Get 'Checked Out' by a Pro

The first DCS' EdYOUcate series kicks off April 28 with the annual portfolio review. Panel judges representing a variety of professionals in the creative industries will be on hand to give you critiques and helpful hints for putting the final polish on your portfolio so you can have the confidence to land the perfect career.

The review starts at 6 p.m. at the school of advertising art and will run till about 9 p.m.

This event is FREE for members, non-members can pre-register on-line for $10* or pay at the door for $15.
* If you register on-line you will be taken to AAF Dayton's website to reserve your spot.

To learn more about this or future EdYOUcate series programs or if you'd like to participate on DCS' education committee, please contact Kate Anderson.

Get ready for a happy hour extravaganza!

Our AAF-Dayton colleagues will join us at Harrigan's South as we welcome AIGA Cincinnati to the Gem City on Wednesday, April 13th 2011 from 5:30-9:00 PM for a networking and socializing super event.

As mutual design and creative professional associations, it makes sense for kindred creatives to share our resources and use that knowledge to advance the creative industries in our respective towns.

Come out and rub elbows with some of the most creative folks in southwest Ohio! (Or at least stop by for the $2 special on domestics and well drinks.) We'll be at Harrigan's South location, 671 Lyons Road, Centerville.

A DCS member recently asked me why we write the Creative Crux. I figured that if she didn’t know, others might not either.

With that in mind, here are my two cents on what the Creative Crux is all about.

To play. The Creative Crux is the copywriting arm of DCS. It gives our writers a place to stretch out, play, and explore topics they’re interested in or passionate about.

We’re used to writing ad copy and white papers on the driest topics imaginable. The Crux gives us an excuse to write about the fun stuff going on around us, in all its permutations.

To explore. In terms of theme, the column is intended to explore creativity in general; and in particular, all the ways that people express it in their day-to-day lives, not just in their "creative" projects at work.

It's also intended to tangle with our unique environment here in Dayton. How is creativity forged in our rugged/struggling urban environment? What creative identities are people crafting here? How do these identities contribute to, and draw from, the Dayton landscape? Is our economy a hindrance or a help to creativity? These are the type of questions we’d like to explore.

To show off. In addition, we want the Crux to highlight our members’ cool accomplishments and activities. Are you doing a particularly special project at work? Creating something fabulous on the weekends? We’d like to write about it.

To coach and inspire. The Crux also provides aspiring writers a place to try copywriting on for size. Young or inexperienced writers can work with a senior writer to develop a topic, decide on a “hook,” plan an interview, craft a storyline, and revise as needed. It’s a great way for new writers to get some experience under their belt and some samples in their portfolio.

And finally, we all know that designers are the ones who get the awards, the hot dates, the free drinks, the limo rides, and the glory. While we writers go home after work and eat TV dinners while reading a trade magazine.

As some compensation, the Creative Crux gives our writers one small place of their own in which to shine.

Written by: Samantha Enslen. Samantha runs Dragonfly Editorial and manages the Creative Crux.
Logo Design by: Matt Flick