Join our friends of the Themed Attraction Association Canada for a sneak preview of the almost completed renovation of the much beloved Cultch. They will also be holding their AGM in the new Culture Lab. This piece of TAAC business promises to be short and sweet.
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Our friends at CAPIC is inviting us to learn directly from Adobe about new features in Photoshop CS4 and how to take advantage of them in your workflow. They are tailoring this event specifically to your needs. Please participate in the event survey to tell them what aspects of PS CS4 you’d like to see covered.
Take the survey and make it your event: http://tinyurl.com/nu8nwu
When // June 17 | 6 PM - 8 PM
Where // H.R. MacMillan Space Centre | 1100 Chesnut Street, Vancouver
Cost // Free for GDC members
GDC BC is happy to welcome 5 New MGDC + 1 New LGDC members.
Congratulations go out to:
Lydia Del Bianco - MGDC
Tammy Higbee Kennedy - MGDC
Jumin Lee - LGDC
Kathleen Moynahan - MGDC
Kim Pickett - MGDC
Michelle Sourisseau - MGDC
The GDC will be having its next review in late September. Stay tuned and get your portfolio’s prepped!
Join our colleagues at SIGGRAPH with Bob cole, Landon Bootsma & Tim Mulvihill from MPC Vancouver to hear about the challenges adapting “the greatest superhero story ever told” (Entertainment Weekly).
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GDC/BC was proud to bring Michael Osborne, of Michael Osborne Design, to speak at the Salazar Awards. We knew we were in for a treat when he stepped to the podium.
“I don’t apologize for anything.”
(pause)
“Sorry.”
That kicked off a presentation that covered a gamut of material, from his work in the liquor industry (wine, whiskey and liqueurs), down and dirty business advice, and his love of letterpress work. In between, he treated us to vignettes about “weird but real” street signs and photographs.
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On a gorgeous evening that filled patios all over the city, students, recent graduates and designers packed into the lecture theatre at Emily Carr University. They were there to find out the winners of the 24th annual Salazar Awards, an award that recognizes excellence in student design. The Salazar Awards are named after Enrique Salazar, a founding member of the GDC, and instructor at Capilano College until his death in 1985. These awards recognize his contribution to educating young designers.
The winners of the 2009 Salazar Awards, presented by GDC/BC and Metropolitan Fine Printers, are:
- Print Design - Michael Cadamia, Emily Carr University
- Web Design and Interactive Media - Stefan Ramirez Perez, Vancouver Film School
- Branding Design - Kristen Call, Capilano University
There were many strong submissions this year, so visit the 2009 Salazar Awards site for a complete list of finalists and honourable mentions, as well as the winning designs. Congratulations to everyone - well done!

The guys from FORMation are at it again! PRESS CHECK is their third and latest iPhone/iPod Touch game. Use accuracy and speed to re-align the printing plates and perfectly register the graphics on screen. The levels range from a two-colour beginner’s set to the expert five-colour job. Think back to art school print class, with the smell of ink and the press humming in the background. For added fun, compare your score with other print lovers worldwide via the international leaderboard. You can also share your score with friends on Facebook or Twitter.
PRESS CHECK features 4 levels of difficulty and 16 challenges. I like the colourful rating system screen that shows your skill across all colour levels, and the wide variety of images to play with.
This latest must-have is available at the Apple App store for $1.99.
PRESS CHECK is designed by Jason Franzen, who created EYE vs. EYE (a colour-matching game) and KERN (an addictive letter-spacing game). FORMation is a design studio based in Dallas, Texas.
Our friends at NABS West is hosting Ladies Links Lite, a golf event that offers a fantastic day of golf for women in the Advertising, Media, and Communication industries. With the added bonus of professional golf instruction for everyone beginners to advanced!
When
Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 from 8 AM – 6 PM
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Join our friends at CAPIC to learn Maria’s new media market tips to find and keep clients. Based on Maria Piscopo’s marketing books for photographers and graphic designers, this program has been updated for today’s new client. Whether you are making a transition to a new area or improving the level of assignments you want to get, this step-by-step program will get you there.
You will learn about creating a marketing plan for building repeat business, planning print and electronic direct mail strategies, getting publicity to promote your recognition and response rate and more.
When: Saturday, May 23, 2009 at 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Where: Langara College, Room 136A
100 W 49th Street, Vancouver
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Graphic design is like a teenager that suffers from a bad case of acne and occupational angst. Has it finally grown up enough to steer its own professional course, or does it still need training wheels?
Where is the profession going? Can it survive these challenging times? What about young designers entering the field? What are the hot button topics facing the industry today? Let’s find out!
Come and participate in a fruitfully exciting exchange of ideas with four of Canada’s hot shot designers – Casey Hyrnkow, Joanne Lefebvre, Louis Gagnon, and Dave Mason — who are passionate about the profession and not afraid to express their opinions. Read the rest of this entry »

Celebrating its sixth anniversary, our friends at Vancouver ACMSIGGRAPH is making a big screen splash, presenting:
Directing Madagascar
with Eric Darnell · Director & Writer · DreamWorks Animation SKG
WHEN
Wednesday · May 20, 2009
6:30 pm: Licensed Industry Mixer with Book Signing
7:30 pm: Main Presentation
9:15 pm: Screening: Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
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Our friends at Ascent Group have created a workshop with design and creative services firms in mind.
Access and engage practical business methods, tools & strategies in this 3-day Interactive Workshop that is guaranteed to give you leverage on your current resources, leadership, and potential.
Right or wrong, as owners, leaders and managers we are under constant pressure to not just meet expectations & responsibilities, but outperform them. And on top of that, many of us have witnessed the trend of creative value becoming commoditized, causing your profitability to shrink faster than ice cubes in the Sahara. There are ways can take control and do something about it.
In this unique hands-on workshop, designed specifically for Creative Services Studio principals, you’ll learn how to:
Engage your full creative and business potential as a studio.
Optimize your “organically grown” resources.
Leverage your five principal drivers of achievable success.
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World Graphic Design Day is celebrated on April 27, the anniversary of the founding of Icograda, the world body for graphic design, in 1963. It is a day to celebrate the profession of graphic and communication design. The day has been celebrated since 1995. Read the rest of this entry »

Join director Gary Hustwit for a special screening and post-film discussion, presented by GDC/British Columbia, BC Industrial Designer’s Association, and the Association of Canadian Industrial Designers.
When:
Tuesday, May 5, 6:30pm & 9:30pm
Rio Theatre
1660 Broadway East
Vancouver, BC V5N 1W1, Canada
Post-film Q&A with Gary Hustwit
Tickets on sale now:
First Screen at 6:30 is SOLD OUT
Second Screening at 9:30pm: BUY General public $20, Students, GDC, BCID, ACID members $15
All the events included in this two day event provide an unparalleled opportunity for design students, graduates and design newcomers to learn, connect, guide and inspire each others creative thinking. Developed with this experience in mind, the conference includes studio tours, creative workshops and portfolio critique. It’s also a great opportunity to learn and network!
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