Local Flavor: ArtStir Denver

Art and design aren’t just in the big hot spots like New York and San Francisco. Great design is in your own backyard, and it’s important to support your local art community. It’s the smaller cities and towns that don’t get the big funding and recognition, so it’s even more important to help them out.

This past Memorial Day weekend in Denver, there was a great local art and design festival called ArtStir. It’s a pretty large marketplace that features only Colorado artists and was named best new art festival by Denver Westword. It featured over 140 booths and it partnered with a great area non-profit called VSA Colorado / Access Gallery that helps people with disabilities make art.  Despite our pouring rain, ArtStir had a great turnout, and it was inspiring to see the Rocky Mountain State support their own art community.

ArtStir was directed by Samuel Schimek, who started the I Heart Denver Store. It’s an unique souvenir shop in downtown Denver that only sells Colorado artists and has a higher quality design aesthetic. Their loot is definitely not your typical tacky souvenir shop tchotchkes. They sell stuff even a native covets and proudly wears or displays in their home.

I met a lot of seriously talented artists and designers, and bought some killer goodies. It was great to see the mediums span from pottery and tee shirts to notebooks made from old game boards to local culinary delights. Below are some photos of a few of the goodies I snatched and links to the vendors I loved.

• Coloradical: A Colorado Tee Shirt Company
• Just Plain Jane
• Becky Designs
• Schlayer Design
• Canned Goods

Next time you see an advertisement for an art or craft festival in your community, go. You’d be surprised what you would find, but even if it’s not your style, you need to drop by and show your support. I can’t wait to see ArtStir’s growth and success next year!

Beautiful messenger bag made from a coffee bean sack and lined with vinyl for durability. Created by Just Plain Jane, an artist from Littleton. Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/JustPlainJane?ref=l2-shopheader-name

Creative Spark Journal by Designs by Becky where she makes notebooks using old game boards. Monopoly stole my heart, but she had Candyland, Clue and Sorry as well. Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/beckydesigns

Creative Spark Journal by Designs by Becky where she makes notebooks using old game boards. Monopoly stole my heart, but she had Candyland, Clue and Sorry as well. Website: https://www.etsy.com/shop/beckydesigns

Tee shirt and stickers by Coloradical, a tee company located in Denver. Website: http://www.coloradicalshirts.com/

Awesome poster illustration seen at the I Heart Denver Store. Website: http://www.iheartdenverstore.com/

Awesome poster illustration seen at the I Heart Denver Store. Website: http://www.iheartdenverstore.com/

Awesome poster illustration seen at the I Heart Denver Store. Website: http://www.iheartdenverstore.com/

Creative Process: Chocoholic Frolic Invitation Package

The design concept for the Chocoholic Frolic, a fundraising event for a nonprofit here in Colorado Springs.

For the last several months, I’ve been working on a freelance project for a nonprofit here in town. I think it’s good to share work and the creative process, especially when you’re a small business like me. The big designers with big clients get all the glory, but the truth is, we small freelancers produce some good design as well and usually on very small budgets. Realistically, that’s what most of us end up working with—small clients with small budgets. But, it shows how good a designer can be when they have to make their designs shine instead of relying on stellar custom photography and high end print techniques.

The nonprofit I did work for, Kidpower, helps provide resources for abused children and provide workshops in schools on how kids can stay safe and be empowered. Once a year, they have a fundraiser called the Chocoholic Frolic that is quite a fancy gala. Local chocolatiers come and have tables of fancy desserts and sculptures, there’s a jazz band and it’s cocktail attire.

In previous years, the organization couldn’t afford a designer and did their best in-house. This year, they found my website online and hired me to take their invitation and event branding to the next level. The save the date card had already gone out, so it was vital I still use the stock photo of the chocolate desserts they’d already purchased. Furthermore, the client wanted me to maintain some design elements from previous years in order to not have it unrecognizable to their attendees.

Finally, I had to make a series of posters that were separated from the event branding that emphasized this year’s theme, “WIsh Upon a Star: Every child, everywhere is confident and safe.” The posters will be displayed at the event and make attendees aware of the organization.

Local Flavor: Design Happenings in Colorado

Design is everywhere. Good design is everywhere. Yeah, San Francisco and New York get all the glory and the envy, but the truth is that you can find great design and ways to get involved with your design community in your own backyard. Join your local chapter of AIGA. Contact some of your local design agencies and see if they’d want to meet up to talk, one creative to another. Look for groups on social media that promote design talk in your area.

For my Colorado readers, here are some events taking place in the Rocky Mountain state in February.

The Colorado Springs chapter of AIGA is hosting Shop Talk on Tuesday, February 10. The owners of Authentic Form and Function, a digital agency, will be there speaking on what it’s like to work with distributed teams. One owner lives in Chicago and the other in Denver, and they’re going to talk about how they make it work. It will be at The Machine Shop in Colorado Springs. The event is free, but you need to RSVP through the AIGA website.

Type-Ed is coming to Denver for typography workshops. They’re doing a beginner class for students and an advanced class for seasoned designers. Go and get your ampersand on!

The Denver Art Museum is proud to continue their AIGA Speaker Series with illustrator Mikey Burton coming on February 19. Mikey has had impressive clients like Target, Converse and Esquire and will be speaking on how self-motivated projects can lead to client work. Register today!

And, finally, the really big news—TypeCon 2015 is being held in Denver! Type geeks who spend hours studying fonts and type anatomy get their payoff with a 5-day conference on type in the Mile High City. The conference isn’t until August, but people interested in volunteering to work the conference are asked to attend an information meeting in Denver on February 5 at 5:30pm. For more information, read their blog post.

Nice Package: Colorado Microbrews

Colorado is known for their epic plethora of craft beers. We’re home to 147 craft breweries (according to the Brewers Association), which puts us in 4th place for most breweries per capita in the U.S. With great beer, I think, comes great design. The majority of my favorite design pieces are from the liquor industry. Absolut produced iconic print advertising. Budweiser gave us the Clydesdales commercials.  And, craft beers give us some of the best packaging and label design out there.

Because I’m a design geek, I love to go to liquor stores to check out the new packaging designs and take pictures of my favorites. I’ve seen some phenomenally talented illustrators and typographers do fantastic work with labels, carriers and bottles. This weekend, I decided to take pictures of some of the best packaging the Rocky Mountain State had to offer.