Today started out with a bang - we presented our first round of design concepts to the client bright and early at 9 am, after a late night of preparation. We had a really solid presentation - each team presented roughly two designs, and we had about 12 or more overall. The presentation went great, and they loved nearly everything we showed. I bet you’re just waiting to see it, right? Anyways, it was a success!
Today started off with a kick that we all needed to get our asses in gear for an intense long day of non-stop design. Joseph Michael Essex of Essex Two visited us and touched ground on the importance of establishing ourselves as professional designers as we journey through the end of our school days.
Morning dawned bright and early today at Camp Firebelly. After an energizing night of brainstorming, we were awakened from our luxurious red air mattresses by the the scent of pancakes and eggs wafting through the air. I am now convinced that the Firebelly crew are not only rockstar designers but also have some mad culinary skills. It was pretty amazing.
All I have to say is what a welcoming!
Walking from the Western Ave. train station was a slight pain, but upon reaching my final destination, I knew I had come to the right place (address and frame of mind) Up the stairs and into the studio, I was greeted by a video camera capturing my arrival, realizing my “Real World of Design” expectations. After the standard “meet and great” logistics, where were thrown right in, taking a trip to meet our client. Excited to now know what we’d be designing (a social justice issue that I had NO prior knowledge of), we headed off to dinner at a local Ethiopian Restaurant. Being my first time (having a legitimate design experience and eating Ethiopian) I was nervous. Regardless, the food was great, and so was the company, and hopefully by the end of our stay, so will our design. Woman and Prison: A Site for Resistance, a project of Beyondmedia Education, focuses on the female experience in the criminal justice system. From the day to day life of incarceration, the effects on life after release, this project sheds light on a topic not often seen by the general public. As we work late into the night, brainstorming and sketching, I can feel positive vibes from a cohesive whole, working towards a greater good. No camp songs and s’mores (just yet), but there is a fire, setting the camp atmosphere. With Day One in the books, it’s really time to get cracking.
Goodnight from CFB,
Jarred K.
FIRST!
As we put the last coat of paint on our cardboard forest and finalize the insane (but doable) design-a-thon schedule, it seems like a good time to reflect on what it’s taken to transform our Humboldt Park headquarters into a bona fide sleepaway design camp:
Although the studio is officially “closed” for Camp from June 23rd until July 7th, preparation has been months in the making (and we’ve got some great work-in-progress photos to prove it). Coordinating 30 peoples’ schedules, transportation logistics, meal planning, buying supplies, brainstorming on sleeping arrangements, etc. has been quite the task. Not to mention all the design we’ve done just for the camp itself!
With all 9 Camp Firebelly counselors busy tying up loose ends, tweaking code and printing the last bits we’ll probably end up working through the weekend. But it’s totally worth it
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