Summer is here, and so are 160over90′s creative interns. For the next few months, James Alex Snyder and Ryan Hubbard will call One South Broad Street home. And call home only to speak to their mothers.

Ryan was born and raised in central Iowa, sharing a hometown with Cleveland Indians great, Bob Feller. Ryan is entering his senior year at Iowa State University, studying graphic design. He enjoys baseball, music, High Life, food (though you wouldn’t know it looking at him), and good company.  One day he plans on growing a gnarly beard.

Check out his work here.

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James Alex is a graphic designer who lives in Philadelphia. He lives in a one-room apartment with the girl he loves. They play in a band together. When he’s not thinking of things, he’s making them. He is smitten with the books of Charles Bukowski, the music of The Pixies, and the challenge of keeping his shoes tied. He has a wonderful habit of hugging strangers.

He lives online at printsandtheresolution.co.

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We asked James and Ryan a few questions about life and design. They gave us answers about Ray Romano and Marvin Gaye.

1. The biography of your life, what would it be titled?
Ryan: The Art of Being Awkward

James: I Saved Latin. What Did You Ever Do?

2. If you could trade places with any other person (real or fiction, living or dead, past or present, etc.) who would it be and why?
R: Frodo Baggins, Post-Mt Doom. Being a hobbit and living in middle earth would be
awesome, I just wouldn’t want to deal with orcs & giant flaming eyes.

J: Whoever Francoise Hardy was kissing in 1966.

3. If you could have any one superpower, what would it be?
R: The ability to stop time.

J: To sing like Stephin Merritt or Marvin Gaye.

4. What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
R: Don’t sweat the small things, and always do what makes you happy.

J: You really only need to know three chords.

5. If you could put together your dream rock and roll band, who would you pick to play what?
R: Ray Romano would play everything. At once.

J: The Pixies. Without revision. Well, maybe with Keith Moon sometimes.

6. What art movement(s) are you most influenced by?
R: Post-Modernism and Art Deco probably influence my work the most. But they
don’t dictate my work by any means.
I try to pull from a variety of sources pending on the needs of the project.

J: International Typographic Style, Pop Art, and Dada.

7. If you’re house is on fire, what is the very first non-living thing you’d save?
R: If my computer were in better shape, I’d take it. Since it’s gonna need replaced in
less than a year, I choose my bass.

J: My sketchbooks/love letters (really, they’re the same thing).

8. Last movie you watched?
R: I watch Roadhouse before bed every night.
(but in actuality, I took my girlfriend to see Water for Elephants. That was probably the
last movie I’ve seen.)

J: Exit Through the Gift Shop and Fast Times at Ridgemont High double feature.

9. Last book you read?
R: Design as Art by Bruno Munari

J: Over The Anvil We Stretch by Anis Mojgani

10. A quote that best describes you?

R: “If I were a real werewolf I’d wear baggy clothes so my nice clothes
wouldn’t get all torn up.” – Tracy Jordan of 30 Rock

J: “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars” – Oscar Wilde

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Assuming they don’t run off together to start their own agency in the Caribbean, James and Ryan will be contributing to the blog as well as posting a final project later this summer. Stay tuned!

Last week I was honored to be a reviewer for AIGA Philly’s 13th Annual Feedback student portfolio review. For fifteen minutes each, I met with eight graduating seniors who looked very promising for the design industry. A few had the beginnings of a great portfolio, and the rest still needed a little more tweaking to strengthen their body of work. Understandably, the past month has probably felt like an infinitely accelerating train where the last stop was AIGA’s Feedback. The printing, the cutting, the gluing and repeating have probably taken a toll on these emerging designers. Trust me, we’ve all been there, but it only gets better.

After the review I spoke with fellow reviewers, and I was able to collect their feedback to the graduating seniors which I’d like to share with you. Take it or leave it, it might help you land your first big job. (FYI, 160over90 is still hiring.)

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1. Don’t forget to present your portfolio as a narrative. Tell your story through your work, and guide the viewer in an interesting and engaging way.

2. Vary up the pacing of the portfolio. Instead of presenting five websites in a row, throw in a printed piece in between to show variation and diversity.

3. Try not to include projects that were type exercises. They’re exercises for a reason: To help with bigger and better projects worth presenting. We’ve all done type exercises but they don’t belong in a portfolio. Which brings me to the next tip.

4. Curate your portfolio to a limited number of pieces. Instead of presenting 20 pieces, limit yourself to your strongest 10-12 pieces. You can always show the rest on your personal portfolio site.

5. Pay attention to how you visually present your work. Try not to shoot your book covers or packaging projects on your wrinkled bedsheets. It can be distracting. You can always take it outside and use natural lighting if you have to instead of the harsh flash that most digital slr cameras have.

6. If you have a portfolio book, try to keep it to one project per spread. When looking at two different projects on a single spread, it becomes difficult to focus on one piece.

And the last tip for you:

7. Don’t save your strongest piece for the ‘grand finale.’ In an interview, you may not have enough time to show your entire book. Bring them up to the front where you can spend the right amount of time explaining the concept, the process, and the final product.

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These are just a few tips that I gathered from my experience at Feedback Thirteen. Again, take it or leave it. It’s ultimately up to you on how you want to present yourself and your work. To all the graduating design students, congratulations and good luck!

Special thanks to Dave Copestakes and Gigi  McGee and the rest of the AIGA Education committee for organizing this great event!

At this point you’re probably asking yourself, “what is Jobathon”? And you’d be right. Which is why we’ve laboriously prepared this short informative video. Take a look!

Basically, we’re hiring. Designers, art directors, copywriters and just about any other job you can think of (as long as you are thinking of “designer, art director or copywriter”). In order to fill all these job openings, Executive Creative Director Jim Walls will be conducting interviews non-stop for at least 24 hours, or until he collapses.

Will he collapse during your interview? There’s only one way to find out.

Jump on over to http://72.10.33.187/jobathon to fill out an application, read more about Jobathon, or to just check out some mind-boggling, eyeball-searing, awesome-ness web design. It will probably be fun!

To begin, would you like to introduce yourself: who are you, what do you do?
Ciao, my name is Francesco, I am from Venice, and I’m an interaction designer. Currently I feel very lucky to be working on Thounds, a startup born from my passion for music.

Can you tell us more about Thounds? What is it?
Thounds was born while I was in school: it was my thesis project at Iuav University for a masters degree in interaction design. Back then it was called Riffle. It is a social network, and it’s the ideal place for those who want to express their creativity in music without feeling embarrassed. The main feature is to capture your musical thoughts by recording it directly from your browser, and sharing it with your friends.  This collaboration can lead to a real music track. Actually, “thoughts” is the origin of the name: Thounds is the combination of the words ‘thoughts’ and ‘sounds’.

How long did you work on it? What was the process to get this project done as a thesis?
For my thesis I worked on Thounds for six months, following a really tight deadline. I started from the concept, and went through interviews, discovery, design, prototypes, and user testing.

What happened then?
I got the chance to present my thesis to H-Farm, who really liked it and offered to create a startup to help make my project become real.

What is H-farm? How are you working on Thounds there?
H-Farm is a venture company located in Treviso Italy [yes, where De'Longhi is from too!]. Its aim is to invest in ideas and develop them, and then try to sell them according to the position they have on the market. There are about 200 employees and besides the Italian headquarters, H-Farm has offices in Seattle, London, and is coming soon to Mumbai. The “incubator” process of an idea requires that for the first 3 months the project is refined and defined with the help of a venture partner, an experienced manager. It then goes on to follow an operative roadmap. For one year I’ve been working with the great support of Davide Bartolucci. Besides being the CEO of Shado, a company specialized in TV formats, he’s a manager with a lot of experience in business models focused on monetizing content and internet entertainment.

So it took 18 months from the concept to the beta version. Do you feel Thounds is different now from how you originally envisioned it?
Well, after one year of working with developers, and re-concepting it, for sure the product is different from my original sketches. However the spirit didn’t change. I am extremely happy to have been able to maintain the core concept of this project which was to create something simple that could help people spontaneously collaborate through music.

I read on your twitter that just after a few days there was already a sort of user-made-orchestra on Thounds. Are users participating? I have to say it felt like Christmas when I saw and listened to the first reply to my thound!
Some users are still shy, but those who started to experiment are recording really interesting tracks, and have started to collaborate with people that they didn’t know until a few days ago.

What will be the next steps?
Our task now is to stimulate the users community, perhaps by inviting some famous musicians… we’re working on it.

I know that you were really busy to make the final steps of the beta version, and I know that going online with it was crazy. Is the storm gone by or are you in the eye of it?
For sure in the next moths I’ll still be very busy with Thounds. I am also presenting it around with lectures and demos at festivals and events. So right now I am not thinking about new projects, but for sure I want to play… maybe I’ll build an instrument then.

Is there any chance to meet you or Thounds in the States? And, while we wait, can you make us a thound?
I really hope to come to the States, it would be great. Go to thounds.com and add me (ID: francescofraioli) as a band mate. I uploaded a thound for you, named 160over90. And if you want to be updated on the latest developments of the network, follow it on Twitter or on the blog.

Perhaps it was NBC that told the story best during their live interview with us this week:

Well our 15 minutes days (or so) of fame are nearing an end, as tomorrow (Friday, 10/30/09) is the last day of the who-wore-it-best competition. However, we will be posting photos on the site next week from the punishment that’s in store for the loser, so be sure to check back.

www.TieOrDie.com

Additional context and some fun interviews after the break.

The name “Tie or Die” proved to be the most worthy of the few options we considered when launching this site that was originally intended to be for our coworkers amusement. I suppose it’s an intriguing title, albeit a little bit creepy. We assure you there is nothing creepy about the site,  unless you are completely and utterly creeped out by young men wearing ties. I wish that everyone was creeped out by young men wearing ties, because then I would at least have a Halloween costume picked out.

But despite the quick-launch of this unplanned escapade, our quirky rivalry has garnered its fair share of attention. Check out the sites below that were kind and interested enough to feature our contest. The interviews were a real gas.

Man Over Board: “A collaboration of original content from a select few authors from around the world, delving in the male species.”

http://man-over-board.com/2009/10/17/mob-interview-the-cofounders-of-tieordie-com/

Shmitten Kitten: “We talk about dudes and dating in Philadelphia although our observations seem to be relevant to people in all time zones.”

http://www.shmittenkitten.com/2009/10/flippin-our-shades-boys-from.html

Philadelphia Weekly Style Blog:

http://www.160over90.com/blogs.philadelphiaweekly.com/style/2009/10/28/tie-or-die-who-wore-it-best/

She Knows Best: “Fashion and Style Tips for Men from a Female”

http://www.splendicity.com/sheknowsbest/vote-in-the-tie-or-die-contest/

When I first heard that I was selected as a contestant for the first-ever graphic designer reality show at an AIGA conference, I thought my life was going to be different forever. Two years later, it turns out I was right.

Hello all, my name is Kelly Dorsey and I was a contestant in the first ever Command X competition.

Although I didn’t technically ‘win’ the competition (mad props here to my girl Nichelle, check out her brilliant performance if you haven’t already), I feel like in a way I won, too. The theme of the conference two years ago in Denver was “Next—what’s next?” And that was exactly what I was wondering about myself, my own career path and my life.

As I get ready to head out to this week’s Command X, here’s a quick summary of what happened to me two years ago: I was plucked from obscurity by the design powers that be (obscurity here meaning Chardon, OH—our major export is maple syrup), flew to Denver and met a group of amazing fellow young designers, where I proceeded to fumble on stage with my nerves, self-deprecating humor (a Dorsey trademark) and half baked design executions—all in front of a panel of judges who taught me so much in so little time. I ended up in 2nd place, and before I knew it the week was up and I was back on a plane to OH, with a bag stuffed with a gazillion business cards and job prospects, and a head filled with wonder, as well as relief that it was over.

Ohio represent! Mike Burton is now a co-worker of mine at 160—what, what?

Because I was fresh out of school and eager to start my career, my main goal for letting myself be publicly exposed in this manner was to land a great first job. Looking back, it’s a good thing I jokingly sent in a pdf sample of my work that one day at Kent State. Because of my experience—which was equal parts terrifying and exciting—I was discovered by an agency in Philadelphia, this one actually, 160over90, which is where I’ve been these last two years. This place has become my home, and my coworkers are now like family. Although I sometimes miss the ways of the great Midwest, I know I’m where I’m supposed to be. I’ve come a long way from where I was and can’t help but feel excited for this new crop of designers who will soon experience what Nichelle expressed best to me in an email: “the pressure, the nerves—the diarrhea.”

So, as the Make/Think conference in Memphis is upon us, I’ve taken the liberty to walk down memory lane, reviewed the videos from the competition and tried to remember where my head was at and what I was feeling throughout the first Command X competition. I hope I can bestow some advice upon those lucky individuals from across the country who will find themselves sitting on a stage tomorrow with Michael Bierut and other esteemed designers, as well as 2,000 of their peers watching with eager eyes.

First off, it seems like a really talented crew. And thankfully for them, it seems like they all have been working in the real world for a bit—I wish I hadn’t been so green with my presentation skills and strategies. With that said, there’s nothing that can really prepare you for what that crowd looks like from the stage, so I wish them luck in that respect. Everyone in attendance should be super friendly to these guys and girls—you can’t imagine how ridiculous you feel having your work critiqued in that manner.

My advice for the contestants: follow your gut, solve the problem at hand, but remember, this is supposed to be fun. People attending the conference want to be entertained so take a chance with your executions, and ham it up onstage. I actually have not watched the videos in their entirety from two years ago until today, what a total mind f@#k. I guess that’s my other piece of advice: I’m not sure I realized that what I said would live forever somewhere on the Internet, not to mention my hair. Jeez, what the hell was I thinking?

It’s extremely interesting though as a time capsule of the designer I was then. It’s fun to look back and know that I don’t have to go through it again. But it’s so bizarre that my major coming out to the design world is connected with a logo I created for the Denver Broncos, because I hate football and I think it’s probably the worst thing I’ve ever made.

I can’t wait to be reunited with all the friends I made last time around and am ridiculously excited to see what Command X has in store for us this year.  It’s going to be great to actually attend all of the events this time around, and not worry about presentations and diarrhea. I’ll be there all week and will be blogging and tweeting live from the event, so come follow me. Good luck everyone, I’ll see you in Memphis.

I think everyone has gotten their photo taken with him at some point in their design career

Many of us know David Lynch—maybe not personally or through some weird Kevin Baconesque degrees of separation game—but by his visually eery and idiosyncratic movie direction. Since June, 01 2009 he has been doing: Interview Project. A collection of interviews that captures different people along a road trip taken throughout the USofA. Not much more to say here, other than they are pretty interesting. Enjoy!

By now most everyone has seen the AT&T commercial featuring Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes. For those of you who need a refresh check out the video below.

After seeing this several times I started thinking about the effect of this spot on the TOMS brand and mission. Naturally I did some digging around online. I checked out the TOMS site and Blake’s blog and only got more intrigued about the idea behind TOMS shoes, how it started and the effect of the commercial.

I reached out to the kind people at TOMS and with their coordination was able to interview Blake Mycoskie.

During your travels you must have been exposed to an array of needs that children in developing and third world countries have. What made you decide that shoes would be the best way for you to help?

When I visited Argentina in 2006, I met so many children in the Misiones region who did not have shoes. They weren’t able to go to school because they didn’t have proper footwear, they walked miles barefoot everyday and had cuts in their feet, and a simple game of soccer put them at risk for infection. These were all situations that could be addressed and prevented with shoes.

How, if at all, did the needs of the children influence the design of the shoes?

The alpargata is a traditional Argentine shoe that people have been wearing there for many years. The brand is built on the alpargata silhouette, therefore we give the children in Argentina a shoe that their culture is familiar with.

How did you go about starting a cause-based shoe company?

The children I met in ’06 instilled in me such passion and drive to create change for them. I learned how to be a shoemaker, I rallied friends, and I put out ads on Craigslist to start building a team. Soon enough, a small group of us were running this One for One shoe company called TOMS, Shoes for a Better Tomorrow, out of my apartment in Venice, CA. The past three years have definitely been a learning process, but the challenge has been well worth it.

How did you get the word out about TOMS?

The concept of TOMS is so simple, which allows people to really connect and share it with others. Word of mouth has been the most successful marketing for TOMS. Every time someone wears the shoes, they share the story of One for One.

Could you explain how the Shoe Drops came about and how they work?

The concept of Shoe Drops originated when I returned with friends, family, and colleagues to deliver the first 10,000 pairs of matched TOMS to Argentina. During a typical Argentina Shoe Drop, volunteers spend five days visiting villages and bringing new shoes to the children and three days learning about and exploring the Argentine culture.

Have you seen an increase in the One for One effort since the AT&T commercial has aired?

We’ve had to get more server space and more people to answer the phones! TOMS is very thankful for the exposure the commercial has offered this brand.

Do you think that the commercial ultimately benefits the One for One effort more than it does AT&T?

There have actually been a lot of comments commending AT&T for working with TOMS—so there’s definitely positive sentiment for both parties.

Do you think the One for One effort will evolve beyond shoes?

Part of my vision is that TOMS won’t always be a shoe company and that we will expand into additional products when and where it makes sense for the TOMS brand.

What do you attribute your drive to helping others to?

My family is an incredible influence. My parents brought up my siblings and me to be positive people and treat others fairly. A friend told me once, “The more you give, the more you live” and that concept has stuck with me, too. Its simple, but powerful.

If there is one singular thing you could tell our readers what would it be?

Incorporate giving into everything you do.