I totally love the way some of our staff have stepped up to collect food for a local shelter. Tapping into the competitive nature that runs through our firm, they have pitted various groups against each other- all with the goal of giving to those who are the most in need of help.

I came into the office the other day to see a card on my computer that read "Charitable Pursuit". The reverse side was set up just like a Trivial Pursuit card and there were boxes in our entry space that were stationed to collect donations.

This morning, not wanting to be outdone by the Account Service staff I raided my own pantry for food and filled up the partners box to the top. It feels good to be competitive for a good cause. And I love seeing the way the rest of the staff are owning this project. Mila, Ivan, Alex, Barb and Rosemary- they are the real winners!

I told myself that my first blog post to the Grafik Musings would not be a repost. But alas, here I am reposting. [Of course, upon observing my own blog habits I guess the outcome could not be avoided.]

On to the topic at hand…

This morning, I was nudged* via IM that last night’s AIGA DC Choose Your Muse event was mentioned on the HOW Magazine acclaimed design blog Death by Kerning + thought everyone at the studio [+ any other readers out there] would like to hear about it.

I have no such profound nuggets of information to share except maybe to use this as a simple reminder of how important involvement + exposure in the local community are for a company’s longevity—even if it is in the simplest form of a blog post… or repost.

* Shoulder tap by kind courtesy of a former print intern who answers to the name Kat.

So why is it that design superiority seems to come along with software program knowledge or size of one’s harddrive? Why is it that we revere those that have the best familiarity with our software programs, but pay little attention to those with strong verbal or thinking skills?

I sat on a very uncomfortable panel the other night, surrounded by designers who were not even born when I started this firm. I had my presentation on my thumb drive, had scripted it in powerpoint- that software program we have all learned to hate, and thanks to Heath and Richard, had all my fonts loaded. After weeks of coordination with the program coordinator, I was assured that all was taken care of- just load my presentation onto a cd or thumbdrive or ipod- and they would take care of the rest….. Except they did not. They did not have powerpoint loaded onto their laptop, and as a result- I lost the opportunity to see my presentation or see the notes I had written in preparation for being a panelist.

Well, I prepare really well when I have speaking responsibilities. I take that seriously- and i knew what I wanted to say- so it was really no big deal that I did not have access to my notes. Except, when my fellow panelists saw that I had scripted this in Powerpoint instead of Flash 9 or Keynote, well, you could easily read what they were thinking, "DINOsaur". And I immediately felt bad.

But there was one critical difference. While I had put my presentation into an older software program, I had also thought about it, scripted it, made it relevent to the audience I was addressing, while some of my fellow panelists freely admitted that they were going to wing it… that they were not really prepared to speak. I was kind of horrified. And offended. And still feeling cowed by the fact that I appeared to be outmoded.

So yesterday I marched into Heath and asked to have Keynote loaded onto my computer. And I took a few minutes to play around with it and get familiar. And it is really really easy- much easier than powerpoint ever was. And I know that from now on I will always do my presentations in keynote.

Uploads/file/keynote2.mov

So how do I feel? Well right now I think I have the leg up… because I can easily learn a new software program, but I do not think one can easily learn how to prepare for a speaking engagement, or how to tailor material so it is not about you but is about who you are speaking to. It is all a matter of focus and attitude. So watch out world- this dinosaur is not going to die!

Grafik is pleased to announce that we recently received three awards in the American Corporate Identity Call for Entry Competition for our work on the GHT Tenant Interiors brochure, the Volunteers of America 2006 annual report and the Convergent Wealth Advisors brochure.

The American Corporate Identity Competition is a highly respected showcase for the top corporate identities in the United States. An annual design competition, with a corresponding book highlighting the competition winners, American Corporate Identity continues its twenty-four-year legacy as a mainstay for designers who want to keep current with contemporary American design and corporate identity.

The winners of the 2007 Addy Awards have been chosen, and Grafik is pleased to announce that the judges have recognized our work on the Volunteers of America 2006 annual report and the Convergent Wealth Advisors brochure. With over 841 entries from 75 entrants, including agencies, design and public relations firms, illustrators, photographers, printers and media outlets, we are honored that our work has been highlighted in such a wide spread competition.