Dana Arnett is a principal of VSA Partners , leading a team in the creation of design programs, film projects, interactive initiatives and brand communications solutions for a diverse roster of clients. His clients have included Caterpillar, Harley-Davidson, Cingular, IBM, Handspring, Chronicle Books and Time Warner. Founded and headquartered in Chicago, VSA Partners has offices in New York, St. Louis and Minneapolis.

Dana will chair the ADC Design Jury for the 87th Annual Awards. Over the course of more than two decades in the field, Dana has been recognized globally by more than 60 competitions and designations, including: ADC, Communication Arts, Graphis, The Type Directors Club, ID, The LA Film Festival, the AR100, The American Marketing Association, AIGA and American and British Art Director Clubs. Dana was a 1999 inductee into the Alliance Graphic International, and holds the honor of being named to the ID40, which has cited him as one of the 40 most important people shaping design internationally. He is currently a board member of the American Institute for Graphic Arts.

A frequent lecturer and visiting professor, Dana is also active in helping to shape the role of design in society through his contribution to publishing endeavors, conference chairmanships and foundation activities. The Harley lovin' Chicago native offers the ADC his thoughts on design education, a "wish I'd thought of that" moment, the meaning of awards, and the preference of thin crust over deep dish pizza. Blasphemy? Interviewed by Regan Murphy, regan@adcglobal.org.

DA: Personal interest and a passion for motorcycling has everything to do with the success we've experienced with Harley-Davidson. My knowledge and experience with motorcycles has always provided an intuitive advantage for making decisions and finding special ways to creatively express ideas or concepts for their customers. Referencing those motorcycle moments and memories keeps things real when it comes to translating concepts to Harley's highly discriminating customer base. You can't sugarcoat anything Harley-Davidson.

DA: With the rapid convergence of media, the rules and lines for creative success are rapidly blurring. Whether it's a digital designer or a traditional art director, I look forward to sharing insights with anybody who's at the top of their creative field. The interactive judges, regardless of their chosen medium or set of preferences, will surely inspire me to think differently when it comes to evaluating the work. It's no secret that consumer preference and habits are being influenced the most by digital forms of communications.

DA: Wow, that's a hard one. I have one of those moments virtually everyday. I have to say that Michael Beirut's simple, yet elegant signage solution for the New York Times building is one of those, "I wish I had thought of that." The execution has little to with décor, and everything to do with execution. The power of this idea emerges from the beautifully restrained integration of typography and surface. Michael chose to tattoo the newspaper's ageless masthead directly on the louvered façade of the building. There aren't any fancy tricks here, just the tasteful and intelligent integration of two forms. If you've ever signed a building, you know how difficult it can be to balance the opposing demands of the client and the architect. Michael achieved both. Dare I say that he made the building look even better than that architect imagined? You be the judge.

DA: I have to resort to one of my favorite Mark Twain quotations when answering this question, "It is better to deserve honors and have them than to have them and not deserve them." While I appreciate the various awards and distinctions that VSA has received over the years, I'm also sober enough to realize there are clients who provide us the opportunities to do great work. Sure we strive to do exceptional work everyday, but never out of need for recognition. We actually love to design and realize that richer rewards come when clients see results from the investments they've made in excellent design.

DA: I think the most important issues for designers to focus on right now is the need to create truth and relevancy in our media rich and sensationalized world. Everyday, we're asked to tell stories and position products and services for a wide variety of audiences. Beyond the job at hand, designers need to sort through the content and point people in the right direction. Unfortunately, much of today's advertising and design has less to do with words and more to do with how content is manipulated, packaged and channeled. McLuhan's prophecies from the 60's have never been more relevant than today.

DA: Design has always had the power to drive our assumptions and shape opinion. Walter Gropius, one of the founding fathers of the Bauhaus, argued that, "…design has a significant contribution to the making of institutions as well as our lives." The lesson here is simple, whether it's a RED advertisement or an identity for a large company, design has a chance to rise above the fray and have a profound effect on people's behavior. And design doesn't have to choose between form and function, it can be a vehicle for both. Until we teach our design students this fundamental truth and preach these ethics to our peers and clients, we'll never get the public to realize the larger effect that design.

We're beginning to see a shift happen as a result of design. More and more corporations are seeking designers to incorporate design beyond the predictable functions of differentiation and decoration. Companies like Target, Apple, Interface and Nike are utilizing design to position their purpose, not just their product.

DA: We have a long way to go. Unfortunately, the vast proliferation of design curriculums at the university level over the last twenty years has diluted our abilities to position some of the most important driver of design - business being one of them. With over 30,000 design students graduating from various programs every year, its no wonder there's so few "rounded thinkers" out there. Certainly, there are still a handful of exceptional college programs that stress the important synergy that exists between business and design. But sadly, the most viable places to learn about the marriage of design and business are generally on the job or at special conferences or events. Until we see a concerted effort to reshape or create certification for design education, we'll be obligated as a profession to shape this issue on an extracurricular basis.

DA: Honesty.

DA: Well, we do stay inside for six months of years. Perhaps that has something to do with the hours we devote to design and our proliferation of ideas.

DA: We really don't view ourselves as "Midwestern" in the traditional sense of that word. Most of our clients are from out of town and our staff represents a virtual melting pot of origins and backgrounds. Yes, Chicago is a very manageable city to live and work in, and this may have helped to shape our attitude. One of the most important things I learned while growing up and living in the Midwest is just how durable and provocative this region can be. We take little for granted and we're known for putting our noses to the grindstone. Perhaps these are the subtle, yet important, attributes of VSA.

All images are the work of Dana Arnett and his colleagues at VSA Partners.

ADC's 86th Annual Traveling Exhibition opens in Tokyo, Japan on February 3. For details, please contact ADC.

Spend an evening with New York's renowned graphic artists Jules Feiffer, David Levine, Stan Mack, and Edward Sorel as they examine the ways in which complex social and political issues are depicted by artists in today's media. Jules Feiffer will moderate a discussion that explores the roots of political art and social realism in the context of John Sloan's early 20th-century illustrations of New Yorkers engaging in routine pastimes and pleasures. Presented in conjunction with exhibit John Sloan's New York.

Reservations are not required. $9 for non-members of the Museum; $5 for members, seniors, students and ADC members. At the door identify yourself as an ADC member and you will receive the Museum of the City of New York member discount. For reservations and program information call (212) 534-1672, ext. 3395.

Tuesday, February 3, 2008
6:30 pm
@ Museum of the City of New York
1220 Fifth Avenue at 104th Street

Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, an interactive exhibition by Stefan Sagmeister, opened at Deitch Projects on January 31. The exhibition includes works that have a life of their own, transforming throughout the exhibition as viewers engage with them. The exhibit is timed to coincide with the release of a new book of the same title, which surveys Sagmeister's illustrious career.

@ Deitch Projects
76 Grand Street, NYC
212-343-7300

For more information go here.

Organized by Stuart Ewen, Steven Heller and Mary Jeys, this day-long symposium is presented by the School of Visual Arts in cooperation with the PhD programs in History and Sociology of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Milton Glaser will be the keynote speaker and David Brancaccio, host and senior editor of NOW, the weekly investigative news program on PBS, will moderate.

The diverse and fascinating line-up of speakers, as well as information about registering, can be found here.

Friday, February 15
9 am - 4 pm
@ Baisley Powell Elebash Recital Hall
The Graduate Center, City University of New York
365 Fifth Avenue, NYC

Replenish your paper samples and update your printing knowledge at the ADC Paper Expo - an evening that includes food, drinks, and friends.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
5:30-8:30 pm
@ ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street, NYC

ADC Members Free
APC, SPD, TDC Members $5.00
Non-Members $10.00
For Professionals Only. Students are invited to pick up samples on Friday, March 28, 11:00 am-3:00 pm.

Participating Companies: Aldine, Appleton Coated, Crane & Co., Curious Paper, Earth Color, Enterprise, Finch Paper, International Paper, Litho-Art, Mohawk Fine Papers, Monadnock, Neenah Paper, Reich Paper, Sappi, Scheufelen, and Taylor Box.

RSVP online by going here.

PSFK presents a day of trends, inspiration and creative ideas on Thursday, March 27 at the Art Directors Club. Ideal for senior creatives, planners and strategists; PSFK has invited a select group of inspirational speakers to investigate the most pressing themes of 2008.

ADC will invite the audience to brainstorm for social causes, develop programming for Designism 3.0 and unveil Designism Social.

Thursday, March 27, 2008
8:30 am-6:30 pm
@ ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street, NYC

Questions and RSVP: http://www.psfk.com/psfk-conference-new-york

The increasing demand for multilingual typefaces has been boosted by the latest developments in the technologies of communications. The adoption of Unicode, and the industry-wide transition to OpenType font format has put the skills and the expertise of type designers to a new test. There is a growing expectation of their being able to develop typefaces with expanded glyph sets that cover not one but a number of scripts.

To address numerous problems of non-Latin type design, the Type Directors Club is offering a series of two-day professional seminars and workshops, TDC Non-Latin Weekends.
This particular TDC event is the third seminar in the series. Two earlier non-Latin seminars - Cyrillic, led by Maxim Zhukov, and Greek, led by Gerry Leonidas - were held in 2007. The seminar on Arabic, to be coordinated by Mamoun Sakkal, is scheduled to take place this fall.
Hebrew Weekend will be conducted by Adi Stern, a well-known expert in Hebrew type design and typography and a senior lecturer at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem, Israel.

Preliminary session and evening reception: Friday, April 11

April 11-13, 2008
@ TDC Conference Center
April 11-13
127 West 25th Street, 8th floor
NYC

For more information go here.

Six hands-on days with Paul Sahre, James Victore and Jan Wilker at the ADC. Limited to 40 people, no institutional ties, and an unnamed number of surprise guests. Enough said.

July 20-26
@ ADC Gallery
106 West 29th Street, NYC
Starting on Friday, February 7 more information can be found here.

Pure Animation provides wonderful insight into the process of creating great animation. Released in October 2007 by Merrell Publishers, Pure Animation showcases the works of 57 leading and up-and-coming animators from around the world. The animators featured employ various styles of animation, such as modeling, stop-motion, 2D, and 3D. For each animation artist or studio, Pure Animation includes a profile (with career highlights and credits) and a visual look at the creative development process.

Bursting with more than 1,500 color screen grabs and complete with creative and technical details, Pure Animation is a must-have for all animation enthusiasts - beginners, professionals, and anyone interested in contemporary visual culture and new directions in graphic art and design.

Spencer Drate and Judith Salavetz are creative directors and authors whose books include Swag: Rock Posters of the 90s and Extreme Motorcycle Art (Merrell, 2005). J.J. Sedelmaier is President of J.J. Sedelmaier Productions, a leading design and animation studio known for its 7UP and Volkswagen commercials, MTV's cartoon series Beavis and Butthead, and shorts for Saturday Night Live.

Help expand the Scholarship program - it is never too late to donate to the ADC 2008 National Scholarship Fund!

Go here to donate today.

In partnership with the School Art League and the New York City Department of Education, the ADC offers two Saturday Career Workshops for 50 artistically talented high school juniors from all five boroughs of New York City. Leading visual arts professionals volunteer to introduce students to careers in visual communications, while helping them build competitive portfolios for art school applications. This semester the ADC will have several new presenters and is pleased to provide students with a well-rounded line-up.

Interested in volunteering? Contact Isabel Johnson at isabel@adcglobal.org.

The Adcenter at Virginia Commonwealth University ushered in the new year with some big news. The school acknowledged in a very public way that the industry is about more than just advertising: it is about brand building. On January 14 the VCU Adcenter became the VCU Brandcenter. In 11 short years, the school has built an enviable, unmatched reputation, largely by staying ahead of the curve. The VCU Adcenter has managed to set itself apart from the portfolio schools and from traditional academia by creating a learning environment that replicates the industry it serves.

Rick Boyko, Managing Director at the VCU Brandcenter and Ogilvy's former North American Chief Creative Officer and New York co-President, introduced the new home to go with the Brandcenter's new name. Architect Clive Wilkinson, famous for his work for Google, Disney and some of the leading creative ad agencies, has designed their new home by transforming a historic Richmond building into a bright, open, unique space that encourages both fresh thinking and collaboration. The school also has a new logo designed by Brian Collins (current ADC Board of Directors Vice President) and David Hartman. In addition, a new web site designed by R/GA is up and running.

"With news of these big changes and big new opportunities for our students, I want to remind you of the things we aren't changing," Boyko announced. "We're more committed than ever to creative thinking, brilliant executions and deep collaborations. We're more committed than ever to helping smart hard-working students become the highest caliber graduates in their fields." While there is a lot of talk about change, the Brandcenter says they are acting on it. Find out more here.

"The Hook with Katie Kempner" features insightful and idea-provoking conversations with thought leaders in the advertising, marketing, public relations, digital and creative branding arenas. Each Tuesday, Katie hosts exclusive interviews with top advertising and public relations gurus, creatives, online and digital hot shots and leading journalists. As Vice President of Agency Communications for Crispin Porter + Bogusky and Vice President of Corporate Communications for their agency holding company, MDC Partners, Katie's experience and unique position give her the insight and relationships to host meaningful conversations that leave listeners informed and inspired. "The Hook with Katie Kempner" is available on www.webmasterradio.com and as a downloadable podcast on iTunes.

ADC Executive Director Ami Brophy was on The Hook on January 22 and that episode can be found here.

ADC announces its 87th Annual Awards juries! We are proud to present such an accomplished and talented group.

Advertising Jury

Jury Chair: Nancy Vonk, Ogilvy & Mather Toronto, Canada
Interactive Foreman: Jason McCann, TAXI NY, USA

Jury:
Rafa Anton, Vitruvio Leo Burnett, Spain
Miguel Bemfica, DM9DDB, Brazil
Joakim Borgstrom, W+K Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Mike Byrne, Anomaly, USA
Meera Sharath Chandra, RMG Connect, India
Dan Fietsam, Publicis in the West, USA
Mark Figliulo, Y&R Chicago, USA
Toshiya Fukuda, 777interactive, Japan
Scott Goodson, StrawberryFrog, USA
Sau Hoong, 10 am Communications, Singapore
Will McGinness, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, USA
Martin Mercado, La Negra, Argentina
David Nobay, Droga5, Australia
Matias Palm-Jensen, FarFar, Sweden
Sergio Rodriguez, Leo Burnett Milan, Italy
Steve Sage, Martin Agency, USA
Lode Schaeffer, S-W-H, The Netherlands
Doerte Spengler, Jung von Matt, Germany
Jay Zasa, R/GA, USA

Design Jury
Interactive Foreman: Hillman Curtis, hillmancurtis.com, inc., USA

Jury:
Elaine Ann, Kaizor Innovation, China
Brandt Botes, Jupiter Drawing Room, South Africa
David Carson, david carson design, USA
Liz Danzico, USA
Brendan Dawes, Magnetic North, UK
Barbara de Wilde, Random House, USA
Bruce Duckworth, Turner Duckworth, UK
Julia Hoffmann, Crispin, Porter + Bogusky, USA
Maggie Kinser Hohle, USA
Seijo Kawaguchi, TUGBOAT, Japan
Vincent Laforet, USA
Anette Lenz, Atelier Anette Lenz, France
Christian Mommertz, Ogilvy & Mather Frankfurt, Germany
Michael Osborne, MOD/Michael Osborne Design, USA
Todd Purgason, Juxt Interactive, USA
Paul Sahre, Office of Paul Sahre, USA
Eva Salzmann, Germany
Leonardo Sonnoli, Tassinari/Vetta srl, Italy
Elizabeth Yerin Shim, South Korea

ADC Hybrid Jury

Jury Chair: Jon Kamen, @radical.media, USA

Jury:
Beth Comstock, NBC Universal, USA
Russell Davies, Open Intelligence Agency, UK
John Jay, Weiden + Kennedy, USA
Esther Lee, Euro RSCG, USA

ADC Design Sphere Jury

Jury Chair: Marc Gobé, Emotional Branding LLC, USA

Jury:
Phyllis Aragaki, Target, USA
Anne Asensio, Dassault Systemes, France
Steff Geissbuhler, C & G Partners, USA
Paula Scher, Pentagram, USA
Rodo Tisnado, Architecture-Studio, France
Tucker Viemeister, LAB at Rockwell Group, USA

Wolda, the worldwide logo design annual, is now open for entries. Designers, agencies, studios and students from all over the world are invited to enter. Winners are selected by an international three-tier jury of Designer, Client and Public Judges provided respectively by Icograda, Aquent and Consumers International. All winning logos will be showcased online and published in a printed annual on SAPPI acclaimed papers by Fontegrafica (both sponsors of Wolda). Members of endorsing associations are entitled to 20% discount on the entry fee and on purchase of the printed annuals. Deadline is May 20. Enter now.

88 winners. 166 images. 17 videos. There's plenty to look through in the ADC Young Guns 3 online archive. Get started here.

On January 24 ADC member Mary Pisarkiewicz, founder and Chief Creative Officer of the New York-based marketing communications consultancy PM & Co., was honored by the Staples Corporation for her tireless work with the Greenwich Village Middle School. In May 2005, Mary volunteered to partner with the middle school through PENCIL, a non-profit organization that creates and supports partnerships between business leaders and principals to transform New York City public schools. Since then, Mary Pisarkiewicz has used her marketing expertise to help the school convey its unique identity through a successful branding campaign. Staples presented its 'True Original' Business Award to Mary (along with a $1,500 Staples gift card which she promptly donated to the school) and awarded PENCIL with a $5,000 donation during a store opening celebration at the new Copy & Print Shop on 261 Madison Avenue.

Yaritsa Arenas: NY NY
Richard Bates: NY NY
Brandon Burns: NY NY
Heather Buscho: Minneapolis College of Art & Design, Minn MN
Kelly DeChiaro: Rockville Centre NY
Cyril de Jenken: London UK
Aurora Diaz: NY NY
Karen D'Souza: Chicago IL
Arem Duplessis: NY NY
Hans Fahrnholz: Muenchen Germany
Jennifer Freeouf: Brooklyn NY
Louis Geiger: Annapolis MD
Ora Gordon: NY NY
David Harrell: Oak Park IL
William Hovard: NY NY
Rizwana Hussain: NYC College of Technology, NY NY
Naoki Ito: Tokyo Japan
Ariele Jerome: Blairstown NJ
Jin Yeoul Jung: Yale School of Art MFA program, New Haven CT
James Kegley: Washington DC
Stephen Kling: Larchmont NY
Matej Koren: Maribor Slovenia
David Luke: Wyckoff NJ
Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Marney Morris: NY NY
Joao Carlos Mosterio: Sao Paulo Brazil
Stefan Müllner: Vienna Austria
Kristen Opsal: Minneapolis College of Art & Design, Minn MN
Matthew Norton: VCU Brandcenter, Richmond VA
Nathan Perkel: NY NY
PhotoLibrary: NY NY
Zoe Phillips: Portland OR
T. Bernard Randall: NY NY
Paromita Roy: Pratt Institute of Technology, NY NY
Chuck Rudy: NY NY
Gillian Salit: Norwalk CT
Christie Scanlan: NY NY
Abhilasha Sinha: Pratt Institute, NY NY
Reina Sugiyama: Parson School of Design, NY NY
Marko Suvajdzic: San Francisco CA
Graham Taylor: NY NY
Two Twelve Associates: NY NY
Miguel Velazquez Jr.: Lawrenceville GA
Sebastian Vizor: UK
Oliver Wenz: Petaluma CA
Markus Winkler: NY NY
Martin Wonnacott: NY NY
Joerg Zuber: Munich Germany

The ADC is the premier organization for integrated media and the first international creative collective of its kind. Founded in New York in 1920, the ADC is a self-funding, not-for-profit membership organization that celebrates and inspires creative excellence, connecting creative visual communications professionals from around the world.

To promote the highest standards of excellence and integrity in visual communications for the industry and to encourage students and young professionals entering the field. In short, to provide "visual fuel."

To provide a forum for creative leaders in Advertising, Design, Interactive Media and Communications to meet, learn, participate, and explore the direction for these rapidly evolving industries.

Not Yet A Member? Join Now.
The Art Directors Club 106 West 29th Street New York, NY 10001 212.643.1440 www.adcglobal.org