Poster for Gwenaëlle Gobé’s film “This Space Available”

On May 2, the CCAD MindMarket will welcome Gwenaëlle Gobé as she screens the documentary she directed, This Space Available, which is about the efforts of activists, artists, and communities to take those spaces back.

The idea for the film began with a discussion between Gwenaëlle Gobé and her father, Marc Gobé, the internationally renowned creator of the concept of emotional branding.

“Well, I come from a very opinionated family. Marketing and the international promotion of brands were definitively a hot topic at the dinner table, since my dad, Marc, has developed the branding for huge companies around the world,” she said in an article in The Atlantic.

Gwenaelle Gobé shooting “hoardings,” the name for billboards in India.

“He still sees corporations with a ‘Helvetica’ innocence of neutrality and righteousness. He would say, ‘Look at the all the colors, the emotions, and social change they are involved in.’ Obviously I strongly disagree; I feel brands infiltrate our space, our privacy and our health without asking permission. Everywhere we go we are treated as potential consumers,” she says in the article.

After pulling together 240 hours of film, 160 interviews, and visits to 11 countries on five continents, the film, which was produced by Marc Gobé, premiered in November 2011 and has since been shown at numerous international festivals.

Check out the details for the May 2 event, sponsored by the Easton Community Foundation, on the event page and watch the trailer for the film here.

CCAD students look over design options

The 2013 Arnold Sports Festival is celebrating its 25^th anniversary in Columbus this weekend and it turned to students at Columbus College of Art & Design to design merchandise for the event.

Eight students participated in the 72-hour charrette through the CCAD MindMarket’s DesignLab.

Participating students included: Advertising & Graphic Design juniors Evan Symonds, Ian Li Cissel Tan, and Jonathan Yukek; seniors Ezra Hone, Nicole Londeree, and Trevor Payne; Illustration junior Alexis Schuknecht; and senior Dylan Shuman.

“We all worked in the same room within the MindMarket,” Schuknecht said. “It was nice since we were able to bounce ideas off each other and hang our designs up around the room and get feedback as we worked. It truly mimicked a professional, real-world challenge.”

After finishing the designs students presented to Tom Sabatino, a representative from the Arnold Festival, CCAD MindMarket Director Cynthia Gravino, and instructor Jim Johnson.

Awards were originally given to Payne for first place, Schuknecht for second, and Hone and Tan tied for third place.

The four award-winning designs will be developed to go on T-shirts to sell at the expo and possibly be placed on other merchandise including stickers and posters.

Sabatino enjoyed the designs so much he decided he reward the students’ work by offering additional prizes for the design that receives the most orders from vendors and the design that sells the most overall during the festival.

“This is the fourth year we have worked with CCAD to design merchandise and the competitiveness of the students is what really impresses me every year,” Sabatino said. “We hope to continue to grow this relationship and work with the MindMarket again in the future.”

The students will also get a chance to meet with Arnold Schwarzenegger during a legends breakfast this weekend and will receive a letter of recommendation for their design work to put in their portfolios.

The CCAD MindMarket offers several creative services formats through the DesignLab, from charrettes, which are intense 54-to-72 hour design challenges, to class projects lasting 16 weeks, to partnerships, which can be longer and recruit the broadest variety of CCAD students, faculty, and staff.

Hone is a native of Columbus, OH and attended Groveport Madison High School; Howard is from Mount Vernon, OH and attended Mount Vernon High School; Londeree is from Columbus, OH and attended Worthington Kilbourne High School; Payne is from Cincinnati and attended Princeton High School; Schuknecht is a native of Saginaw, MI and attended Heritage High School; Symonds is from Lima, Ohio and attended Shawnee Senior High School; Tan is from Singapore; and Yukek is from Cleveland and attended Valley Forge High School.

Students work on project for InPower through the CCAD MindMarket

It has only been about four months since the CCAD MindMarket officially launched and it is already flying strong.

The MindMarket opened in fall with ThoughtLab speaker Roger Martin and this spring will host internationally renowned retail design and branding expert Marc Gobé and his daughter, Gwenaelle Gobé.

Businesses have already tapped into CCAD talent through the MindMarket’s DesignLab. Companies range from a local electronics company InPower, Inc. to a charrette that just concluded with the Arnold Classic.

The MindMarket’s Incubator program currently has four participants taking advantage of the mentorship, business coaching, and professional services. While the Incubator tenants share a connection to CCAD, as they are alumni, their reasons for coming back vary.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Annie Weihrauch (CCAD 2003) started her first business in 2007, Modern Material. She eventually transitioned that graphic design-oriented company to include her love of fashion and accessories and renamed the company Rock & Royalty.

Students working in the CCAD MindMarket, photo courtesy Danielle Ford (2013)

Over the past several years, Weihrauch has been making and selling her jewelry and embellished apparel through her website and through local Columbus events. She is learning more about garment construction and buisness so she can create her own clothing line.

“I absolutely loved my time at CCAD,” Weihrauch said. “When I learned about CCAD’s MindMarket I realized it was exactly what I needed to move forward. There are a lot of other business programs out there, but they aren’t geared toward the creative mind. I am looking forward to the connections and programs provided by CCAD, while working with people who understand the importance of creative integrity.”

Weihrauch’s process at the MindMarket is just beginning. She plans on accessing mentoring, legal advice, business guidance, and using the fresh talent of CCAD students and facilities.

The legal counsel will assist her with tradmark issues she has encountered, and business mentors will help strengthen her business plan.

Illustration alumnus Anthony Weiler (CCAD 1994) started a freelance design career a few years ago, and by the end of his time in the incubator he hopes to launch a firm with a full-time design team.

Weiler’s company is IncredABLE Design. One of his current clients is Ohio State University’s IT Department

Weiler was introduced to CCAD’s MindMarket through an existing business mentor who highly recommended the incubator.

“Upon meeting with [CCAD MindMarket director] Cynthia Gravino I knew that this was going to be perfect for me and my company,” Weiler said. “I wanted a place where I can try new things out, not be afraid to make mistakes, and have access to the coaching that I needed and the facilities CCAD has to offer.”

“I am excited to see all the changes at the college since I graduated. CCAD and Columbus have a lot of energy, and are headed in the right directions with strong business focuses,” Weiler said.

Media Studies alumna Hazel Tarr (CCAD 2007) is the only current resident member of the Incubator. Her current company, Tarrka Studios, is an animation/motion picture/documentary studio.

Students working in the CCAD MindMarket, photo courtesy Danielle Ford (2013)

Tarrka Studios is dedicated to creating and producing original movies and programming that speak to the community and social consciousness as it relates to the well-being of children and pets.

“I wanted to transition my solo documentary studio to include animation,” Tarr said. “This program afforded me the opportunity to realize my dream. Having major costs such as building, equipment, and supplies and people like the interns through CCAD covered, makes the CCAD MindMarket Incubator program invaluable to anyone with a start-up or transitioning business.”

Tarr will use the business mentors available to help strengthen her business plan, and she will take advantage of the legal counsel available.

“Physically being located in my tenant space has also allowed Tarrka Studios to be introduced to various individuals within the Columbus community, thus garnering exposure for the studio and the various projects in production,” Tarr said.

Illustration alumna Maggy O’Reilly VanOrder (CCAD 2009) started O’Reilly Ink in 2007 by selling prints and drawings through Etsy, an online artisan shop.

VanOrder originally heard of the MindMarket Incubator when it was in its beta phase, through the CCAD Alumni Newsletter.

“I was going on one year of being unemployed and it seemed like a direct sign and too good to be true,” VanOrder said.

VanOrder didn’t participate in the beta program, but she kept informed as the year went on and is just now beginning to use and learn more about the services provided.

“This past December I realized I had really let go of my art and nearly lost the passion for it that I once had,” VanOrder said. “I didn’t work on selling with Etsy or seeking out freelance work, though I was now working full time again. I remembered the MindMarket and contacted Cynthia, and wouldn’t you know, they were looking for new interested people. It was perfect timing.

“I still feel like it’s a program that is just too perfect to pass up,” VanOrder said. “I definitely need a boost and someone to really push me. I also need access to someone with business sense and the resources that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I’m hoping to take my business to the level it needs to be at and eventually turn it into a full-time endeavor. I want it to be my passion and my life. By the end of my time with the CCAD MindMarket, I hope to be well my way to that self-made status, one of many founded here in Columbus, Ohio.”

Students work on project for InPower through the CCAD MindMarket

Students are tackling a big project with local advanced electronics company InPower through CCAD’s MindMarket.

“InPower reached out to CCAD after learning about some of the program offerings CCAD has for Industrial Design,” said Cynthia Gravino, CCAD MindMarket director.  “We had several meetings and determined a CCAD DesignLab partnership would best serve their needs and would provide a great hands-on opportunity for our students in a client-based project setting.”

Tom Gattis, dean of the School of Design Arts and chair of Industrial Design, stepped in to lead the student class.

“InPower originally came to us hoping to redesign the packaging for an existing product and look for some new market opportunities,” Gattis said. “We attacked it from a different point of view and realized we can do a lot more than just redesign a package.”

For the first semester (fall 2012) students conducted a comprehensive market, product, and competitive landscape analysis.

“We spent nearly the whole semester researching things like who the customers are, what motivated them to purchase, examining how the company was attacking the market and finding alternatives,” Gattis said. “The students did a tremendous amount of work and exceeded the client’s expectations.”

During the spring semester (2013) Gattis is leading the students in the physical redesign of the packaging based on the internal and external factors revealed by their research. They will explore design factors such as mood, color, typography, and texture to create the best branding and packaging for the company.

The partnership with InPower will extend throughout the next academic year, with the company tapping into CCAD talent to help discover new avenues for its products and its brand.

“One of the most interesting aspects of this partnership is that InPower is an engineering-based organization,” Gravino said. “This type of company is outside of the other industries we usually have a chance to work with and provided an opportunity to expand the types of companies we serve.”

The partnership allows students to experience a real-world situation with a client and product that are local and will use their ideas.

“This is as close as we can simulate to the real world; the only difference is we are doing it within the safe confines of the college,” Gattis said. “[Students] have expert guidance from faculty along the way, and they can take a lot of risk without the fear of getting fired or demoted. They are allowed within that context to try a lot of things and really explore concepts that in a corporate setting would be a bit too risky.”

The CCAD MindMarket offers several creative services formats through the DesignLab, from charrettes, which are intense 54-to-72 hour design challenges, to class projects lasting 16 weeks, to partnerships, which can be longer and recruit the broadest variety of CCAD students, faculty, and staff.

The anatomy lab at Columbus State Community College, photo courtesy of Kristine Schramer

By Robin Hepler

Tens of thousands of visitors to the COSI science museum this winter will view an exhibition of CCAD students’ interpretations of the human form. Students in the fall semester course The Human Body in Art and Science have had access to the cadaver labs at Columbus State Community College and to the fall Body Worlds & the Brain exhibition at COSI to study the body from numerous perspectives—all for their use in creating art at the level expected for an exhibition hosted by a regional tourist destination.

CCAD faculty members Julie Posey (Science) and Kristine Schramer (Fine Arts) developed the team-taught course and negotiated the community partnerships to bring this full array of opportunities to students. The project provides an expansive and very public new venue for students to exhibit their final coursework and serves as an example of CCAD’s evolution in project-based learning.

“The college is moving toward a more cross-disciplinary way to deliver on project-based learning to mimic what happens in the real world,” says Kevin Conlon, CCAD vice president for Academic Affairs. “We are intentionally seeking external academic partners to provide opportunities for students to engage in teaming and problem-solving challenges.”

The expanding scope of projects is bringing faculty members together to create whole new classes, such as Posey and Schramer’s human body course.

“The scale of these newer project-based learning opportunities is becoming much more ambitious,” Conlon says. “As a result, they often engender dedicated courses that aggregate talent from multiple levels and departments and in academic constructs that may go beyond the limits of current course models and academic terms.”

CCAD students doing a dissection in the CSCC lab, photo courtesy of Kristine Schramer

Constructing new learning opportunities

Posey says she and Schramer spent three months developing learning objectives and finding the right combination of curriculum elements from science and art for the new course.

“I focus on the world out there that isn’t art. This course is about the human body—every different aspect, from tattoos to aging to body systems to our DNA,” Posey says. “I try to engage students about issues that are fundamentally meaningful to them as humans, not necessarily as artists. That is where Kris comes in.

“Kris shows these kids that our worldly experiences, our knowledge of our own micro-world, can be truly inspirational as art,” Posey says. “She ties what I do with what artists do.”

In each lecture Schramer shows students work of contemporary artists who work with the human form as their muse. Students are not asked to memorize facts about science; instead, Schramer says, she wants to teach students how to make themselves subject experts when they need to for their creative work.

And she teaches the process of a project.

“My goal is for every student in this class to have the experience of taking on an ambitious project and completing it successfully. I meet so many creative people who are full of brilliant ideas, but lack both the nerve to begin and the practical skills to manage the execution of a complicated project,” Schramer says.

“Using the study of science and each student’s individual project as the educational vehicle, I guide them through the stages of brainstorming, refining, proposing, revising and proposing again, researching, planning, budgeting, scheduling, and presenting their work publicly.”

Schramer says these skills can be applied to any major endeavor undertaken in life, whether it be artistic, entrepreneurial, or personal.

Posey and Schramer partnered last fall to team-teach a biotechnology course that also tapped the resources of Columbus State anatomist Eric Kenz. That project helped launch 2012 graduate Jonathan Hodge’s career in medical illustration. This year’s public exhibition at COSI, sharing museum space with the acclaimed Body Worlds & the Brain exhibit, makes their second project-based course much larger in scope—creating more opportunity and expectations.

UPDATE 12/2/12: There will be a free, public reception to view the student work on Sunday, 6-8 p.m. Dec. 9, 2013, at COSI Columbus.

Community-based projects

Students working in the CCAD MindMarket, photo courtesy Danielle Ford (2013)

Businesses and organizations in central Ohio can now access the talent of CCAD faculty, staff, and students for projects through the CCAD MindMarket’s DesignLab. Depending on the need, the CCAD MindMarket can assemble cross-disciplinary teams to provide design solutions through three different project structures: charrettes lasting 54–72 hours; semester-long, in-class projects; and longer-term project partnerships.

A spring 2012 joint project that teamed up a Fashion Design class and an Advertising & Graphic Design class is an example of the kind of community project that likely will work through the new MindMarket in the future.

Twenty-two students from the two classes presented design solutions for Huntington Bank’s branded team jersey for the annual Pelotonia bike race to raise money for cancer research. In the end, the bank asked that two options be combined—utilizing functional design elements by senior Nina Rehner and graphics by senior Dahui (Danny) Li.

“That’s how real projects work in corporations,” says Suzanne Cotton, chair of Fashion Design at CCAD. “It was a terrific scenario for the two finalists to work together to combine their concepts.”

Matt Mohr, assistant professor of Visual Communications and Media Studies, led the graphic design students in the project.

“We’re always looking for ways to combine disciplines,” says Mohr. “Apparel graphics, especially the opportunity to create a concept that covered the entire garment, posed a unique challenge. Given that the designs were for a well-respected, high-profile event made for eager excitement among the students.”

Conlon says the new curriculum architecture being built at CCAD supports the practicum experience, whether faculty members are bringing new projects to the classroom or outside organizations are approaching CCAD through the new structure of the MindMarket.

“It’s all about providing the students choices among a variety of paths to the practicum and a gateway to the professional-level and portfolio-worthy experience,” Conlon says.

All project-based learning is incredibly valuable for the student—not just for the experience of merging research, theory, application, experience, and result, Conlon says, but also for the benefit it provides students in developing their portfolios.

“Professional development has always begun with the portfolio at CCAD. Our continuing commitment to the portfolio as the primary evidence of discipline readiness will now be enhanced with the engagement of more and varied types of project-based learning,” Conlon says. “The practicum experience, played out in at least 12 credit hours within the new curriculum architecture, is the college’s demonstrated commitment to this ideal.”

For Schramer the experience is paying additional, personal dividends: “In these classes, Julie and I are learning right along with the students,” she says.

To check out the online print version of IMAGE, click here.

CCAD MindMarket lobby, photo courtesy Danielle Ford (2013)

Architect Mitch Acock’s talents were benefiting CCAD well before he joined the college’s board of trustees in 2010—and his work with the CCAD Design Studios on Broad has been a centerpiece of his involvement. We caught up with him recently for a quick insider’s tour of the new CCAD MindMarket facility, for which he was the lead architect.

IMAGE: The key to this facility is how it brings together so many pockets of creativity from all over campus and creates one focused place for creative problem-solving. How does the design promote this synergy?

Mitch Acock (MA): We’ve incorporated a diversity of types of spaces, which allows for a wide variety of group collaboration formats as well as individual work areas. We’ve also made the spaces flexible for users, so they can “own” the space as they use it and shape it to their needs.

IMAGE: Is there a single feature that’s your favorite?

MA: The reception area. We made it big enough to also serve as a gallery space to show off, in video form, all the varied types of work that students at CCAD are involved in. To have the best examples of student work all in one space and on the corner of Broad and Cleveland is a great opportunity to show the quality and breadth of CCAD design work to the MindMarket’s visitors, patrons, and the larger Columbus design community—as well as to prospective students and their parents. It will be a cool space not only to be in, but also to engage with as a passerby on the street.

IMAGE: How have your ideas for this facility changed over time?

MA: The college’s compelling vision of both engaging the broader design community and stressing entrepreneurship made me focus more on how spaces can engage people that are not directly connected to CCAD. The location on Broad Street is perfect to serve as this kind of transition space between the necessarily sheltered world of academia and the outside world.

IMAGE: How does this project fit into your sense, as a board member, of CCAD’s longer-term goals and opportunities?

MA: It’s the cornerstone of CCAD’s effort to become more engaged in the broader design community. As the design economy continues to supplant the information economy as the big economic driver, the MindMarket will keep CCAD relevant and a leader in the broader cultural and economic marketplaces.

To check out the online print version of IMAGE, click here.

Alexis Jacobs with friends at the 2012 Senior Fashion Show. From left: Venus Roby, Charla Crawford, Angela Pace, Regina Whann, and Jacobs. Photo courtesy of Terry Gilliam

By Kristin Mack Deuber

Cars have always been Alexis Jacobs’ passion. Since starting her career working alongside her father, William Jacobs, founder of Columbus Fair Auto Auction, she has now led it—one of the nation’s top auto auctions—for more than 40 years.

It’s no wonder, then, that Wheelz, a CCAD exhibition highlighting exotic cars and motorcycles as art, was what first hooked Jacobs on the college back in 2005. Since then she has supported many CCAD events and has never missed the Senior Fashion Show. She also gives to scholarships and was instrumental in helping build the CCAD Design Studios on Broad.

“I continue to be amazed by the talent at CCAD,” says Jacobs. “It’s so great to see young people with such artistic skills, especially when I can’t even draw a straight line.”

Jacobs plans to continue supporting CCAD on projects such as the new CCAD MindMarket, an incubator for arts-related business and a hub where businesses, government agencies, and other organizations can access CCAD talent.

“I plan to utilize the MindMarket as we bring our auto auction online,” says Jacobs. “We are excited to benefit from this local resource as well as give students real-life experience working in the auto auction business.”

Jacobs supports other youth- and education-focused organizations throughout central Ohio, including Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Franklin Park Conservatory, Charity Newsies, the Salesian Boys & Girls Club of Columbus, and the Ohio State University Foundation. She has also received numerous industry awards, and Columbus Fair Auto Auction has been ranked as one of the top 500 woman-owned businesses by Working Woman magazine.

To check out the online print version of IMAGE, click here.

Roger Martin

As jobs and the economy continue to be a hot topic of national debate, the necessity of creative thinking and innovation in the American marketplace is of particular interest to artists and designers, and CCAD is bringing Roger Martin to Columbus on Sept. 28 to share his thoughts.

Best known in design circles for his book The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage, Martin was named in 2010 as one of the most influential designers in the world and in 2011 as the sixth top management thinker in the world.

Martin is the dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, and an adviser on strategy to CEO’s of several major global corporations. He writes extensively on design and is a regular contributor to Washington Post’s On Leadership blog and to Financial Times’ Judgment Call column.

Martin’s presentation coincides with the launch of the CCAD MindMarket, a creative center that integrates art and design talent with business practices via business partnerships, a business incubator, and the ThoughtLab—an initiative that will recruit leaders in business and design to discuss and study the connection between creativity and economic value.

“We are so excited to bring Roger Martin to CCAD and Columbus,” said CCAD MindMarket Director Cynthia Gravino. “He is a respected leader in the business community and is seriously raising the level of debate on the idea of design thinking and its importance to our economic future. I can’t think of a better way to kick off the CCAD MindMarket, an innovative college program that connects the talent our students and alumni with the business community.”

Martin comes to CCAD, Friday, Sept. 28. After a cocktail reception at 4:30 p.m., Martin will speak at 5:30 p.m., with a Q & A session with the audience at 6:30 p.m. in the Canzani Center Auditorium. After the lecture, in CCAD’s Design Studios on Broad, Martin will do a book signing for ticket holders, tours of the new CCAD MindMarket will be available to ticket holders and the public. Also in Design Studios on Broad there will also be a free and open to the public party hosted by idUS —Columbus’ citywide celebration of innovation and design. Visit the event page for more info.

Tickets to see Roger Martin are $100 and may be purchased online. The post-lecture CCAD MindMarket tours and idUS party are free and open to the public.

Dennison W. Griffith. Photo by Kelsey McClellan (CCAD 2012)

It’s spring (SPRING!) here in Columbus, and another academic year will soon draw to a close. For our seniors and second-year MFA candidates, the exhilaration and satisfaction of their rapidly approaching graduation is balanced by an awareness that they’re about to step from the academic community back into the community community—which almost certainly will include some form of gainful employment.

But at an art and design college, that’s the whole point. No one enrolls here just to enhance a hobby. With that in mind, we focus this issue of Image on the “j” word: jobs.

• Two 2011 grads, Phong Nguyen and Kristen Macauley, share stories of their lives as creative professionals just starting out in Boston and New York [go to story].
• Thomas Boonyarungsrit (CCAD 2005) talks about how he zeroed in on his favorite field of design—and what it’s been like to return to his hometown of Bangkok to do it [go to story].
• And in the Newest of the New category: You’ve heard mutterings—or perhaps even our formal announcement—about CCAD MindMarket, CCAD’s impending initiative to prepare students for work and entrepreneurship opportunities after graduation. The full MindMarket launch won’t occur until this fall, but we’re offering you a sneak peek right now at two CCAD alumni who are giving MindMarket’s creative business incubator a test drive. The “giving back” is flowing every which way on this one [go to story].

One last thing: every spring, we happily thank our donors in a special section of Image. This spring is no exception, but we’ve upped the CCAD family ante with a student contest to create a feature graphic that says “thanks” in a visual way, too. Don’t miss the great result on page 22 [in the printed magazine, or click here to see the graphic online].

Warm regards,

Dennison W. Griffith

President

Most people don’t think of an art college as an economic driver for a community, but James E. Kunk begs to differ. Kunk, regional president of Huntington Bank and treasurer of CCAD‘s board of trustees, believes that CCAD has made Columbus a more vibrant, diverse, and interesting place to live and work, which are all key elements for building a strong economy.

Since 1988, Huntington has made significant investments in CCAD to help create facilities and common spaces, making the campus more attractive for student life and business opportunities. These include contributions to CCAD’s Design Studios on Broad and the Loann Crane Center for Design.

“CCAD has created a true campus setting that engages and enhances the community,” says Kunk. “They’ve also transformed the area around the campus, creating a distinct art district on the fringes of downtown Columbus.”

Huntington’s most recent investment was the lead gift in support of the college’s new MindMarket, a creative hub where students and alumni will engage with entrepreneurs and the business world (search “MindMarket” on the CCAD blog for more about the MindMarket initiative). This generous donation further reflects the bank’s commitment to economic development and education in Columbus.

“CCAD’s MindMarket is a transformational program that will continue to position the college as a cutting-edge leader,” says Kunk. “It will provide students with real-world business education from industry experts, all while preparing them to enter the workforce upon graduation. Whether it’s a team of designers developing websites and company portals or the next wave of fashion to hit the runways, students can learn about business development and processes in real time.”

Huntington has also provided individual opportunities for CCAD artists and designers. In 2011 the bank sought out local artist and CCAD alumna Kirsten Bowen (Illustration 1989) to create a painting to augment Huntington Bank’s “Welcome” brand positioning. The painting, which was featured at the 2011 CCAD Senior Fashion Show, is currently displayed on the executive floor of Huntington’s headquarters in downtown Columbus.

In addition to the painting, Huntington leveraged Bowen’s artistic skills to create a scarf design for the bank’s colleague career apparel line. The result has received great feedback from Huntington associates for adding a fun and stylish piece to their work wardrobe.

“There has always been a prejudice that you can’t make a living as an artist,” says Bowen. “Having strong partnerships with businesses like Huntington Bank provides students and alumni with opportunities and helps us shake our bohemian reputation.”

Huntington also employs CCAD graduates in a variety of capacities from branding and advertising to developing its web presence, allowing the bank to engage with its customers both online and offline in creative ways.

“Huntington is an advocate for what CCAD is creating,” says Kunk. “The college is a true catalyst for Columbus’s creative class, and we are proud to be partners with such a driving force in our community.”

MindMarket will soon be located in Design Studios on Broad. Photo: Kelsey McClellan (CCAD 2012)

The first component of CCAD’s transformational MindMarket initiative is starting up this spring.

While all three parts of the new CCAD MindMarket program—a business incubator, a project center, and a thought lab—will formally launch this fall, the business incubator started a pilot phase in February. Two “beta participants” are benefiting from the incubator’s services at reduced rates in exchange for providing in-depth feedback to CCAD about what they need and how the incubator can best provide it.

Ultimately, the incubator will house up to eight resident participants in newly renovated, highly visible facilities on the first floor of CCAD’s Design Studios on Broad. (A limited number of non-resident members will also be served.)

Each participant will have an individual workspace, as well as access to meeting rooms, basic office equipment, and administrative support. While planning and construction for those spaces proceeds, beta participants are working with financial, legal, and marketing mentors just down the block in the Loann Crane Center for Design.

Entrepreneurial partners such as TechColumbus and the Columbus State Small Business Development Center are also available as needed.

CCAD alumni were identified as a logical place to look for potential beta participants, and they were notified in December 2011 about the opportunity. More than 40 applications poured in from diverse creative professionals including fine artists, fashion designers, photographers, and art educators.

In the end, two participants were selected. We’re proud to welcome them into their new roles and excited to see their businesses and the CCAD MindMarket incubator grow—together.

element Ag

Jamie Dicus at work. Photo: Lian Dziura (CCAD 2012)

Jamie Dicus vividly remembers her first foray into serious jewelry making outside of her CCAD coursework. An aunt agreed to make a completely custom quilt for her—but not for free.

“The deal was that I would have to make her the value of the quilt, $700 or $800, of jewelry in return,” Dicus says. It didn’t stop there. She recalls, “Then my brother and his wife wanted wedding rings. And then I did a CCAD Art Sale—I had a tiny corner of my friend’s booth. I think I made my first non-family-member sale there.”

Dicus, who earned her BFA in Fine Arts in 2007, has steadily built that first CCAD Art Sale transaction into a loyal customer base. She didn’t pause for a second after graduation.

“You have to have a plan and get into it immediately,” she says. “You think it’s hard to be in school, but now it’s all up to you. And you have to figure out how to pay for it.”

She gradually assembled all the necessary equipment for a studio, while developing one particularly popular design into a fuller body of work. She named her business element Ag, after the periodic table’s symbol for silver.

Now that she’s poised to enter the incubator program, a different member of her family is the key influence.

“My dad is an entrepreneur and has been all my life. I’ve seen him have many businesses fail and succeed,” she says. “I love the idea of being your own boss and taking pride in what you do. It’s incredibly difficult, but the rewards outweigh the rest.”

Fulcrum Creatives

Principals Liz Samuelson and Jason Moore (CCAD 1996) of Fulcrum Creatives. Photo: Danielle Ford (CCAD 2013)

Founded in 2002 as Fulcrum Design Corps by Jamison Pack and CCAD alumnus Jason Moore (Ad/Graph 1996), Fulcrum Creatives gained its current name in 2010, when it entered into partnership with Liz Samuelson, formerly of Genuine Creative. Fulcrum has always had a close bond with CCAD; at the moment, there are two CCAD student interns and one full-time employee who is an alumna (Sami Nummi, Ad/Graph 2011).

Offering a broad range of creative services, Fulcrum’s business model focuses on a triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.

“Our one-liner is ‘we create, elevate, and sustain organizations that positively impact their community,’” says Samuelson. The incubator will allow Fulcrum to develop an idea that expands that model. It arose out of the company’s ongoing success.

“[As our business grew] we noticed that we had started working with clients who were bigger. We also realized it was a bummer to have to say no to grassroots clients who were doing some of the most important work in our community,” Samuelson says.

The result was Fulcrum’s incubator proposal: a program called Seesaw Squad that will use a multidisciplinary group of undergraduate art and design students to do identity and design work for clients with lesser budgets.

“There’s no one I know of in Ohio that’s doing anything like this,” says Samuelson. “The most valuable aspect of it is the opportunity for younger students to engage with the Columbus community and help make it a better place. Design can do good; creativity can do good.” For more, visit fulcrumcreatives.com.

First MindMarket Visitor Confirmed

We’re excited to announce the CCAD MindMarket’s inaugural visiting lecturer: Internationally renowned design thinking and management expert Roger Martin will speak on campus Friday, September 28. Best known in design circles for his book The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage, Martin was named in 2010 as one of the 27 most influential designers in the world and in 2011 as the sixth top management thinker in the world. The evening will kick off with a reception at 4:30. More details will follow, but mark your calendars now!

Still shot from the Tech Columbus video

The new year brought the culmination of an innovative initiative that combined the talents of Columbus College of Art & Design, Tech Columbus, and Columbus State Community College, called 1492. It was a 12-week project to accelerate the creation of entrepreneurial start-ups driven by market need and opportunity into a matter of months, not years.

“1492 was a unique opportunity for the technology world, art world, and business community to come together to help businesses quickly and meaningfully get new companies up and running,” said Director of the CCAD MindMarket, Cynthia Gravino.

Part of CCAD’s MindMarket initiative program awarded five business start-ups $20,000 and 12 weeks of intensive training, coaching, advising, and mentoring.

“The development of entrepreneurialism in our community is important not only from the economic standpoint, but also so that the central Ohio region can demonstrate the unique capabilities we have here in Columbus,” said Gravino.

The program helped launch Azoti, Capstone Innovations, Churchsys, Hungerly, and Infinum Education.

In addition to advising and mentoring opportunities the start-up businesses also had access to CCAD students interns. Their social media, branding, imaging, and promotional material were all worked on by various CCAD students.

“All of the 1492 winners have decided to continue with our internship program and hire more CCAD students to help them bring their businesses to the next level,” Gravino said.

Tech Columbus filmed the inaugural project and released a video sharing the experience shortly after 1492 wrapped up.

During Family Weekend & Homecoming, alumni got a tour of the raw space that will soon house the MindMarket.

Columbus College of Art & Design is in the early stages of a new endeavor that will change how the college engages its students and alumni with entrepreneurship and the business world.

The program, called the CCAD MindMarket, will have many facets including business partnerships, charrettes, and a business incubator—which is about to enter its beta phase with a few alumni.

Only offered to CCAD alumni and students, the business incubator will assist entrepreneurs in launching their start-up companies by providing space and services that a new business owner might not otherwise have access to.

“The business incubator is designed to provide a comprehensive resource center for small, start-up businesses aimed at accelerating growth and increasing the business’s potential for long-term success by leveraging the resources at CCAD,”  said Cynthia Gravino, executive director of the MindMarket initiative. “We are able to provide physical space, basic office equipment, and office support for a fraction of what these tenants would pay if they tried to do this on their own.”

“More importantly, we will be providing our incubator tenants mentorship opportunities with industry experts, seasoned entrepreneurial artists and designers, as well as important links to the entrepreneurial community.  By having an incubator on campus, our tenants will not only have a home-base within our creative community—they will also have the opportunity to engage and embrace the energy and shared learning that is created by working with other creative start-ups and professionals. They can bounce ideas off of each other, as well as tap into the talent that is on campus.”

Incubator tenants will also have access to a network of professionals in areas outside the scope of art and design that are imperative to the success of a start-up, such as accountants and lawyers who can provide the expertise needed to navigate issues like business filings, intellectual property protection, and tax liability.

Eventually the MindMarket and its incubator program will be housed on the ground floor of Design Studios on Broad. While renovations continue on that space, the college is recruiting a select few alumni to engage in a beta test of the program to be housed in the Loann Crane Center for Design.

An email was recently sent to alumni announcing the opportunity. More than 40 alumni responded. Applications will be evaluated through December with the expectation that two beta tenants will move into their office space in early January.

During the beta phase each participant will be provided with a cubical-office space, access to meeting rooms, a computer, internet access, fax, copier, access to support personnel, and access to CCAD’s entrepreneurial support network and partners, such as TechColumbus and the Columbus State Small Business Development Center.

Since the full range of services will not be available during the beta phase, participants will be given reduced rates for their participation.  Once the full program is launched, all tenants will pay the same fees.

“By doing a beta run we can see how the program works as it is currently modeled, and we can adjust as needed,” said Gravino. “We can identify services that should be added or those that, perhaps, are not necessary.”

The incubator program is just one part of the MindMarket. Career Services is working closely with Vice President of Academic Affairs Kevin Conlon to develop curriculum that will dovetail into MindMarket-run business partnerships. In addition, plans include the development of charrettes, which will allow students to work with organizations on short-term design challenges.

“The goal,” said Gravino, “is to arm our graduates with the business savvy they need as creative professionals. Anyone who applies themselves can learn sound businesses practices. The same cannot be said of creativity—and that is what our alumni and students bring to the boardroom table.”

Kevin Conlon

By: Kevin Conlon

Reflective of current economic anxieties, yet another article pops up in my RSS feed suggesting that an art degree’s value, measured in occupational salaries, is not worth the effort.  Of course, as a long-practicing artist and arts educator, I respond with a familiar set of immediate reactions.

How is the value of an art and design education defined and constrained? It can’t be correct to define it only in relation to our society’s immediate competitive marketplace advantage—because such an education is really about developing a mind that can adapt to tectonic changes not yet conceived, in a global (not local or national) marketplace. I also question the starting salary as a measure of worth. It’s simply shortsighted to use the inaugural job of one’s professional career as the measure of career success, ignoring the future opportunities that will be capitalized upon by the creatively disposed and trained mind to achieve greater, longer-term results.

Surely these people who disparage the prospective lives of artists and designers see more value in the pursuit of creative disciplines than the dollars and cents earned by their beginning practitioners? Surely they know that the creative impulse, once understood, can be transferred to other creative, managerial, and entrepreneurial endeavors? And surely they know that the innovative ideation that occurs as part of an artist’s problem-seeking and problem-solving method of working is recognized as a very desirous set of skills by some of the world’s most powerful economic thought leaders?

Or, then again, maybe they don’t.

So—lately I’m thinking that our willingness to educate must extend not only to our students, but to others as well. It won’t be easy. But as someone who pays attention to the conversations happening around the world, I know that others recognize this as well. Dan Pink and Sir Ken Robinson are among the best known creative cultural analysts who extol the virtues and benefits of the creative economy.

We must all be advocates for the real economic value of the creative process and the intellectual property realized from that process. In fact, experts and academics such as Roger Martin have been examining the fundamental concepts of management and entrepreneurship with an eye towards how artists and designers think, solve problems, and create new and real value with their ideas.

This vision of both the intrinsic and extrinsic values realized from art and entrepreneurship directly informs CCAD’s future. You’ll soon be hearing more about new initiatives like the CCAD MindMarket, an incubator where we will work to develop students’ skills so that they can realize value from new ideas and new intellectual property—in turn contributing to the overall value of our region and leading to the establishment and growth of creative companies. With initiatives like the MindMarket, CCAD can contribute to our creative economy in a way that can be measured in real dollars (in fact, literally trillions of them).

The overall economy can learn a lot from those who have learned the value of creative thinking as part of the CCAD creative community. I hope you’ll help me in communicating this message—it’s one the world needs to hear.

Bio: Kevin J. Conlon became the CCAD’s vice president of academic affairs in June. He previously served as associate vice president for academic affairs at Ringling College of Art and Design and as dean of undergraduate studies at Savannah College of Art and Design. He also works as a writer and consultant in the fields of interactive design, architectural restoration, foundry work, curriculum design, and institutional effectiveness. In addition, his sculptural works, oil paintings, and works on paper have been exhibited widely and won many awards. He earned his BFA from the University of South Alabama and his MFA from Ohio State University.