Hi,
As we start to wind down to the end of 2023, November is a time for gratitude, and we want to thank you for being part of our community. 🥰
Last month, John Robert Hatherly led us through the streets of downtown Chicago for “Seeing Anew: A Downtown Chicago Walking Tour.” It was a joy seeing Chicago through the lens of design plus connecting as a community. And thanks to Sister Corita Kent for being our inspiration.
INTRODUCING
Mu Radio
We love music, and this past month, we launched a new program called Mu Radio, built for and with our community. The program will exist as weekly music slots where designers share curated playlists of the music they enjoy. Want to join?
You can listen to October’s mixes here.
COMING UP
November 16
6 pm – 7 pm
What is feminist design?
It’s been a while since we hosted a book discussion, and we’re excited to share the upcoming book we’ll be reading: Feminist Designer, published this year by MIT Press. The book brings together a constellation of voices and perspectives to examine the intersection of design and feminist theory.
November 9
5:30 pm – 9 pm
Past, Present, Future:
20 Years of the Chicago Design Archive
The Chicago Design Archive will be hosting a panel that will feature a few of our friends. The founder of the Chicago Graphic Design Club, Christian Solorzano, will also speak about the club and his vision for the future of Chicago design.
The event will celebrate Chicago Design, past, present, and future. This 20th-anniversary event will display work from the archive, featuring the newest additions. Guests can peruse the work, socialize, and partake in light refreshments. Following drinks and appetizers, there will be a set of presentations related to the past, present, and future of Chicago Design and the CDA. Following the presentations, guests are invited to continue the conversation in the gallery area over drinks. We hope to see you there!
Mug…
Thanks to everybody so far who has been purchasing our merch from our shop. We have a new mug color option available! These make great gifts for your design friends and professors (hint!) All proceeds from sales will go towards funding our programming and upcoming publication. Thank you for all your support 🤗.
Underscore
In October, we had some great conversations on our Underscore Podcast. First up, we talked with Bud Rodecker, Design Director and Partner at the Chicago-based studio Span. He shares with host Christian Solorzano his approach to finding inspiration in unexpected places. He dives deep into his creative process and the importance that he places on research by keeping ongoing archives of experiments and references. He also talks about his definition of what excellence in graphic design looks like, going into detail and breaking down typography, color, and effective visual communication.
Next up is Brian Shutters, Director of Shuttershot Productions. Shutters speaks with Christian about his insight into the power of being a generalist. He shares how this approach not only leads him to what he refers to as 'side quests' but also enables him to experiment and create across diverse mediums and industries. Brian takes us behind the scenes of some of his projects, explaining to us how he combines narrative with craft and sheds light on the journey of discovering one's creative voice while providing practical advice on how to activate and sustain it and walks us through his process of infusing this creative spirit into both client work and personal projects.
Question for you
Recently, a question arose in our Discord Community: