunning Beckett Cambric promotions for Mohawk Fine Papers. Michael will talk with us about his vast experience with wine and other package design, the lures of profit vs. non-profit work, his love of letterpress and whatever else strikes his fancy.

Wine and cheese will complement the evening's exhibition of the Mohawk Show. Don't miss the top pours and savory tidbits as you learn the basics and beyond. And to uphold Mohawk Fine Paper's commitment to the environment (and our own), the evening will be held sustainably, and stylishly, too.

Michael Osborne will be signing limited-edition posters designed for the event. Don't miss out.

7:00 - 8:00 pm cocktail reception and viewing of Mohawk Show exhibit
8:00 - 9:30 pm Michael Osborne presentation and Q&A

Tickets
AIGA Members: $25
AIGA Student Members: $15
Non-Members: $35
Non-Member Students: $20

Register now.

Michael Osborne is President and Creative Director of the San Francisco-based graphic design firm, MOD/Michael Osborne Design, Inc. Established in 1981, the firm's work in corporate/brand identity, package design, and print collateral has been recognized by many competitions for outstanding design, including the West Coast Show, American Institute of Graphic Arts, and the Clios. Michael also designed the 2002 and 2004 Love Stamps for the USPS. His client list includes beverage brands such as Jack Daniel's, Beringer Blass Wine Estates, Robert Mondavi Winery, Silver Oak Cellars, Cocktails by Jenn and more. For more info on Michael Osborne, visit http://www.modsf.com.

The Mohawk Show 9 was judged by Sam Shelton, Michael Hodgson, Debbie Millman and Bart Crosby, who reviewed over twelve hundred entries. This travelling exhibit celebrates five winners and twenty finalists, chosen based on aesthetic value, content, paper usage, appropriateness, production quality and excellence of craft. The honorees are profiled in the Mohawk Show 9 Catalogue. For more info on the Mohawk Show, visit http://www.mohawkpaper.com.

John Roberts John serves as communications consultant for several client organizations, including Evenson Design Group, a sustainable branding and design firm in Los Angeles. An inspired, outspoken voice within in the sustainable business
community, John is particularly interested in using his research to further the environmental movement's agenda. He works with a variety of profit and non-profit organizations to create campaigns that inspire environmental action. His new book "Igniting Inspiration: A Persuasion Manual for Visionaries" is quickly becoming an indispensable tool for a new generation of socially conscious marketers, business leaders, and activists.

R. Christine Hershey of Hershey|Cause
Hershey|Cause is a Santa Monica agency that creates design work for a wide variety of clients, but is specifically known for its work with non-profit companies: The Nature Conservancy, The Climate Project, The Environmental Resource Center/ERC, SeaWeb and many others. They choose clients who are making the world a better place. Hershey|Cause believes that communications can shape the debate on important topics, raise much needed funds and brand an organization in ways that generate double bottom line results -- and they have been doing just that for 30 years. Hershey works as a strategic partner to build brands and high profile campaigns and the nonprofit Cause, is a leader in education, capacity building and theory on communications for social change.

For more information call the UCLA extension design arts office at (310) 206-1422
Free for current AIGA members. $10 at the door for non-members.

Students may also sign up and renew their membership at the event.

Adobe product trainer, Kelly McCathran, will teach designers, developers, and production artists alike the design flexibility, technical efficiency and creative potential of this revolutionary new tool set.

In this session, you will:

• Discover new animation, video, and 3D design tools - all within a comprehensive, integrated design environment


• Learn to use existing skills to try new creative possibilities


• Explore new, simpler ways of working that let you do more in less time


• Learn how to work interactively with clients and colleagues, sharing


• screens and hosting live reviews across the hall or around the world

Schedule
6:00 - 6:30 pm Reception in Lindhurst Gallery
6:30 - 9:30 pm Lecture in Pierre Koenig Lecture Hall

Tickets
AIGA Members: $10.00
AIGA Student Members: FREE
USC Students (w/valid ID): FREE
Non-Members: $25.00
Non-Member Students: $10.00

Online registration has ended. Tickets will be available at the door.

Adobe, the Adobe logo, and Creative Suite are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (c)2008 Adobe Systems Incorporated. All rights reserved.

Starting his career in the United States as an art director at Portland, Oregon advertising agency Wieden & Kennedy, Bucher went on to design numerous CD packages including Brand New Day: The Remixes for Sting, the soundtrack for the motion picture The Matrix with Keanu Reeves. His design of the 17th "American Photography" annual received the 2001 Silver Award for outstanding complete book design by British Design & Advertising ("D&AD") His more recent work for clients ranging from KCRW DJ Jason Bentley to art gallery L.A. Louver, painter David Hockney, and movie director Tarsem makes more frequent use of illustration and hand-lettering. He is the author of the book All Access - The Making of Thirty Extraordinary Graphic Designers.

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

For More Info + Maps:
www.gauge-aiga.blogspot.com

Opportunity Green is a convergence of the prime movers & shakers and the up & coming innovators driving today\'s new green economy.

Rub elbows with 500 of the best and brightest thought leaders: entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and designers focused on building sustainable enterprises.

Speakers include:

Rick Ridgeway, VP Environmental Programs & Communications, Patagonia
Lorrie Vogel, General Manager, Nike Considered Products
Rand Waddoups, Sr. Director of Corporate Strategy & Sustainability, Walmart
Michael Besancon, President, Southern Pacific Region, Whole Foods
Michela O\'Connor Abrams, Publisher/President Dwell
Adeo Ressi, Trustee, X Prize Foundation; Founding Member, The Funded
Zem Joaquin, Founder/Editor in Chief, EcoFabulous
Josh Dorfman, Author/Producer/Host of The Lazy Environmentalist
Joshua Onysko, Founder/CEO, Pangea Organics
Marc Alt , President, Marc Alt & Associates; Co-Chair, AIGA Center for Sustainable Design; Advisory Board Member, The Designer Accords
Alissa Walker, Founder, Gelato Baby
Andy Funk, Managing Director, Funk Ventures

Continue to network at Being Green + Being Profitable (open-bar) After-Party!

For a 20% discount, enter: AIGA8c3

This is applicable to all pricing (regular, non-profit, and student).

Register now.

FREE! No reservations needed!

Due to the success of their show last year, ArtRush of Pepperdine University invites you to attend their 2nd annual PreSERVE art show. On November 8, 2008, we will be featuring the work of Pepperdine's finest artistic talents. Come join a FREE celebration with fabulous art, music, and refreshments! The show will take place at WEA Agency located at 22741 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, CA 90265 (between McDonald's and KFC) from 7pm-11pm.

This show presents two ideas that align with the young adults of today: our human need to make a legacy in this world-while living in a world that needs us- our resources, our ideas, our artistic vision. Art Rush truly believes that every single person was created to be on earth to contribute something good to humanity, and that art is one of the most powerful and lasting tools of communication on the planet. When we combine purpose with vision and creativity, we get an unstoppable force- one that will last longer, spread faster, and be heard louder than our individual voice alone. Please come support us as we make our mark!

Parking is free but limited within the building. Street parking is available.

EXHIBITION DATES
November 8th - December 5th

SUBLIMINAL GALLERY
1331 W. Sunset Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90026
P. 213.213.0078

SPARK with us in November at Mandrake, where raw concrete floors and a glossy blue bar add a colorful backdrop for the revolving projection displays and occasional art house film. The tucked-away terrace offers refuge for smokers, as well as seating for small plates and charcuterie seekers.

Get your drink on by SPARKing with others. Be one of the first 25 to show us 5 business cards you've collected from around the room and have a drink on us.

This season's series is sponsored by bigger dot, an international provider of innovative print and communications solutions for organizations demanding value-added relationships. Committed to a culture of quality, bigger dot thrives on discovering and employing imaginative methods to enhance your image and deliver cost-effective applications to express your message, ultimately making heroes of you, your company and your clients.

About the SPARK Series
The SPARK series is a monthly social gathering for Los Angeles area creatives providing an opportunity to network and spark connections with others.

Runs November 20th-Ongoing

Opening Reception: November 20, 2008

6-10pm

Michael Pukac SOLO SHOW!

New Works on Paper.

Curated by: Dicapria

Free entrance

http://www.michaelpukac.com

Refreshments will be served while the DJ spins the tunes. Come and enjoy the love.

Event Program
6:30-7:30 Q&A session, opportunity to discuss issues with board members
7:30-9:30 25th Anniversary Kick-Off Party

Tickets
Members & Student Members: FREE

This event is only open to current members. The first 100 online registrants will receive a limited-edition commemorative T-shirt designed by Gary Baseman.

Innovation affords designers new opportunities from idea generation to product manufacturing, while expanding the relevance of their design product and confronting the issues presented by a changing world. While today's designers have at their disposal powerful digital design software and fabrication machines, technology is just one aspect of a wider process revolution being driven by globalization, compressed time-to-market, ecological sensitivity and increased sophistication in consumer taste. This symposium brings together experts from a variety of design disciplines to analyze trends, share ideas, and look at the future of the design process.

AIGA Members get in for the student cost of only $45.00 (discounted from the original cost of $70.00), so be sure to bring your current AIGA Member card for verification.

Register at the bottom of the linked page.
http://www.gensler.com/xtr/dpi2/

Speakers and Panelists
Chandler Ahrens, Open Source Architecture
Chandler Ahrens is a founding partner of Open Source Architecture. His design methodology derives from an investigation into tangible and virtual environments engaging various modes of spatiality, materiality, fabrication techniques and implementation of parametric and generative computational processes to inform and evaluate the design process.

Frances Anderton, KCRW
Frances Anderton is the host of DnA: Design and Architecture and a producer for Warren Olney's Which Way, L.A.? and To the Point all on on public radio station KCRW. She is West Coast editor for Dwell magazine and writes on architecture and design for The New York Times and other publications.

Saffet Bekiroglu, Zaha Hadid Architects
Saffet Kaya Bekiroglu is an associate at Zaha Hadid Architects and the lead architect on Istanbul's Kartal-Pendik Masterplan and several other competition-winning projects such as the Aquatics Centre for London's 2012 Olympics, and the regeneration of Eleftheria Square in Nicosia, Cyprus. His interest lies in the expression of smart surfaces informed by inherent conditions and contextual data - organizing the design with multiple orders into architectural landscapes.

Mathew Cullen, Motion Theory
Co-founder of Motion Theory, Mathew Cullen envisioned bringing together directors, animators, visual effects artists, writers, and other creative talents to form a more personal and agile version of a film studio. He has directed award-winning projects for HP, Nike, EA Sports, ESPN, and Budweiser, and music videos for Modest Mouse, Beck, and R.E.M. He has received more than one hundred industry awards and his work has been inducted into the Museum of Modern Art on 10 occasions.

Craig Hanna, thinkwell
Craig is a writer, filmmaker and storyteller with more than 20 years expertise in the creation of compelling experiences and environments. As chief creative officer he directs the creative development of each project from inception through opening day. His experience in master planning and attraction development spans a variety of world-class projects.Prior to founding Thinkwell Craig was a creative executive at Universal Studios.

Stuart Karten, Stuart Karten Design
Stuart Karten is a graduate of Rhode Island Schoolof Design. His work spans the medical, consumer electronics, housewares, industrial and transportation industries. The company's design is grounded in a user-centered philosophy aimed at developing products and brand languages that excite their target customers and reflect an empathetic understanding of user needs. Karten developed ModeMapping, a proprietary design research process, to solve the challenges inherent in design research - organizing results, communicating findings to team members and clients, and drawing analytical conclusions.

Tali Krakowsky, Imaginary Forces
Tali Krakowsky, director of experience design for Imaginary Forces, has worked on immersive environments for the Museum of Biodiversity in Panama with Frank Gehry and Bruce Mau, and New City, a commissioned web-based installation for MoMA. She has worked on the World Trade Center redesign competition, an installation for the Netherlands Architecture Institute and MoMA's Tall Buildings exhibition as part of the design consortium United Architects.

Sam Lubell, The Architect's Newspaper
Sam Lubell is the Los Angeles correspondent for the Architect's Newspaper and has written for Architectural Record, the New York Times, New York Magazine, the Los Angeles Times, and elsewhere. He is also the author of Paris 2000+: New Architecture.

Geoff Manaugh, Dwell & BLDGBLOG
Geoff Manaugh is Senior Editor of Dwell magazine, editor at Archinect, and author of the popular website BLDGBLOG. He has a BA in Cultural Studies from University of North Carolina and an MA in Art & Architectural History from University of Chicago. In Spring 2009, Chronicle Books will publish a full-length book based on BLDGBLOG.

Elena Manferdini, Atelier Manferdini
Elena Manferdini is the principal of Atelier Manferdini, an architectural office that specializes in the cutting edge ofcomputer-aided design of exotic forms. Because of her combination of degrees in engineering and architecture, Elena Manferdini's practice applies construction and manufacturing technologies from the aeronautic and car industry to the field of architecture, object design and fashion.

Matthew Melnyk, Buro Happold
Matthew was a founding member of the Buro Happold Los Angeles office. His ongoing research has focused on performance design, optimization and form-finding. A graduate of the UC Berkeley School of Engineering (BS, MS), Matthew has lectured at Columbia University, Pratt University and Stevens Institute of Technology. He currently holds a teaching position in the graduate program of the Southern California Institute of Architecture.

Gaston Nogues, Ball-Nogues
C.E.B. REAS (b. 1972 in Troy, OH) lives and works in Los Angeles. He focuses on defining processes and translating them into images. He is an associate professor and chair of the department of Design | Media Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles. With Ben Fry, REAS initiated Processing.org in 2001, an open source programming language and environment for creating images, animation, and interaction.

C.E.B. REAS, Processing.org & UCLA Design | Media Arts Department
C.E.B. REAS is an associate professor and chair of the department of Design | Media Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles. He focuses on defining processes and translating them into images. With Ben Fry, REAS initiated Processing.org in 2001, an open source programming language and environment for creating images, animation, and interaction.

Scott Robertson, Design Studio Press
Scott Robertson has designed a variety of consumer products, mainly durable medical goods and sporting goods. In 1995, he began teaching at Art Center College of Design in Europe and Pasadena. He founded Design Studio Press, a publishing company dedicated to art and design education. DSP's first book, Concept Design 1, released in 2003 and now out of print, is a collection of original artwork by seven of the top concept artists working in Hollywood.

Richard Whitehall, Smart Design
Richard Whitehall graduated from the Industrial Design Engineering program at the Royal College of Art where his work focused on the design of electronic products and systems. His work on hi-fi speakers for Impulse received the British Design and Art Directors award in 1995. Prior to Smart Design, Richard was Design Director at Human Factors Industrial Design (now Product Genesis) where he specialized in the development of clinical and consumer healthcare products.

Register in advance to this free private event and youll also receive a gift bag* with deluxe samples from your favorite brands as a special gift, plus a 10% discount coupon redeemable at your local Macy's.

Free for working professionals and business owners. Parking validated at Macy's.

http://www.conex360.com/holiday.php

Elevate your personal connections in Lake Tahoe!

Elevate is the new premier design conference focused on the development of people, connections, and personal relationships that inspire the business of design.

Network and learn from leading design principals, entrepreneurs, and political consultants, as they share their experiences, greatest influences, and stories of how they built their business.

When you're not busy at the conference, there will be plenty of time to ski, snowboard, shop, or just lounge in the lodge at the Heavenly Resort.

Registration opens October 6th at http://www.elevateconference.org

Register before November 1st and save $100!

The conference is being held Feb 5-8, 2009 at the Embassy Suites Heavenly Resort in Lake Tahoe.

Speakers include:
Christina Harbridge: Political communications consultant
Michael Osborne: Principal, MOD, San Francisco
Mike Bonifer: Author of Game Changers - Improvisation for Business in the Networked World
Rob Wallace: Principal, Wallace Church, New York
Ames Brothers: "Living the dream" entrepreneurs from Seattle and Authors of Pearl Jam vs Ames Bros, 13 Years of Tour Posters
David LaPlante: CEO, Twelve Horses North America

....and a personal tour by Kit Hinrichs (Pentagram, SF) of the Long May She Wave exhibition at the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno.