Brendan Dawes is Creative Director for mN magneticNorth, an interactive design group based in Manchester, UK. Over the years he's helped realize projects for a wide range of brands including Diesel, BBC, Fox Kids, Channel 4, Disney, Benetton, Kellogg's and Coca-Cola. Since the early 1980s, Dawes has continued to explore the interplay of people, code, design and art both in his role leading the team at magneticNorth and on www.brendandawes.com, a personal space where he publishes random thoughts, toys and projects created from an eclectic mix of digital and analog objects. Dawes is a regular speaker at industry seminars across the world, and has been featured in many industry publications. Previously a jury member for the ADC Annual Awards last year, Dawes returns to ADC next week as the interactive jury chair for the ADC 88th Annual Awards. ADC is pleased to have Dawes's quirky humor, unrelenting energy, and leadership return to the floor for this year's interactive judging.

BD: Easily my worst was drilling tiny holes in fiberglass circuit boards for eight hours a day. I also used to work with the chemicals for creating the circuit boards too, which left your hands looking like crap, plus the air I was breathing wasn't exactly clean. It was monotonous work, but then it did focus my mind to do everything I can to get out of that situation - took me eight years to do it though. Seems like another lifetime ago.

Probably the best "job" was my time training to be a sound engineer in Manchester. It was when computers, sequencing and sampling was just starting to become affordable so there where all these new exciting "toys" around that allowed you to explore new approaches and techniques for creating and shaping sound. Even with the worst job though I don't regret anything - they're all experiences that you can learn from and help make you a more interesting person (hopefully) which I believe helps you be a better designer.

BD: I'm being a little mischievous with that bio. It's just I often think that many of the things that I personally, and probably many people, find enjoyable could easily be deemed "useless" - love, play, art - you know the type of thing. So I think it's important to explore these useless things as a reaction to the pursuit of usefulness and efficiency, otherwise we just become too machine like. Am I working on anything useless right now? All the time.

BD: Some people would argue that it is indeed useless, not useful. To some the idea of a USB drive inside a retro cassette casing is completely ridiculous. But of course that is not what we're selling. We're selling the romanticism of the mix tape and all the effects, mostly emotional, that it creates. You're buying into the experience not necessarily the physical product.

Creating MIXA was a real roller-coaster of a journey and continues to surprise us every day of how people react to MIXA, which we then in turn have to react to ourselves. When we had the idea we hadn't a clue about creating a physical product, but we love that. My friend Bill Buxton says once you get good at something, learn something new. That's what we did with MIXA for sure! We had to learn about product tooling and a myriad of other new wonderful things. We had so many obstacles that came our way that we had to constantly iterate the idea and the design to make the product happen. We were relentless in making it come to market because we all really believed in it. Probably the biggest thing we like about MIXA is how we have total control of the entire brand experience - from the online interface, to the packaging design and the entire marketing strategy. All those things go together to make the MIXA product.

BD: It was amazing to be part of such a well received and groundbreaking exhibition. Definitely one of the highlights of my career so far. The launch was fantastic - a real electric atmosphere, though it was quite hard to take in the exhibition when there were a few thousand people moving around. Luckily I was back a week later helping judge the ADC Annual Awards so I managed to go back when the crowd wasn't quite as big. I have to confess I did hang around in the shadows to see if I could hear what people were saying about the work! That's probably a little bit sad. MoMA did a really beautiful job of reproducing the work 18 feet high. The icing on the cake was having the work acquired for the MoMA collection following the exhibition. It makes me laugh to think I failed art when I was at school, and now I have work at MoMA.

BD: Well it's obviously a real honor to be involved with such a longstanding and well-respected organization, doubly so to be asked to be the interactive jury chair. I'm especially looking forward to the last round of judging - that's when we can really start to discuss the work and when jury members can really fight passionately for any work they think is outstanding. Last year there were some moments when many jury members saw work in a new light after an impassioned speech by another member! I also think that it would be easy for ADC to stagnate based on the legacy of what's gone before, but having known Ami Brophy and the rest of the team for a while, they're fully embracing the ever-changing world of design, reacting to it and making sure ADC is as relevant today as it ever was.

BD: As the interactive jury chair it's my job to set out the over-arching spirit, so to speak, of how we're going to approach deciding which work is deserving of being recognized by ADC. It's then up to me to make sure all the judges stay on track with that idea and also to help guide the jury when needed. The jury that ADC has put together is fantastic, so I'm really looking forward to some healthy debate and discussion along the course of the judging process.

BD: I'm actually really glad ADC separates the two. For me at least, and this is my own personal opinion, interaction design isn't necessarily about "selling product." Much of the work we do now is about interface design and how that impacts on the emotional reaction and experience of using something - be it for pleasure, getting things done or simply wasting time. Whereas for me, interactive advertising is about selling things using an interactive medium.

I really believe we haven't even begun to explore where all this stuff can take us and what it means for society as a whole. I think the web needs much more radical ideas - as does the computer desktop - that one hasn't changed since 1984, yet there are interesting things around such as bumptop.com. But we need more of them to shake things up. Of course it's not really about the computer desktop any more - the "computer" is with us all the time now, and it fits in the palm of our hands. We have to start asking what this more personal, intimate interaction and its ever-increasing ubiquity means for you and me, and how we design for it. I think though for the first time, this technology is really starting to work so much so that it's becoming invisible in our everyday. And that's a good thing.

BD: I think it would be about the disappearance of physical things in our lives - photos, albums, movies. They're all being hidden away on our huge hard drives and we need to ask ourselves what are we losing because of that. We're very physical creatures who like to touch and hold things, so it's something that really concerns me. In some ways it would be a very "undigital" digital conference. But it wouldn't be a load of people simply moaning. It would create things and send out ripples into the world that would change things and challenge people's notions about digital technology.

Places you have been: The lounge in New York's Soho Grand Hotel. Glasgow's Roganos, for the amazing French Martinis. A small restaurant in a small village in the South of France - I'm not telling anyone where it is - it's our secret place!

Places you want to go: Tokyo. Our new, yet to be built garden on an English summer's evening. A trip across America with my Leica.

Drinks: Manhattan, classic timeless cocktail. Wood Dragon tea, a twig tea from Taiwan. Any smoothie from Cafe Cafe in Soho, New York.

Foods to order while working late: Skippy Super Crunch peanut butter on hot toast - has to be Skippy! Bananas and custard. Krispy Kreme donuts, for the sugar rush.

Gadgets/items to bring on a plane ride:: A sketchbook, love the ones from fiveandahalf.com in Brooklyn. Noise canceling headphones so you can switch off, I use Etymotic Research's ER6i. A Gorillapod GoGo so you can watch your iPod/iPhone without having to hold it in your hands.

Websites to wander about on: Blatant self promotion but doodlebuzz.com is all about wandering around. instructables.com, love just seeing inventive solutions to everyday problems - especially with an Altoids tin. ifoundyourcamera.blogspot.com - this is still pretty new to me but I love the idea of reuniting people with lost cameras and photos, not to mention the accompanying stories.

This new e-newsletter feature will spotlight three current ADC members with portfolios posted on adcglobal.org. In February the spotlight is on a New York-based student member, an international member living in Paris, and a professional member from California.

The ADC Members' Portfolios page on adcglobal.org includes personal member profiles and their portfolios. To check out the most recently posted individual and student portfolios go here. You may use the quick search tool on the left bar to search by company, first name, last name, or you may conduct an advanced search.

ADC Members: take advantage of posting your portfolio on adcglobal.org, start now by logging in.

February's question: How did you first become involved with ADC?

Tong Wu Student Member Flushing, New York "The first time I heard about ADC was from my professor at Baruch College's Weissman School of Arts and Sciences, Terry Berkowitz, who always encourages students to get involved with outside events, such as new gallery shows and competitions. I participated in ADC's Design Competition last year. It was a real great experience and I will keep doing it." See Tong's portfolio here.

Milan Janic International Member Paris, France "Through the Annuals I have been looking at since my studies at the Faculty of Applied Arts in Belgrade. After arriving in Paris, I met a lot of people who are members of ADC Paris. Since that club doesn't have as many activities, some of it's introduced me to ADC NY." See Milan's portfolio here.

Balind Sieber Professional Member Santa Monica, CA "Through colleagues within the interactive industry. I joined, as an artist that appreciates traditional and emerging design mediums, so that I could stay in tune with the pulse of the creative community. Red Interactive is an absolute pleasure to work for." See Balind's portfolio here.

Judging for the Annual Awards begins this week. The ADC Gallery will be closed to the public during this multi-week process.

ADC's 87th Annual Awards and ADC Young Guns 6 Traveling Exhibitions will be making a number of stops in the upcoming months.

Bangkok University, Thailand
Saturday, January 3rd - Friday, February 13th, 2009
For more information on Bangkok University go here.

Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, Bangkok, Thailand
Monday, February 16 - Friday, February 27
For more information on Ogilvy & Mather go here.

The One Academy, Selangor, Malaysia
Monday, March 16 - Friday, April 10, 2009
For more information on The One Academy go here.

Mark your calendars - the ADC Young Guns 7 entry site opens on March 19, 2009, at 7 p.m. EST. ADC will be throwing a big party that night to mark the occasion. Details coming soon!

In the meantime, make sure you are eligible, and prepare your digital portfolio for entry!

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

Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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 Thursday, April 16th, 11:00 am-3:00 pm

Participating Companies: Aldine Inc., Appleton Coated, Artscroll, CMYK Printing, Cosmos Communications, Crane & Co., CuriousCollection, Domtar, EarthThebault, Enterprise Press, Finch Paper, Gmund Paper, Gruppo Cordenons, Mohawk Fine Paper, Monadnock Paper, Neenah Paper, New Page, Reich Paper, Sappi, Scheufelen, Smart Papers, Taylor Box Company, Wausau, Yes Press and Yupo.

Artwork by ADC Young Guns 6 winner Alex Kirzhner.

RSVP online by going here.

By studying new ideas every day for the last five years, the global PSFK team has generated an inspiring set of 9 good ideas to encourage positive change in 2009. Here is what PSFK says:

"At the end of 2008, we knew it was about that time when we were supposed to produce a trends report for the next year. But when we all sat down and chatted about it, we thought such a report would be gloomy and rather depressing. We didn't want to write about things like 'trading down' or 'discreet consumption'! We wanted to talk about all the inspirational ideas we read and write about every day; we wanted to spread positivity; we wanted to encourage you to re-ignite the world. Honestly. So we created Good Ideas In 2009. The 80 page click-to-print book features nine Good Ideas and manifestations of them. We write about design, mobile, collaboration, digital, social media, the long term and much more. We're rather proud of it. We hope it inspires you to make things better."

PSFK is a collaborative insight and ideas company run from New York with a team of future-thinkers from around the globe. Their views and opinions can be found on their blog, updated daily.

In 2009 ADC will be expanding the fast growing National Student Portfolio Reviews. In addition to the wildly successful Graphic Design and Advertising Reviews, ADC will introduce an Interactive Review, which will offer 100 of the top students in Interactive Design an unparalleled opportunity.

The Student Portfolio Reviews embody ADC's commitment to education and visual communications. Creative professionals will meet and review senior portfolios in Advertising, Graphic Design and Interactive, from the top nationwide schools. Students receive compliments, feedback and job offers from key art directors, creative directors, designers and creative recruiters.

The dates for ADC's 3 reviews are as follows:

Graphic Design: Monday, May 4, 2009
12pm-6pm: Luncheon will be served from 12:00 - 3:00, refreshments will be served all day.

Advertising: Tuesday, May 5, 2009
12pm-6pm: Luncheon will be served from 12:00 - 3:00, refreshments will be served all day.

Interactive: Wednesday, May 6, 2009
12pm-6pm: Luncheon will be served from 12:00 - 3:00, refreshments will be served all day.
In the upcoming months please check the ADC calendar for registration information and more details.

Add ADC to follow and receive the most up to date news about what's happening: event updates, ticket information, promotions, and news about membership perks and benefits. 88th Annual Awards judging starts Wednesday, February 11 with Design and all the action takes place right here at ADC Gallery. This year we'll keep you updated!

Follow ADC here.

ADC invites you to take a moment to review ADC's expanded membership benefits, including FREE ADMISSION TO ALL ADC CORE EVENTS at adcglobal.org's membership page.

ADC's mission is to CONNECT, PROVOKE, & ELEVATE WORLD CHANGING IDEAS. ADC membership is vital because it fosters community and provokes new thinking and idea generation. ADC recognizes great people, great work and great progress. Membership in this community provides the tools, networking opportunities and affiliation that can elevate and expand your career. Please share ADC's expanded membership benefits with your colleagues or friends and urge them to join.

Zoom In Online's interviews with ADC Young Guns 6 winners John Kudos, Keetra Dean Dixon, Julia Rothman and Labour's Wyeth Hansen and Ryan Dunn have been completed, watch them here. The honorees share their understanding of what it is to be a new voice in the design community. Share in their vivacity and genuine love of the artistic process as they present images of their imaginative, ambitious work.

The Worldwide Logo Design Annual 2009 is now open for entries. Graphic designers, studios, agencies and students worldwide are invited to participate. Wolda '09 collects and awards any logo designed, printed, published or visible online between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2009. Winners will be selected by an innovative three-tier jury consisting of 10 top designers, 10 top marketing managers and finally 10 people judges, nominated respectively by ICOGRADA, AQUENT and CONSUMERS INTERNATIONAL. Deadline and more info at www.wolda.org.

Netdiver Best of the Year is a long awaited release of which projects and whose talents have made a strong and lasting impression during the previous year. Refresh your memory and (re)encounter new sources of design inspiration - now in its 7th edition. View the 110 Netdiver Best of the Year 2008 here.

It's that time again to think about nice weather, summer and the RIT Master Designer workshops in Provence. This year the Vignelli Center for Design Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology is offering two summer workshops on the French Riviera: one in typography (with Massimo and Lella Vignelli, Bruce Ian Meader, Armando Milani) and one in executive branding and corporate design (with Lee D. Green and Armando Milani).

Typography and Graphic Design: June 7-14, 2009

Executive Branding and Corporate Design: June 28-July 5, 2009

Detailed information is at the Dialogues in Design website.

Spend two weeks in Italy this summer studying graphic design at the masters workshop in design history, theory and practice. Immerse yourself in the roots of typography, while practicing design with Italian and American faculty. Produce projects and products for publication at the first Masters Workshop. Special field trips to important design studios. Public lectures by the faculty in collaboration with various design organizations.

Faculty includes Steven Heller and Lita Talarico, co-chairs of the MFA Designer as Author program at the School of Visual Arts; Louise Fili, designer and author of Italianissimo; Cristina Chiappini, graphic and new media designer; Omar Vulpinari, creative director of the Visual Communication Department at Fabrica; Carlo Branzaglia, professor at the Academy of Fine Arts, Bologna; Georgio Camuffo, co-founder of Studio Camuffo, Venice; James Clough, teacher of theory and history of design at the Milan Polytechnic University and the ISIA of Urbino; Carlo Martino, Professor, Sapienza University of Rome, Arts, Design & New Media department.

Venice: May 24-30, 2009

Rome: June 1-6, 2009

For more information contact: Esther Ro-Schofield, Program Coordinator, eroschofield@sva.edu.

Job searching? New talent? Visit the ADC Job Board for fresh job listings daily in the fields of advertising, graphic design, exhibit design, interaction design, web design and more. There are listings for jobs all over the United States and abroad. The ADC Job Board is powered by coroflot.com. ADC members receive a $140 discount off of the fee to post a job. For more information visit ADC's job listings page.

The New York Times Opinion blog "Abstract City" recently presented its fifth post, I LEGO N.Y., which has been in the top 10 most emailed NYT articles all last week. The blog's imaginative artist is Christoph Niemann, a member of the second ADC Young Guns class. Niemann's illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. He is the author of two children's books, "The Pet Dragon," which teaches Chinese characters to young readers, and "The Police Cloud." After 11 years in New York, he moved to Berlin with his wife, Lisa, and their sons, Arthur, Gustav and Fritz. His website is christophniemann.com.

The Museum of American Illustration at the Society of Illustrators presents the Annual Exhibition, Illustrators 51, featuring the works of over three hundred of today's top illustrators. From thousands of entries submitted worldwide, a jury of professional peers including illustrators and art directors have chosen the most outstanding works created throughout the year. Original art commissioned by newspapers, magazines and books are on display during the Editorial and Book Exhibit (January 28-February 28, 2009). Featured artists include Sam Weber, Dan Adel, Yuko Shimizu, Jillian Tamaki, Kadir Nelson, Donato Giancola, among others.

Artwork created for advertisements, CD covers, posters, greeting cards, and self-promotion are displayed in the Advertising, Institutional and Uncommissioned Exhibit (March 4-March 28, 2009). Artists include Marc Burckhardt, Jody Hewgill, Brad Holland, Frances Jetter, and others. For more info go here or contact Kate Feirtag at kate@societyillustrators.org.

At the top of a graphic design career, Sheldon Seidler closed his Manhattan studio to turn all his creative energies to drawing and painting. Seidler's work has hung in some of New York City's most important museums including the Modern Art Museum, the Whitney Museum, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, and featured in major design publications around the world. Seidler, a painter, sculptor and designer, was an instructor at Parsons School of Design and The Cooper Union. Visit the recently completed website of the ADC lifetime member here.

Individual Members
Tala Ali: San Francisco, CA
Paolo Artoni: Parma, Italy
Mike Ballard: Cincinnati, OH
Jane Barber: Chicago, IL
Ezio Burani: NY, NY
Rocco Cambareri: Bedford Hills, NY
Lee Delgado: Woodside, NY
Nisreen El Lababidi: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Iain Frame: Glasgow, United Kingdom
Martin Gassner: Munchen, Germany
Alan Gilleo: Louisville, KY
Derek Heinze: Dallas, TX
Louis Hernandez: Naples, FL
Mary Ellen Hoffmann: Branford, CT
Lorne Kinsella: Toronto, Canada
Itamar Kornowski: NY, NY
Kimoum Meyer: Brooklyn, NY
Mats W. Nilsson: Djursholm, Sweden
Ruben Perez: NY, NY
Gina Peterson: Malibu, CA
Melody Phillips: Mifflinburg, PA
Robert Raspanti: Middle Village, NY
Krystle Rubiano: Maspeth, NY
Fitgi Saint-Louis: Elmont, NY
Phillip Schlegel: NY, NY
Christopher Spohr: Rocky Hill, CT
Kulika Thongton: San Francisco, CA
Scott Valins: NY, NY
Roo Way: Chicago, IL

ADC regretfully notes the passing of Shigeo Fukuda. Fukuda, who passed away in Tokyo last month at the age of 76, was Japan's consummate visual communicator. As one of the founding members and directors of the Japan Graphic Designers Association (JAGDA), Fukuda contributed profoundly to the development of the Association. Fukuda, inducted into ADC's Hall of Fame in 1987, was a deeply respected member of the Icograda community, serving as a Vice President of the Executive Board from 1993-1995.

Born in Tokyo in 1932, Shigeo Fukuda graduated from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1956. His main field of activities were graphic design and three-dimensional design. He taught at his alma mater from 1973 to 2002, in the Graphic Design Department of Yale University in 1982 and 1984, and served as guest professor at a number of universities in Japan, China and Taiwan. Fukuda held solo exhibitions around the world and was awarded many important international prizes during his career.

In Japan, Fukuda received the 1976 Recommended Artist's Award from the Ministry of Education, the 1997 Ministry of Trade and Industry meritorious service prize, and the 1997 Purple Ribbon Medal. He served as president of JAGDA (2000-2009), as a committee member of the Tokyo ADC, and as a Japanese representative to AGI (Alliance Graphique Internationale). In 1986 he received the Honorary Royal Designer for Industry distinction from the Royal Society of Arts, London. For more information about Fukuda visit the ADC Hall of Fame archive.

ADC members - this is your place to share. The newsletter is published monthly. The deadline for submissions for the March newsletter is February 26. Send news or inquiries to regan@adcglobal.org with the subject line Newsletter.

The ADC Gallery can accommodate up to 430 guests and is handicap accessible.

Location: 106 West 29th Street
(Just West of 6th Avenue)
Closest subway stops are 1/9 or R/W to 28th St.

To view event photos visit ADC's online photo albums.

For more information click here.
For further questions or to make an appointment, please contact Olga Grisaitis at olga@adcglobal.org.

The Art Directors Club is the premier organization for integrated media and the first international creative collective of its kind. Founded in New York in 1920, ADC is a not-for-profit membership organization whose mission is to Connect, Provoke and Elevate world changing ideas. It focuses on the highest standards of excellence and integrity in visual communications for the industry, and encourages students and young professionals entering the field. ADC provides a forum for creatives in Advertising, Design, Interactive Media and Communications to explore the direction of these rapidly converging 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