A new year brings new opportunities. Make sure you are ready for them with an updated portfolio! Follow the 6 steps outlined by Behance’s Chief Designer, Matias Corea and you’ll be in tip-top shape. 6 Steps To Creating a Knockout Online Portfolio
Freshen up your portfolio for the new year
January 20th, 2012A Look At 52 Projects
October 31st, 201152 Limited Renames and Rebrands an Education Non-Profit:
We first met with the folks at the Portland Schools Foundation five or six months ago. They told us how their work with schools and the community had evolved over the past 17 years. How, as the backbone organization leading the Cradle to Career initiative, their name no longer reflected who they are today.
Instead of going with a traditional graphic design firm, they were looking for a creative partner who could not only develop their new brand, but could also engage the community to share their insights and aspirations. (and all on a shoestring, non-profit-sized budget.)
True to the 52 model, we set out to build the right team for the assignment. We searched for a writer and designer who shared our passion for education and had the experience to boot. Jake Murray (copywriter) and Greg Parra (designer), both accomplished creatives and parents themselves, raised their hands.
In addition, we needed an instigator. Someone with a deep connection to education and the ability to provide an inspirational spark to the community engagement process. Despite a full schedule of speaking engagements around the world, Kevin Carroll was the perfect person for the job and lucky for us, he figured out a way to make it work.
We started by hosting a series of internal discovery and community workshops that eventually led the 52 team to craft a brand platform to guide the naming exploration. We started concepting and presented our shortlist of ideas. One name immediately rose to the top. And so, with the unanimous support of the board, the Portland Schools Foundation has become All Hands Raised–A name that will serve as a rallying cry, mobilizing a diverse community passionate about helping all kids achieve their full potential.
We’re proud to have been partners on this journey and hope to continue to support Dan Ryan and his team as they grow into their new skin. For more about All Hands Raised and the work they do, visit: All Hands Raised
Bye Bye Budgets
October 19th, 2011
When the economy went south, marketing budgets were some of the first on the chopping block. So the story goes, lower sales mean less revenue equals scaling back on expenses. Fast-forward two years and we find ourselves still teetering on tough economic times. Is your company now viewing the marketing department as a mitigated expense or an investment opportunity?
Unfortunately, we all know too well that lesser budgets don’t necessarily mean fewer expectations. In fact, in trying times despite waning resources, many marketers are asked to do more with less. Play short-handed. Stretch their dollars. Continue as before but with one hand tied behind their backs. So what do you do? Rely on Twitter and Facebook to weather the storm? We feel your pain.
When business is not “as usual”, traditional marketing resources may need to be reevaluated. You may need to realign your strategy. And the full-service agency you’re currently tethered to might not be the best bang for the buck anymore. If this is the case, consider exploring 52 Limited. Whether sourcing senior freelance talent to fill a temporary void or activating one of our custom project teams to provide fresh creative horsepower, we can keep your brand moving forward without showing up on the CFO’s radar.
By Ryan Gallagher, Account Director @ 52 Limited
Come on in, the water is more than fine!
September 22nd, 2011
I gotta tell ya, we have one of the best jobs around. Every day we get to meet and work with amazingly talented artists, designers, and big thinkers. One of our favorites is the lovely Mia Nolting. You may have seen her work most recently on the 2011 PICA Time Based Art Festival posters. She has the perfect quirky but subtle point of view and her drawings feel just right, never over-worked. Mia has done some work with our project team here at 52 Limited and has also been a valuable candidate on the staffing side of the house. We love working with her and can’t wait to see what she is up to next. Go check out her site where you can get some of her artwork for your very own!
Design Culture Does Not Require Designers
September 13th, 2011
Around here we keep our eyes peeled and an ear to the ground for companies that really value good design and support a culture of innovation. (Those companies tend to also be the ones that value their employees and keeping them fulfilled and challenged.) The common thread seems to always be that the decision makers at the top incorporate design and creativity into every aspect of their business. Fast Company’s Alissa Walker recently wrote up a profile of the surprisingly small team running Tumblr. Despite having only a single designer on staff (for now), Tumblr has placed emphasis on good, simple design at the center of all their offerings.
How Tumblr Created A Design Culture With No Design Team
Help Ignite Creativity in Our Public Schools
August 25th, 2011
AIGA Portland & The Right Brain Initiative are seeking input from Portland creative professionals to contribute content to a “Brain Food” activity deck. The deck will offer a variety of imaginative challenges that will engage school-age children in developing creative and critical thinking skills. Upon review, they will be collected into a physical publication that will be distributed to Portland teachers and parents, and available at local retailers.
Submit your ideas to engage kids in creative adventures!
Here are two “Brain Food” examples to get you thinking:
MUSEUM MAKER
Find or collect “artifacts” or works of art that are interesting to you. Some people collect shells, postcards, buttons, pictures, or figurines. Decide what you think is important about each artifact or work of art and make labels or signs to go with them. If you would like to give your museum visitors extra information about the objects or art, dive into some research! Arrange your objects or art in a special space, on walls, tables or surfaces where they look good to you. Spend time thinking about how your museum is arranged. Do objects that are similar in some way belong near each other? Where do you put your favorite item? How can you feature your objects the best with light or color? How will visitors look through your museum from start to finish? You can also lead tours through your museum to talk about the objects with your visitors. Be sure to ask them what they see that they like, and why.
HEAR ME ROAR
Go on a hunt to find your own voice. Our ability to make an amazing range of sounds with our voice is often under-explored. Think about the places you’ve been that made you hear your own voice in a new way – your bathroom, a hallway, under a bridge, or in an echo-filled canyon. If you have it, use paper or poster board to create your own megaphone and think about giving your voice a new character in this space. You can use your voice to sing, make noises, tell a story, or let others know what’s on your mind. How far can you make your voice travel? How many different tones can you produce? Can your voice bend around walls? What environments create the most echo? A group of voices who perform together is called a choir or chorus. With a few other friends, you can momentarily claim rooms, alcoves, tunnels, archways, or fields with your new found voices.
Read more Brain Food examples here.
Guidelines for Contributions:
In short, submissions all must include the following elements:
Creative Activity/Exploration + Easy-to-Find Materials + School Subject = Brain Food
The activity should be unique, easy-to-understand, and relate visual art, dance, theater, music, media or design to one or more subjects kids learn in school. Some example subjects are: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Civics, Cooking, Foreign Language, Geology, Geography, Journalism, Math, Nutrition, Oregon History, Physical Education, Reading, Social Studies, Spelling, Theater, U.S. History, World History, Writing
-Whenever possible make the challenge relevant to the Portland community. This may mean including specific geographic locations and landmarks, history, or environmental details specific to the Pacific Northwest.
-Materials needed to complete the challenge should be easy to find.
-Challenges should focus on creative process rather than final results.
-They should be applicable to children in grades K-8 and performed under the guidance of a parent or teacher.
Submission Instructions:
Email your contribution(s) to socialchange@portland.aiga.org in text form, and attach any relevant images. (Images may or may or may not be used in final implementation). Provide your title for the challenge, and your full name. Once submitted, the challenges/activities will be evaluated and edited by Right Brain staff and teachers. If your submission is chosen, you will receive credit for being a contributor in the final physical piece.
If you have any questions about the above, email Melissa at mdelzio@portland.aiga.org
Remember, keep it simple and fun!
Thanks,
AIGA Portland & The Right Brain Initiative
Background
This project was initiated by the AIGA Portland’s Social Change Committee members Melissa Delzio, Brittany Hanson, and Tina Le. The committee sprung from a national AIGA call for designers to engage more in efforts of social change in their communities. As critical thinkers, artists, professional communicators, and designers have a unique skill set that can utilized by many non-profits. The AIGA Portland Social Change Committee has chosen to partner with The Right Brain Initiative because of their impact on local schools and focus on the arts. To find out more about The Right Brain Initiative visit their websitehttp://therightbraininitiative.org or email Rebecca Burrell rburrell@racc.org.
What Matters Most at Work
August 23rd, 2011
When it comes to what we want in our jobs, there are a few things we can all agree on. We want to like the people we work with, we want to feel good about the work being done, and most importantly, we want a good work/life balance. In Portland we are lucky that those ideals are commonly held and a big part of why people are here.
Outside Magazine compiled a great list of companies that ‘get it’. “Just when we need it most, along comes a wave of enlightened companies that believe success starts with smiling employees. Which means lunchtime bike rides, flexible hours, and bringing the dog to the office can now be part of your job description. Presenting Outside‘s 50 Best Places to Work.”
What is it about your job that makes you happy to get up and go to work every day?
It’s All About Who You Know
August 5th, 2011
I know you have heard it a million times: network, network, network! I also know that the thought of ‘networking’ makes most people’s skin crawl. You hear that word and picture attending an ‘industry event’ and schmoozing your way around a room with a name tag and fake smile pasted on, schlepping business cards and shaking hands… ICK. Well, I have good news for you, it does not have to be that way AT ALL.
It is no big secret the best way to land a sweet gig is through a personal connection or referral. That is why 52ltd works the way we do. We sit down and get to know every person we match with a job and do the same with clients before sending anyone over. If you are looking for your next opportunity, start chatting up friends and old co-workers, people you met at that bb-q last weekend, and your friend’s roommate that has a million friends. Invite them to get coffee or meet up for happy hour. Start a conversation on your way out to float the river, or while 
you are out on a hike. Ask them questions about what they do, talk about what you would love to do and what you are good at. Just plant the seed so they are aware you are available and looking. Be nice. Be positive. Don’t be a salesman. You are just being friendly and hanging out, getting on their radar.
The Harvard Business Review talks about how networking is the key to breaking in to the ‘hidden’ job market. It really is common sense, and more painless than you think!
Confessions of a PC user gone Mac
August 3rd, 2011It was like any other day. I came into work. Got my coffee. Settled into my desk. But when it came time to login and begin working, something had changed. Today would be the day that I would give up my PC and join the rest of the agency in the iWorld. It was a day I had avoided for months. Today I would succumb to the power of Steve Jobs and begin using a MacBook Pro.
Growing up, my first computer experience was with a Mac. The original Apple Macintosh (circa 1984). A little rectangular tan box that allowed me to play a little game called Oregon Trail. All I can seem to remember was every time I’d be about to ford a river or escape a tribe of wild Indians, a fatal error message would appear ending my personal manifest destiny. Now two decades later, that little black bomb is still scorched into my brain.
In the marketing and advertising world in which I work now, the account people always had PC’s and the creative had Macs. It was the whole left-brained vs. right-brained thing I guess. You ascribe to your tribe. But in the last couple of years, that seems to have changed. Now most everyone in the Creative Class, even some on the client-side have migrated to Apple. It was probably the whole iPhone phenomenon that got people hooked. The digital gateway drug. iCrack that perpetuated the Apple addiction beyond just designers and illustrators.
Until now, I had been holding out. A stalwart PC’er who was scared of change. I had made through high school and college with Windows. And in my professional career I had dazzled clients with my PowerPoint and Excel skills over the years. I was afraid of having to start over with Keynote and Numbers. But to my surprise, my new Mac came pre-loaded with Microsoft Office, so it was just a matter of maneuvering tool bars and uncovering new short cuts. Once I got that down, it was like I had never left.
So, so far so good. I still get tripped up on the whole Command C versus Control C thing. But I’m digging the Dock. Not sure how I feel about dongles.
Outside of work I still live a conflicted life with a foot planted in both camps. I have an iPod and iTouch, but recently chose a Droid over an iPhone. I started downloading my music from Amazon instead of iTunes. I still prefer Chrome over Safari. And I’d rather watch John Hodgman on the Daily Show than anything with Justin Long.
Maybe it all comes down to simple geography. After all, Portland, Oregon is located between Gatesland (Redmond, Washington) and Jobsville (Cupertino, California), at the end of the Oregon Trail.
Taking a Chance With Transparency
July 26th, 2011
Domino’s Pizza seems to have gone all-in when it comes to standing behind their product. They kicked off their new image
with Super Bowl ad’s touting farm grown veggies, and then invited customers to share photos of actual Domino’s pizzas at Showusyourpizza.com.They adopted a successful online strategy that allows a customer to track their order from oven to delivery and leave feedback. To take it one step further, they are broadcasting that feedback in Times Square. Fast Company has a great write up: