04-27 to 04-29 2009

Google drive time 13 hrs. Actual drive time 14.5.

Overall: great learning experience for all. (Please correct me if I’m wrong)

What’d we learn?

Sweet skills! Those who attended the BootCamp sessions came away with some new software and sketching skills to put in the toolbox.
From the presenters: all about futurists, American teens, and Keen. Martin Keen gave a great show on how he went from designing shoes for other companies, to having a great idea and making it with his own hands. He developed a highly successful, socially responsible company out of his first idea for a better sailing shoe.
All about our portfolios. Folks who brought their portfolios got great feedback from the pros and other professionals.
What the best-of-the-best looks like. Student merit presenters showed some amazing work, definitely look them up (see bottom)
That those schools up north aren’t as mysterious and all powerful as one might have thought. From what I could tell, the NC State attendees were right on par with those from other schools.
MassArtness

MassArt generally had really nice graphic layout, like SCAD in the south. Most projects were more conceptual, and less constraint-driven, compared to those you generally find in the south.

Other fun stuff:

parties at Proteus and IDEO- we got to see their amazing office spaces. I swear I recognized the DJ @ IDEO…
Ecolect Materials PettingZoo- was great to get hands on the material samples and get a real feel for them
ICA- Shepard Fairey (OBEY Andre the Giant) exhibit- schweet!
security lady in one office- instead of looking at CC TV, was watching YouTube videos