January 28, 2012

Judging Object Runway, Season 3

I just had the pleasure of judging Object Runway, put on by The International gallery of Contemporary Art.

The event successfully merged high fashion, contemporary art and works full of humor. 65 pieces of wearable art were showcased on the runway by models of all ages, shapes and sizes. The designs encompassed everything from barely wearable to high fashion and ready-to-wear. You can view the pieces all of February at The International gallery of Contemporary Art.

Not only was I impressed by the level of creativity of the work, but the event itself must have been a huge undertaking and my thanks goes out to everyone involved: Thank you for contributing to making Anchorage a great and inspiring art community.

My fellow judges were Anchorage Assembly Member Elvi Gray-Jackson, and Elite model Ingrid Sophie Schram. Wonderful meeting you both.

The above photo is taken by local photographer Kerry Tasker – thank you for graciously letting me use this.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Alaska, Community Involvement, Design

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

November 7, 2011

Beauty Mark by Headron Collider

My friend, Jontue Hollingsworth made a self promotional poster series that “focuses on the idea of brand identification and what we as humans determine as beautiful. A beauty mark sets you apart from the rest in an instant.”

As one might notice, I helped him by modeling for the series. I believe there’s three ladies total. It was fun and his work is stunning.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Alaska, Community Involvement, Design

Tagged as , , , ,

October 24, 2011

Olberding White Architects: New Website

Erica and Liz who co-founded Olberding White Architects already had a great established reputation with construction contractors, and are often approached by contractors looking for a design/build partner. They wanted to furthermore convey that they are progressive, independent thinkers who do great work.

I developed a new identity for them, which can be found in my portfolio on the bottom of the page. The identity won a Silver Award in 2010 at the AIGA Alaska Design Show, The Big One.

To accompany the new identity, a boutique website was just launched. Each page is individually designed and all type is custom set, making for completely unique esthetics. I also art directed the portraits of Erica and Liz, taken by Mark Meyer. Website development by Mike Hondel.

1 Comment

Filed under Alaska, Awards & Recognition, Design, Website Design

Tagged as , , ,

October 20, 2011

The Aftermath: National Design Conference Pivot

I just returned from the bi-annual AIGA design conference, which was held in 100°F Phoenix this year. Can I just say the conference blew my mind?

First of all, the people attending these conferences live and breathe for design, not just design, but meaningful design. It was an absolute honor to be in the presence of the top design thinkers in America.

We, as designers, have the ability to change the way people think. We are problem solvers and have the tools and knowledge to solve some of the trickiest problems we face as a global society. You should dive into Design for Good — a movement to ignite, accelerate and amplify design-driven social change.

Design for Good Video

Next years national conference “Gain” will be in San Fransisco on October 8–9, 2012. Add it to your calendar – you will NOT regret attending. Stay tuned on Twitter @AIGAconference

To all my crazy AIGA friends: Love ya and I can’t wait to see you next time.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Design

September 20, 2011

Presentation on the first year of AIGA Alaska

So for whatever it’s worth this was my debut presentation at the AIGA Leadership Retreat in Minneapolis in June 2011. Really it would be better with the slides visible too so here’s the pdf I prepared for this pretty casual presentation: AIGA Alaska Presentation Slides

AIGA Leadership Retreat, Minneapolis, 2011 from Sini Salminen on Vimeo.

Now, don’t go and get all offended by some of the things I’m saying… it was all for the entertainment factor.

Leave a Comment

Filed under AIGA Alaska

Tagged as , , , , ,

September 15, 2011

The more you give, the more you get

I bet you’re already an active part of AIGA. You attend our events and hopefully commit your resources to membership. So it’s time to consider the next step. AIGA Alaska volunteers are active and well connected in the local design community. You’ll be able to network extensively while giving back to your profession at the same time. It’s something you can feel good about, and you will be rewarded in ways you didn’t imagine.

Being on the board has been a great gift to me, so great that I’m going to commit to being on the board for another two-year term. Not only has it been great fun, but I’ve also grown on a personal level, and exercised leadership skills I’ve been wanting to improve. Additionally, I’ve gained a wonderful network of design friends on a national level by attending the annual AIGA Leadership Retreat.

If you are interested in putting your talents to use while meeting other professionals, emerging designers, students, and educators, please come to our very chipper and informational meeting this coming Tuesday at Mixx Grill at 6pm. There’s also more info on the AIGA Alaska website.

Give your talents a stronger voice because the more you give, the more you get.

Leave a Comment

Filed under AIGA Alaska, Alaska, Community Involvement

Tagged as , , , ,

September 13, 2011

Danish Architecture: 8-TALLET




Oh, Copenhagen, you’ve done it again; making me long for home.

I just love the bold Danish way of thinking… why not redefine 21st century living? Making green housing this attractive is for sure creative. Water sports outside your window, community spaces, cafes, art galleries, vast nature, grassing cows (yes), and all of this with a short 12 minute train ride to the center of Copenhagen. The idea is localizing services for residences — something people in large, dense cities take for granted.

This complex is Denmark’s largest – holding 476 condos, some with private gardens. The architecture is broken both horizontally and vertically to maximize natural daylight. Green spaces dominate the court yards and the roof, reducing heat and providing visual relief. 8-TALLET.

Why are builds like this successful? Because Danes love it… The taste for smart design is taught early on through the breast milk. I think it’s time for me to start thinking about another trip to Denmark.

Designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG).

Leave a Comment

Filed under Denmark

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

September 9, 2011

An ode to Finnish design




The Helsinki Design Week started today, so what’s more appropriate than to honor a great Finnish designer?

The above designs are a taste of the work by talented (and beautiful) Sanna Annukka. She is the designer behind some of the super iconic Marimekko textile and print patterns. I’m a total fan of the nature and wildlife inspired illustrations, they have an almost childish simplicity to them. Love to look at this stuff.

Marimekko, established in 1951, is a Finnish textile and clothing design company renowned for its original prints and colors. The company designs and manufactures high-quality clothing, interior decoration textiles, bags and other accessories.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Design

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 6, 2011

Stefan Bucher: Lecture in Anchorage

You’re in Anchorage. You love visuals that move you. You like monsters. Yeah? You shouldn’t be missing this lecture by Stefan Bucher, creator of the Daily Monster®, presented by AIGA Alaska.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011
7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Anchorage Museum Auditorium (Use 7th St entrance)

For more information and ticket sales, visit AIGA Alaska

Event materials designed by: Jontue Hollingsworth, Headron Collider

Leave a Comment

Filed under AIGA Alaska, Alaska, Community Involvement, Design

Tagged as , , ,

September 5, 2011

Copenhagen Design Week

The 2011 Copenhagen Design Week is almost coming to a closing, but I want to highlight one great initiative out of all of the brilliant events, the world’s biggest design award, INDEX: Design to Improve Life.

“At INDEX:, we dream of a world that is designed to suit the needs and aspirations of mankind. Our ten years of experience have shown, through thousands of conversations and thousands of life-improving designs, that design is a decisive factor towards creating a better world.”

Among the 2011 winners are free eye glasses for children (design by my hero Yves Behar), smart social housing, and a crazy looking aerodynamic bike helmet.

Also coming up in the Scandinavian north is the Helsinki Design Week, starting September 9 through 18, 2011. Helsinki also has the honor of being this years’ World Design Capital, celebrating design the entire year. (Shouldn’t we all?).

I also posted about the Helsinki Design Week last year – wondering when Anchorage is ready for a Design Week of its own… And, promising that I will be involved in putting it on one day. Phew, what a promise to put out there.

Bike shot above: Copenhagen Cycle Chic for Danish bicycle brand Velorbis. Copyright All rights reserved by Mikael Colville-Andersen.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Denmark, Design, Sustainability

Tagged as , , , , , ,

September 3, 2011

My Bookshelf: The Art of Client Service

There’s a lot of reading going on lately. Here’s a book by Robert Solomon, a very knowledgeable and respected client service executive. This book outlines 58 things every advertising and marketing professional should know.

For advertising agencies this is an absolute must, but why not spend a little time on polishing my own freelance ability to serve my clients the best way possible. After all, if it wasn’t for my clients I wouldn’t have a very successful business.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Books

Tagged as , , , ,

August 18, 2011

My Bookshelf: The Designful Company

Here’s one more Marty Neumeier book to make you rethink how you either run your business or how you help other businesses grow. I read this on my way to Jamaica, it’s a quick read, well-written and easy to understand. Neumeier explains how aesthetics and management go hand in hand, and how every process can be designed for innovation.

“The Designful Company” makes a great contribution to our understanding of design as a core business competence” – Roger Martin, Dean of Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

Buy the book.

2 Comments

Filed under AIGA Alaska, Books, branding, Design

Tagged as , , ,