UNCG Career Services Networking Event: "Reality Check"

On Tuesday, I went to an event by UNCG Career Services called "Reality Check", which was a look into what life could be like after graduation. This event had many alumni from all different departments sharing their experiences and advice with students. It was nice to meet so many people from different departments and fields, including lawyers, software experts, financial advisors, business owners, and nonprofit managers. It was reassuring to see so many young and successful UNCG grads with jobs that they love, which will hopefully be the case for me as well! The advice was a nice push for the end of the semester, with the alumni telling us things like "don't give up because you're almost at the end". It was cool to see what jobs you can get with certain degrees, as well as jobs that were unrelated to a particular person's degree, but still pretty cool, like working with African refugees, the Alzheimer's Association, or a rugby manager. I think that it's important to network with people besides just designers at times, in order to build a diverse professional network as well as meeting potential future clients. I hope to go to more of these "profession-neutral" networking events to meet all kinds of people and make more connections.

IIDA Event- Modern Textiles in America: The Early Years

Tonight I went to the IIDA Carolinas event entitled "Modern Textiles in America: The Early Years" presented by Knoll. I was excited to go to this event as a new member of IIDA, in order to network and meet fellow members. The presentation itself was very interesting, which told the backstory of many prominent midcentury designers and their contribution to textiles. Ginger Salmon of Knoll Textiles gave a presentation on two post-war schools of design thought: Bauhaus and Cranbrook. Among these schools were designers who shaped modern thought, such as Charles and Ray Eames, Mies Van der Rohe, Florence Knoll, and Walter Gropius, to name a few. Several Knoll textile samples were passed around along with a very think Knoll book describing the history of their textiles. All in all, it was a very worthwhile event where I learned a lot. I felt this was a good introduction to IIDA events, and hopefully I will be able to attend many more in the future!

Ginger Salmon from Knoll Textiles presenting 

Looking at Knoll swatches on a fabric table

CBI's space for the event

Some Bertoia chairs spotted  

A Wassily chair by Marcel Bruer and Saarinen Womb chair

Group Marketing Package- Mock Firm

For my professional practice class, our assignment was to create a group marketing package for our mock firm, a group comprised of eight students that are structured like a real design firm that we create a business plan, brochures, biographies, business cards, and a promotional video for. My firm, 336 Design, is a local Greensboro design firm that specializes in high-end residential, small-scale commercial, and community engagement projects. I was most directly involved in creating the video as well as presenting our firm to Herman Miller in Atlanta last Monday.