Youth Design Alumni Lisa Boyd-Physic Reflects on Youth Design
Lisa Boyd-Physic (right) with Mentor at Merida Meridian,
Being a Youth Design Alumni, I still remember when I first applied to the program. I noticed the flyer on the bulletin board in my highschool hallway, and immediately I thought, “This is perfect for me.” At the time I didn’t fully recognize the impact that Youth Design would have for me. It completely exceeded my expectations of what I could achieve that summer. I mostly thought that I would be able to work on art and design (which I did), but I didn’t realize that the program would reveal so many opportunities that are out there. I used to believe that being an artist for a career meant not being able to pay rent or the mortgage. Although that may be true for some, Youth Design showed me that you can still follow your creative passions in many different job positions. For example, I had no idea that a person could be hired to discover what the color forecast for the season is. That completely blew my mind. I learned so much, and I was able to grow with a creative confidence that I never had before. I went from sketching about once or twice a month to sketching something new every single day. Youth design helped me grow as an artist and extend my creative ideas into other areas as well.
Overall, the most important thing I took away from Youth Design was that I don’t have to settle for any mediocre job just because it pays decently. If I apply my creativity along with ambition, dedication, and passion, then the possibilities are limitless.
Youth Design Graduation 2013
This past Thursday we held our 10th Youth Design Graduation. We celebrated the hard work our kids have done during the summer and also the mentors who help make this happen every year. This year we featured a gallery of the work the students created for the Youth Design Take Action competition and also the Discovery Book project. The Discovery Book chronicles each students journey through out the summer immersion program.
Karmaloop mentors Gibran Borbon and Drew McCarver discussing the “Youth Designers Take Action” exhibit
Youth Designer Lily Lu with parents in front of her competition entry
Youth Designers Daniel Smelansky, Aedan Clark, Shirley Fang and Jeffrey Dubuisson
2013 Youth Designers Take Action Competition presentation by Nikki Korn and Mark Feldman from Cause Consulting
First place winner of the “Youth Designers Take Action” Competition, Yamilet Acevedo with Nikki Korn and Mark Feldman from Cause Consulting
Crowd of Youth Designers, mentors, family members and Youth Design supporters gathered at MassArt’s Pozen Center
Youth Design’s first 2-year Graduates with their Mentors
From the Youth Design team we want to congratulate the second year Youth Designers for completing the program and celebrate another fantastic year here at Youth Design.
Thank you
Sixth Week Recap by Dahrell Rush
My name is Dahrell Rush and I am a Youth Designer currently working at Digitas. In the previous summer I spent with Youth Design I worked at Continuum. I learned a lot about how a professional design firm can help different companies in all areas of their business. Working at Digitas has been a familiar experience, and I have been glad to learn so much more seeing these very similar but very different design environments.
Youth Design had taken a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, or the MFA for short. We split up into two groups to see different exhibits and work in the MFA. There were exhibits based on a huge range of time periods all throughout history, we got to see European portraits from the 16th century, and some interesting jewelry/ pottery from ancient civilizations from before the common era. The museum also offered an exhibition that had shown early American artwork as well.
While at the MFA, we had the chance to see a collection of architectural design work by American artist. In that collection were also past artist personal sketches/ works and watercolor paintings that were spectacular to see! Overall I am really glad to have had the chance to see and enjoy that work alongside my fellow Youth Designers.
~Dahrell
Fifth Week Recap by Patrick Lilley
I can still remember the day when I joined Youth Design and also when I started my internship at Blue Cross Blue Shield. It was an amazing year full of learning and new experiences. This year is my second year as a Youth Designer and I am working at Joss & Main. Comparing this new work place to where I was placed last year, there is a huge difference between the two. From the office space, computers, people, and the overall experience, this year to me is truly the better one.
My mentor Dan has been great. He has helped me find what I like the most out of designing. Each day when I walk into the office, I am prepared to learn something new about Photoshop or InDesign. Everyday I am ready to get some hard work done. The firm that I am in is wonderful and is a place I would love to work in. No scary cubicles like in the movies, the space is open full of great and funny people who get their work done. Just as I predicted on orientation day, this year is going to be fun.
Todays workshop was an Art and Design college panel. We got to hear from three wonderful college Admissions from MassArt, AIB (Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University) , and BAC (Boston Architectural College). They all came by and showed us what their design colleges require to get in. This workshop was very beneficial for me because I lacked the knowledge of what it takes to get into design colleges. Now I have an understanding on which design college I would like to go to and about design colleges in general.
With one more workshop approaching, the only thing I can do is look forward to it. Each Thursday Morning Session was exciting in its own way, and I cant wait for the next one.
~ Pat
Fourth Week Recap by Ivanna Lin
Hello! I am Ivanna Lin and I am currently working for an interior design firm in South Boston called Duffy Design Group. Last summer I worked for an industrial design firm called Essential. It was my first internship and my first exposure to the field of design. It was a whole new experience for me. I didn’t quite know what to expect and was questioning my ability to perform at a professional setting. Coming back as a second-year Youth Designer, I am much more confident as a design intern. I have taken everything I’ve learned from last summer, which include work ethic and design skills, and applied it to my current job. This summer is going great so far!
For our most recent Thursday Morning Session, we visited the ICA (The Institute of Contemporary Art). That place is beautiful, the ICA is probably my favorite museum in Boston. I have been there many times now, yet every visit is a unique experience. In my opinion, one of the most memorable and marvelous exhibits in the museum right now is Barry McGee’s. His works is incredible. They are an amalgam of illustration and graffiti, which make them fun, creative and fresh. I know I wasn’t the only Youth Designer who was amazed by his work.
Beside our ICA tour, we also got the chance to hear from Nikki Korn and Mark Feldman, regarding the Youth Design Take Action Competition. In groups, we sat and discussed our topics for the competition. We received valuable guidance and suggestions to help us further our projects. In addition, towards the end of the session we all sat down to meet with Denise and talked about our summer thus far. It was great to hear from other Youth Designers and learn about their experiences. I’ve always been curious about what other Youth Designers do at work and now I know! It is good to learn that we all have a complete unique and different experience at work. I think that is what makes the Youth Design program so incredible.
Time truly goes by fast. I can’t believe a month has already passed. I am excited to make the fullest out of the rest of my summer. And I look forward to the next Thursday Morning Session!
Thursday Morning Workshop: Digitas
Recap of Digitas trip by Daniel Smelansky
Seeing as I have been working at Digitas for the past two weeks, I had a unique perspective on this Thursday Morning Workshop. Everyone arrived at Digitas and we went into the Deck conference room where Digitas employees gave us a presentation. The presentation summarized what exactly it is that Digitas does, and showcased some of their best work.
After that, we split into a group of first years, and a group of second years. Since I am working at Digitas, I had to make sure the Second Years went to the right rooms and that we were on schedule. Our first stop was the Mobile Lounge which is a room filled with the latest mobile technology like NFC (Near Field Communication) and Augmented Reality. After that we went over to the Innovation Room, which is similar to the Mobile Lounge but features not only mobile technologies but the newest technology in all different fields.
We then all met back in the Deck Conference Room to have a Q&A with people who work in different sectors of Digitas. The interesting thing is that although they are all in different departments and do different tasks, the mindset and strategies that they utilize are very similar.
The real core of most jobs is the ability to creatively problem solve, even if the literal task isn’t creative by definition, it still requires a creative mind. It was also interesting how many people who are now art directors, creative directors, and graphic designers took very winding paths to reach their final destination. Knowing that your interest and career path is not finalized is very import to remember. It’s vital to focus on doing the best you can in the present, because if you stay true to yourself, the future will pan out on it’s own in your advantage.
~Daniel
Second Week Recap by Shirley Fang
Last summer, I worked for a product and industrial design firm, IDEO, where I built wonderful connections with talented designers. For this summer, I am working for an architectural and interior design firm, called Gensler. This is a whole new experience for me, since I wasn’t exposed to this field of design. Within a week, I was able to learn more about architecture and interior design by attending a lecture. The lecture was about architecture and wood lead by one of the architects at Gensler.
I also went to a presentation at MIT for the new building for PNC at Pittsburg. I met part of the collaborative group for this project and was amazed by their meticulous design and concept.The PNC building will be one of the greenest buildings in the world. The presentation helped me get a better grasp of the process in designing a building, first pinpointing the desired goals and “pillars” of the client and then working out the best options for those goals. I am learning a great deal within the time that I am here at Gensler and again have another chance to make more lasting connections and friendships.
Youth Design’s Pre-College Fashion Branding Workshop II
Todays workshop involved critiquing mood boards, defining brands, and branding one’s own fashion line. We started off the morning with intense analysis of each group’s fashion mood board that represented one of the three scenarios given to us. After these discussions, we went over the different types of brands that are used in the real world such as Nike ( a cultural reference) and Gucci ( the last name of the designer).
Once we had a clear idea about branding, we moved back into our groups and did a 10 minute brainstorm of words that represent their brand well. Afterwords, we shared our top 3 choices as a group. All the groups were really creative and used what they learned from the presentation to find an extraordinary brand name. Some that stood out to me were Modafri, Rmour, and Blak. Overall, today’s design activities helped us all to practice our presentation skills and obtain more experience on expressing our ideas verbally and coherently.
~ Shirley
First Week Recap by Jeffrey Dubuisson
I can’t believe it’s already a year since I first joined Youth Design and went to my first day of work, at McMahon Architects. Now I am returning to Youth Design this summer and working at Allen & Gerritsen (A&G). In my first week I had the great pleasure of learning that this: “&” is an ampersand, a very big part of A&G’s logo. Everyone in the office has been very welcoming and helpful. This year I am working in a bigger firm than before, so I was nervous about going around and meeting everyone. I think that with A&G it is a large family community, from after work runs, to softball games and zumba classes. It has been a world I am adapting to and loving each and every day more.
My mentors, Tyson and Meg have both been wonderful. I look forward to working with them a lot just because they are both so insightful. Tyson and I spent the first week time working together and also learning about each other. He started putting me to work right away with InDesign as well as Photoshop. So after Week 1, I’m looking forward to progressing through the summer but also dreading the last week of working at A&G.
The first Thursday morning workshop of the summer!
We got to enjoy a wonderfully prepared workshop by Alisa Aronson, led by Bruce Ployer. I think it is going to be very great to follow up next week with our own brands. Bruce brought us through a powerpoint, expressing to us the importance of brand. Something I am sure that everyone was able to take something from.
After the powerpoint, we we’re all divided into teams and given a variety of creative briefs so we could test our own hand at creating a brand for a client. Once we had selected a client, we were sent off to the computer lab to begin heavy research on our clients desires. We then took our research and compiled it into mood boards. From this workshop, we all were able to see the process and practice crafting a strategy. From this workshop, we walked away knowing how hard designers work to come up with concepts for clients. Knowledge that we can now further use at our internships this summer.
~ Jeff
Welcome Alex Barbosa, the new Program Coordinator
We’d like to give a warm welcome to our new Program Coordinator, Alex Barbosa. Alex is a Youth Design Alumni and also most recently a graduate from Mass College of Art and Design ’12. At MassArt he majored in Graphic Design and was also involved in Alternative Spring Break, a student group which helps build houses with Habitat for Humanity during spring break. “I am excited to help the designers of the future. The most exciting part is Youth Design has changed so much since I did it, I am just thrilled for the program to start”. We are excited to have Alex on the Youth Design team and can’t wait for the summer to kick off.
Gearing Up for Summer 2013 – Insights From Second Year Youth Designer Daniel Smelansky
Daniel Smelansky Second Year Youth Designer
As my second summer at Youth Design approaches, I look back to the things I learned last year: not to fear asking questions, how to navigate a professional work environment, the importance of being accountable and responsible, and effective problem solving. The list goes on and on. Now the time has come to collect all of these new skills, and direct them towards this coming summer. I want to focus all of the concepts and ideas I collected in my first year of Youth Design towards this year and build upon the foundation and create a self sustaining structure of knowledge and skills, that I will continue to build up and improve throughout my life.
2012 Thursday Morning Workshop at the ICA
The thought of being placed in a new working environment with new people and new projects is both daunting and extremely exciting. I’ve been in the Korn Design / Youth Design office for so long that I’m completely at ease with the people and the space, I’m a little nervous about adapting to a new environment. At the same time, I’m eager to dive right into new waters and learn everything that there is to learn.
YD Class of 2012 at Reebok HQ
I’m really looking forward to the Thursday Morning Workshops for this summer, because they were really great last summer. They opened my eyes to the wide range of careers that involve design and how many different pathways there are to take. I can’t wait to see what’s in store this year. I’m confident that the summer will provide an amazing learning experience, and I plan to take advantage of it to the fullest.
- Daniel Smelansky