• Fanning the Flames
• ID News
  • admitID launch
  • InsideID Adobe InDesign Lecturette
  • RecruitID has arrived
• Recent events
  • Unilever Presentation
  • Lecturette: Effective Teamwork with Larry Keeley
  • "Press your Luck Potluck" Valentine's Day party
• Showcase
  • ID and Stuart Business School: Andy Kim on doubling up
  • At work: Jae Hun's winter internship
• new IDers
  • Mario Ruiz, MDM
• Of interest
  • Around Town. "Spoon Thai" & "Lincoln Lanes" | the "secret" combination.
  • Observed

In the two weeks since our last issue we have had plenty of student run activities at the Institute of Design. Attendance has been very high, and it seems that spirits are as well. The Microsoft and Unilever presentations introduced students to new practices in companies. Larry Keeley's teambuilding lecturette attracted so much interest that we think ID should introduce a course on the subject. Above all else, the highlight of the last week was the unbelievable Valentine's Day party that the socialID group threw for us all. The students brought a very diverse and delicious range of food. Worthy of special mention were Doug's great spicy chorizo paella and the always present Korean barbecue this time with two pans! Larry Keeley can't say "ID used to be famous for the parties we would throw" anymore.

We think this enthusiasm is a reflection of how alive and connected our current students are. Energy is the key to creativity, and (if we can't get it from sleep) we have to get it from each other. We want to contribute to this vibrancy by capturing these moments that are bringing us together as a community and using them to fan the flames.

We are receiving lots of positive feedback from all sides of the ID community, and we really appreciate it. Keep the feedback coming, and don't forget to let us know if you have ideas for things that could be done better. For now, good luck with recruitID and keep on keepin' on.

Your editors,

Alex Cheek
Enric Gili Fort


back to top

Yeah, you already know. In fact, it’s kinda hanging over your head. Here’s how to make it through recruitID with less stress:

Friday
We will do our best to email you company interview requests (if any) by the end of the day Friday. The email will be coming from <ttotera@id.iit.edu> but please direct all questions to Jereme, David, or Kristy. We will send a broadcast email to the bulletin board to let you know when the interview requests have been sent out.

Friday night/Saturday morning
If you received interview requests, make your decision (quickly) about whether you will accept or reject the invitation request. It is probably in your interest to take an interview even if you aren’t super interested, because you never know what it might turn into. You may also want to start researching the company to get ready for talking with its representatives. See Eric Niu’s email on Thursday with ID contacts who can tell you more about certain companies.

If you don’t get any interview requests (and you’ll know this when you receive the bulletin board email saying the requests have all gone out, but you haven’t received anything yourself), here’s what to do:

• Don’t panic. Take a deep breath. It will be OK.
  
• All this means is that company representatives blitzed through the resume book and didn’t pick you for some reason. That doesn’t mean you can’t approach them and make a case for why you’d be worth their interest.
  
• Plan to show up at every connection opportunity: company presentations and table-talks on Monday morning (9 am to 11 am); student presentations Monday afternoon (1:30 to 5:30 pm), and the cocktail party Monday evening (6 to 9 pm).
  
• Use all your design savvy to approach company representatives in a user-sensitive way, expressing your interest, and being prepared to briefly summarize some of the reasons you’d be great for them (your skills, your previous experience, your dedication, etc.).
  
• Resist the urge to obsess about how many interviews other people got. Focus on what you can do about your situation. Just relax and make good strategic choices—you’ll be fine.

If you set up an interview on your own (that is, after the official recruitID company-driven interview invitations go out):
You are welcome to make appropriate arrangements with company representatives. They will know their interview schedule, and when they have time, and you can work out a time to meet between the two of you.

PLEASE bring your calendar (or print out your schedule for Monday and Tuesday), and make your own arrangements with the company representative. Be responsible to show up at the time you say you will, and make us all look good.

Get ready for interviews
You can find some great interview advice online:

Find lots of great tips from the Wall Street Journal’s Career site: http://www.careerjournal.com/jobhunting/interviewing/
Monster.com has some good suggestions at http://interview.monster.com/.
Monster.com’s Random Question Generator gives you sample interview questions to try answering, and a link to an article giving you more insight on each particular question.

And you can always practice with questions (and even with cocktail party chatting) with friends. We’re all in this together.

Sunday afternoon
Work off some of that nervous tension by helping the recruitID team move tables around. No really, it will be lots of fun. Email Kristy <kristys@id.iit.edu> if you’re available.

Sunday night
Set your alarm so you get here and are ready to be your charming self at 9 am. Or earlier. (But don’t, like, tackle company reps in the lobby just as they’re getting in—let them at least get their nametags on and a cup of coffee!)

Monday & Tuesday
Be here promptly, with a big smile on your face. You’ll be fantastic. And help each other out!

Who: You, of course
What: InDesign Workshop
When: Tuesday, March 7th, 12:30pm
Where: 6th floor, Nathan, as usual

So here’s you, slaving away over a presentation, trying to integrate bits and pieces from four team members, each of whom has used different fonts. None of the colors match, there’s a missing graphic, and you can’t get those crazy text boxes to line up. What are you gonna do?

Well, here’s your answer: come by the InDesign Lecturette during Intersession, on Tuesday, March 7 at lunch. David McGaw will show you how to bend InDesign to your will, using master pages and style sheets to crank out darn good presentations with much less effort. You’ll also get a well-crafted template that will not only get you started, but give you the freedom to customize your document into something spectacular without much more effort. And with your whole team working from the same template, you can focus on your concepts, instead of the presentation itself. Doesn’t that sound better?

Hope to see you there,

- Eric Niu & insideID

back to top

Remember your first week at ID? Back before your head was filled with frameworks and human factors and the best place to get caffeine in a 10 minutebreak from class? Last fall was the first student-organized series of orientation events (thanks, Andy Kim and team!), and we all remember how much they helped us make the transition to grad school and life in Chicago.

Now we're looking to build on that success for next fall's incoming students. Hyuniee Jung, Enric Gili Fort and David McGaw will be facilitators, but everyone is invited to contribute ideas, skills, and your actual presence to help welcome our future colleagues and prepare them for success at ID.

A lot of ideas have already surfaced, just in informal conversations:

* repeating last fall's architectural boat tour & main campus tour
* group dinner
* a workshop for successful project teams
* putting ID and Chicago information, currently in xeroxed paper form, online
* a tour of actual Ferris Bueller filming locations followed by watching the movie in Nathan
* a blog for new student questions & answers
* T-shirts that say, "No, not the Art Institute of Chicago. No, not ITT technical college. No, not interior design, even though it¹s by the Mart."
* Pin the Tail on Randy (OK, we made that one up)

After the tumult of recruitID has faded away, and we¹ve all had Spring Break to get gone wild, you¹ll be invited to get together and throw your ideas into the ring, and we can all pitch in together and make them come alive next fall. But start thinking now!


- David McGaw


back to top

Two representatives from Unilever’s deodorant division visited the ID community to introduce themselves to us and present the past and future of their company. They presented two topics: a general overview of the company, its history, past strategies, brands, and markets; and their recent efforts to refocus the brand through their concentration on design and their users, exhibited in their Axe brand and portrayed during this year’s Superbowl advertisement for Dove & the Campaign for Real Beauty.

An enormously successful company worldwide with local offices in the Chicagoland area, our community of product designers, communication designers, and planners can likely look forward to a mutually beneficial relationship with Unilever.

For more information, visit http://www.unilever.com/


- Mark King


back to top

Effective Teamwork
Lecturette with Larry Keeley

Teamwork is always one of the trickiest parts of a project to navigate. There are many pitfalls to avoid: load sharing, decision making, and time management, just to name a few. Last Thursday, Larry Keeley stopped by the Nathan Room to give a much anticipated lecturette laying out a few approaches to not only maneuver through these obstacles but to make teamwork the most effective kind of work. Many of our problems in this realm stem from bad habits, the biggest of which being a rush to results without laying the proper relationship groundwork within a team.

The turnout for this event was great, more than enough to suggest to this writer that there is an audience within ID for a class or at least more training on this topic. (ID administration take note)

“Performing music—or managing in a company, for that matter—is all about developing habits and ways of doing things that your unconscious mind controls.”
-Gary Burton from Keeley

ID students can access the slideshow on the temp server under "insideID." Sorry everyone else.

"Press your luck potluck" Valentine's Day Party

If you weren't at the "Press Your Luck" Valentine's Day Potluck last Friday evening, then you missed out on one HELLA TIGHT party.  DANK Korean food, Belgian waffles, chocolate fondue, homemade breads, Chinese paella, plum wine--not to mention the FLY environment design by Chelsea and PHAT beats laid down by DJ Enric.  You also missed out on the chance to win the lottery.  It was ILL. 

The pictures speak for themselves. 

Thanks to all of you who REPRESENTED to make the evening such a success!

We got your back, Joyce, Chelsea, and Mycal

ID and Stuart Business School
Andy Kim on doubling up

How did you get interested in taking Stuart Courses?
I was interested in taking at least one or two Stuart courses. I thought the Stuart classes would complement my design courses well. Initially, I spoke with a couple of students who graduated last year with both ID and Stuart business degrees, Brad Nemer and Brandon Schauer. As well, I spoke with Christine Kim, who is finishing her ID and Stuart degrees this year.

What classes have you taken?
I have taken most of the core MBA courses. I took Organizational Behavior, Managerial Economics, Statistical Methods, Marketing, Managerial Accounting, Managerial Finance, and Global Future Practices in Entrepreneurial Management.

Which classes would you recommend that an ID student take?
If you only want to take one or two courses at Stuart, I would recommend taking Managerial Accounting and Managerial Finance. Managerial Accounting is a prerequisite for Managerial Finance. The language of business is accounting, and I found it to be the most practical of the courses that I have taken. As well, the Finance department is one of its stronger departments at Stuart. Organizational Behavior is another good course to take. As I took Organizational Behavior, I thought a lot about how I could apply organizational theories to group projects at ID.

I heard that the Stuart enrollment process is somewhat complicated. How would an ID student enroll into a Stuart class?
There is not a clear process for an ID student to take Stuart classes. First, you should talk to your ID advisor, and let him/her know that you are interested in taking Stuart classes. You should also contact the Stuart admissions office and let them know you intend to take Stuart courses.

An ID student can take classes at Stuart as a non-MBA degree candidate or an MBA degree candidate. As a non-MBA degree candidate, I believe you can take up to three or four Stuart courses, and the classes can count towards your ID degree. If you want to take more courses, you need to apply as a dual degree candidate. Applying is not too bad since the Stuart admissions office accepts the ID application. You just forward your ID application to the Stuart admission office and complete one other form.

Do I have to take the GMAT?
For ID students, I believe Stuart still accepts GRE scores in place of GMAT scores. Though, if you want to receive a Stuart scholarship, you have to take the GMAT. Stuart offers varying scholarship amounts. For example, if you score 700 or higher, you are eligible for a 50% tuition discount, or if you score between 650 and 700, you can receive a 40% discount.

How much are classes?
IIT has a flat tuition rate. Currently you can take up to can take as many as 17.5 semester credit hours under the flat rate tuition, and so it is possible to take one additional Stuart class each semester without increasing your total
tuition. (Each Stuart course is 4 quarter hours, which turn into 2.4 semester hours.) For 2005-06, if your semester credit hours exceed 17.5, then every Stuart course is $2,574. You want to make sure the bursar does not overcharge you. I have had issues with my tuition bill nearly every quarter.

Do I need to pick a concentration?
You have the option of earning an MBA with or without a concentration. An MBA without the concentration requires 16 courses, and an MBA with one or two concentrations requires 20 classes.

What are some other issues involved with taking Stuart courses?
The Stuart class times are different from ID course times. The difference in times sometimes makes setting up times to meet with my ID project teams a little more difficult.

You should also keep in mind that the Stuart business school is on a quarter system while ID is on a semester system. This was a much bigger issue before. With the different systems, vacation schedules for the two schools were different. But, starting next semester Stuart will align their quarter based schedule to match the IIT semester schedule, and so vacation breaks should match now.

back to top

At work: Winter internship at Samsung
engageID talks with Jae Hyun Park, M.Des

Q: Could you tell us about your recent internship at Samsung, South Korea this winter?
I worked at Samsung - Digital Solution Center in Seoul. Digital solution Center is related to Ubiquitous solutions. My team was User Experience team of advanced strategy.

The location of DSC is really similar to Manhattan 35th in New York. Thus, I could meet up with many of my friends after work and ate some great food. It was great time for me.

My mission at DSC(Digital Solution Center) was to create a new service system for Samsung devices. The name of project was ‘Thinkerbell’. It is an intelligent system and an emotional communicator. The purpose to make this system was connected to the company goals of Samsung. They consider that Samsung has to focus more on software or service system in their hardware. This was the driving force behind the "Thinkerbell" project.

Q: Overall, and now that you are back in school how do you evaluate the experience?
Frankly speaking, my undergraduate majors were visual communication design and painting and my interests are really different than that of ID. Thus, I did not understand the ID approach. However, after finishing winter internship at Samsung, I could understand the connection between a current companies’ purpose and ID’s approach.

Q: What is the most valuable thing you got from it?
That is diversity.
My title was intern designer but the team of ‘Thinkerbell’ was very diverse. We had marketers, engineers, designers and game developers. In this respect, I thevalue of all of their different perspectives.

Q: How different you think are the korean design process and methods from the ones that we learn here at ID?
Compared to Korean design process and methods form the ones that we learn at ID, the most different point is speed and perspective about design. In general, Korean design is more flexible to make something and they want to confirm the reaction of users with many options and objects in real fields. Thus they prefer to create fast prototyping and realistic concepts rather than abstract models like at ID.

Q: How did you get this internship?
I met a manager from Samsung recruiting and he recommended me to work as an intern designer.

Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of making a 1 month internship in the winter break?
The advantage is to get experience in real field, to experience what I had to imagine before.
The disadvantage is not to get free time during winter break.

back to top

new IDer: Mario Ruiz
MDM, December 2006.

Around town:
Spoon Thai & Lincoln Lanes | The "secret" combination

Located in the heart of Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood, Spoon Thai is an unassuming spot in a busy Western Avenue storefront. There are several Thai restaurants in the area and Spoon Thai's small dining room and simple decor does little to separate it from the pack. What it lacks in decor it delivers in taste.

The menu at Spoon Thai requires a bit more more thought than your average Thai restaurant in Chicago. If you're looking for the standards: pad thai, panang curry, tom yum soup, and the like, you will have no problem finding them. Each dish is flavorful, ample in size and a good value (average of about $8 per dish). That said, those who are looking for some more interesting choices, ask for the "secret" Thai menu. See, what most people don't understand, is that nearly every Thai restaurant has an ethnic menu written in Thai offering a variety and suite of flavor combinations simply not found on the menu in English and set before your average patron. Over the years, foodies in Chicago (most notably from the site LTH Forums) unlocked this mystery of the "secret" menu and had it translated in scribbles for themselves. Talk of this became such a phenomenon, including a feature in the Chicago Tribune, and so many curious diners were asking for the "secret" menu that the owners at Spoon Thai eventually translated it themselves to be a bit more user friendly. The menu includes many choices you've probably never seen before in a Thai restaurant including haw mok, a curried catfish steamed in in banana leaves, mien cam, a green salad topped with dried shrimp, fresh ginger, lime, onion, cilantro, and toasted coconut with a sweet shrimp sauce, and some utterly delectable Thai sausages. One important thing to note is that the owners and chefs at Spoon Thai offer a decidedly Northern Thai bent which makes their food decidedly un-Bangkok in style. Patrons are welcome to bring a bottle of wine or some beer as Spoon Thai does not serve alcohol.

Bonus non-restaurant tip of the week:

Lincoln Lanes
4874 N Lincoln Ave | (773) 561-8191
(just around the corner from Spoon Thai north and west on Lincoln)

Around the corner from Spoon Thai is Chicago's most unique bowling alley by far. It's on the second floor above an Ace hardware and features some great old school touches including a tin ceiling, a balcony for viewing and some classic post-war murals. There are very few lanes but weekdays are usually easy to get a few games in. Weekends can be packed, especially during the winter months, and it is definitely worth making a reservation. Luckily games, shoes and beer are all cheap and the place is a gem. Happy bowling!

Zachary Jean Paradis



back to top

Observed

-A great website about news and events in Chicago.
http://www.gapersblock.com/

-A healthy blend of environmentalism and design.
http://www.treehugger.com/

-This is a subscription site, but is awesome.
http://visualthesaurus.com/

-We are using this to collaborate on the newsletter. It rocks!
http://backpackit.com/



Send us your design related links to our emails below



back to top