AIGA Santa Barbara had a transformative 2015, capitalizing on the success of recent years to cruise through an eventful twelve months. We were again pleased and proud to engage with, and be inspired by, creative communities both here at home and around the country.
Our board welcomed a new president and several new directors as the year began, and the board also went all-digital for operations and archives. Our chapter enjoyed record-high membership support this year; after steadily climbing throughout 2014, AIGA SB reached an all-time peak of 87 members during the Spring 2015 Membership drive. We also revised our brand identity over the summer—keeping the longtime SB orange but adopting new typefaces and style guides along with the other 69 AIGA chapters nationwide.
AIGA SB produced eleven events this year—programming that helped maintain our good standing in the 805 by connecting with our members across the regional creative community, from Santa Barbara and Goleta to Ventura, Ojai, and San Luis Obispo. We kicked things off in January with a presentation on team-building and communication by Mike Wald of Oniracom, saw the return of Marty Neumeier in February for his epic three-day “Zag! 2015” brand workshop, and continued with a “Wine and Type Pairing” session in March from Michael Stinson and Rachel Elnar of TypeEd.
Later in the year, AIGA SB enjoyed a refreshing “Doodles and Brews” in April, returned to Brooks Institute’s Ventura campus in May for Portfolio Day 2015, learned how to “live slow and make fast” in June from Texan Ben Jenkins of One Fast Buffalo, and celebrated our own Andy Engel’s work for Pixar in July with an “Inside Out” movie night. We reconvened in September for our first Members Meeting in three years, trekked to San Luis Obispo in October to talk wine & spirits branding with Makers & Allies, returned to Ojai’s Classic Letterpress in November for an all-day workshop with printer Norman Clayton, and capped it all off last week with a Holiday Toy Drive supporting the Unity Shoppe and Toys for Tots.
Our chapter was represented at national events as well: several AIGA SB members attended October’s blockbuster “Revival” design conference hosted by AIGA New Orleans, and our president Keir DuBois traveled to the annual Leadership Conference, this year hosted by AIGA West Michigan in Grand Rapids. At both events, AIGA members from all chapters saluted outgoing AIGA Executive Director Ric Grefé and outgoing Chief Operations Officer Denise Wood, two twenty-year veterans off to new adventures as the year ended. Here at home, we thank outgoing Marketing Director Tracy Sherwood and outgoing Membership Director Melanie Bélanger for their board service. We wish them all the best!
AIGA Santa Barbara’s 2015 Board of Directors is grateful to our local sponsors (V3, Brooks Institute, Santa Barbara Signs, Oniracom, and Mehosh Photography), our volunteers, and our chapter membership for helping make these events possible. Thanks to all! With your continued support, we’re expecting 2016 to be fun, exciting and creatively fulfilling. See you next year!
Photos by Patty Driskel, Makers & Allies, David Cowan, Keir DuBois, David Asari, Jennie Jacobs, and Nicki Gauthier.
