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1. If you participated in the ZINE TRADE with Portland State University (you would have submitted a page or spread), the zines are ready to be picked up in room FA 358.

2. Please excuse us while we are working on updating the scheme of theovc.org. Our Online Committee head, Dennis, and his team have been working on making it pretty, it is just not there yet! This summer should be very hot, if you know what I mean.

Don’t forget, tomorrow, April 7th at 12:30 DJ Stout of Pentagram-Austin will be lecturing in FA 148. So bring your best questions!

Also, if you haven’t heard Good For Grasshopper has been hosting a portfolio and interview workshop series called Look Good. Talk Good. This coming Sunday will be workshop #4. Spots are limited but there are a few left! You can register here.

Yours Forever,

The OVC

What is Clampitt?

From their website:

Founded in 1941, Clampitt Paper Company is a locally owned independent paper distributor with national reach. Through our sixty-plus years of existence, we have earned a reputation for innovation, service and environmental commitment.

Known throughout the industry as “The Paper People,” our associates pride themselves on delivering expertise and a quality product… quickly and affordably. Clampitt Paper operates six major paper warehouses and 12 FasClampitt Paper Stores that are dedicated to getting you the paper you need, when you need it.

In other words they are the metroplexes prime source for everything paper. They primarily deliver to all the print shops and direct offices. If you need more common paper they have smaller satellite stores called FAS-Clampitt that mostly carry 8.5″ x 11″ stock for general offices but they stock there is pretty awesome, just not in all the sizes you need. There is 12 stores around Texas, the two closest to Arlington are off 30 by Fort Worth, and up by the regular location.

Whats There.

If there’s a paper mill, they are at Clampitt. If there is some weird specialty paper its there too. Basically if its made to have ink on it its most likely there.

They also have the Creative Center which is FULL of sample books and real world samples printed that are free to take. I have a shelf full of paper sources that when I think about a project are my first grab. Then I go to Clampitt. They also have a Paper School to teach designers and anyone interested in the odd world of paper.(HINT! They will be here Thursday REGISTER UP TOP!!)

My Recent Venture

Last week I started working on a project that I had used CMYK as a central theme. I had sectioned the book off into the three main colors and the cover was to be solid black. You cannot buy reliable black paper anywhere, especially any that has more weight then copy paper. It needed to be black cored, heavy weight, and able to run through a laser printer. I went to the sample room in the creative center, talked with the folks there about my project and what I wanted. They pulled different sample sheets and we talked for 10 minutes about why one would be better than the other. I took my 4 samples, and headed over to FAS-Clampitt to place my order.

I needed 3 or 4 12 x 18 sheets for my cover, in the event I messed them up. With most papers at Clampitt they only carry the pallet sized sheets which is something like 40″ x 36″ and charge $19.00 to cut.. I have a exacto blade and a ruler so I just asked for them whole. I asked how many I had to order and they said “you can just have one or you can have 340, thats all we got.” At $6 a sheet they were a bit expensive(I guess, I mean I have enough to do 5 times what I need) But they hooked me up and sent me back over to the warehouse.

Over there I had the revelation that as an artist I spend a large part of my time in industrial factories or supply houses doing crazy things with stuff no one thinks about. I mean of course at Clampitt its just paper. But is it for my office copier or am I making packaging for the next iPhone. I also realized that they don’t care, they just need your PO and your signature. The guys in the warehouse brought me my paper on a forklift, which I thought was funny. But they also gave my a few extra sheets(I guess everyone had the idea that I might mess up) and a paper from the manufacturer that talks about the best ways to use the paper. Oddly enough the #140 paper wouldnt roll up very well and no one had a rubber band so I walked my sheets out like plywood.

My project turned out great and every time I have some wild idea I know that 15 minutes from here is one of the best resources a designer can have. Because lets all face it, from the ground up all projects start at the paper its printed on. The touch, the feel, the image, all results of the stock our designs rely on. Paper choice is an important one, and even with all my sample books and extra stock knowing there is a place where they know more then people should know about paper is awesome.

So Clampitt, You have a customer for life, now only if I can get you to mail UPS…

Clampitt Paper

Phone: (214)638-3300

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Last semester we had a mega-inspiring iChat with the spectacular Frank Chimero. Now that you all have had a significant amount of time to forget everything he said, we are posting the video! So if you’re down and out on design this will perk you right back up.

Untitled from whitney phillips on Vimeo.

component into the website to allow us to be more of a social network and really do some amazing things. Right now it will just be on this one blog, but in the future look out for ALL users being able to have a blog here at the OVC.

What does that mean for you?

Well one you will be able to get a profile page here at the OVC, create groups for your classes or projects, link up with friends, and do all that neato social networking stuff.

Plus it will let you link up with us here at the OVC and see all the work we will be doing like the Zine School, the many tutorial classes, movies, etc and let you put in some real feedback before we even get started.

Did I mention forums?

Thats right, the new system allows us to create some pretty killer forums to use so it might be time to kill the old system on here now..

How’s it all work?

The OVC runs on the WordPress blogging system, which is really becoming a player in website management. With this a great group of folks from around the world created a plugin called BuddyPress which has given all WordPress installs the amazing ability to bring new content to its users.

Not to mention its 100% FREE.

Right now BuddyPress is in its final release candidate( almost perfect version) and I will be using that until this monday when 1.2 finally comes out. The list of features is insane.. Seriously.. But for the future there are things that I will be creating just for the OVC (and then releasing for everyone else.. SEE: Open Source) like Photos, Projects, and more.

When does all this go live?

in about 20 minutes..

NOW!
I had to change the theme to this one to get all the new features. I KNOW its ugly, but we can live with it until a new one is developed(by us). I’ll go through and fix some issues(like the post thumbnails) ETC. I debated switching it on but I think the added bonus is greater then the aesthetic at the moment.

-D

why should you love these things?
1. they are free
2. sometimes they are soft.
3. they are very helpful in the VIS COMM department.

SO TO EQUATE;
be in room 368A at 5:00 PM tomorrow, FEB 11 for a free Adobe Illustrator tutorial / tips / Q&A session. For free and for love.

THE ILLUSTRATOR TUTORIAL HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR MARCH 2 (ITS SNOWING IN TEXAS Y’ALL!)

BUT, you should stick around on TUESDAY FEB 16 at 5:00 PM for an Adobe Photoshop advanced tips/ tricks session!!!

Also: there is an updated spring 2010 calendar for your reference. can you find it? the link probably says “spring 2010 calendar”, just saying.