Computerlove™

August 18th, 2008

Seattle Event: Design on Rye-All About Small Business Design

Design on Rye – All About Small Business Design, No Cheese

You've got great design skills. You approach each project with passion and creativity. But, running the practical side of your business does not come naturally. Don't fret, many of our colleagues find themselves in this same situation. Join AIGA for a three part luncheon series to learn what wasn't including in your design school education. We've pulled together a team of experts to teach you strategies for helping your business grow and succeed.

9/16
Pricing Secrets for Designers
Ilise Benun, founder of Marketing Mentor {link: www.marketing-mentor.com and co-author of the brand new, Design's Guide to Marketing and Pricing, will conduct an interactive presentation focusing on pricing and self-promotion.

*10/22
Putting Purpose Into Profit*
As Chief Business Integrator for start up and small companies, Audrey Godwin, CPA {link: www.thegodwingroup.net has 20 years of experience building business profits and value. She will help set you on the right path for building a financial strategies for maximizing your businesses growth.

*11/19
The Legality of Contracts*
Washington Lawyers for the Arts (WLA) {link: www.thewla.org is a nonprofit service organization dedicated to supporting the arts by creating alliances and making legal resources accessible to artists and arts organizations of all disciplines. Members of WLA will enhance your understanding of contracts and how to customize them to best protect your business.

Spitfire
2219 4th Ave
Seattle, WA 98121

Register Online @ www.aigaseattle.org

Admission Prices:
Professional Members: $25 per event
Professional Non-Members: $35 per event
Student Members: $20 per event
Student Non-Members: $25

Membership Value!
Professional Members may purchase the entire series for $60
Student Members may purchase the entire series for $50

Space is limited to 30 per event. Your admission cost includes a salad and sandwich lunch buffet with assorted soft drinks. Sorry, no refunds.

July 16th, 2008

JOB Opening: UI Designer - Highly Visible Project

Face it, you like bragging about your work. Maybe not in-your-face bragging, but being able to say "hey, I did that" feels pretty darn good. We are seeking a candidate who's confident enough to take on a project that will touch millions (yes millions) of users. The client is pushing the limits and looking for an inspired design that breaks through the product's current branded-interface.

Job Description:
• Working with the framework of the product to develop new command bars, menu system, tool windows, etc.
• Develop a shiny-new visual appearance of the product
• You will be an effective advocate for the user and be able to successfully drive implementation of feature-sets and interactions that provide an excellent customer experience.

Qualifications:
• Strong knowledge of user interface and functionality design required.
• Strong creative skills and ability to generate design ideas required.
• Must posses a deep understanding in related creative tracks – design, interactive development
• Must have the ability to understand and integrate customer needs and motivations into specific areas of product design to contribute to user features and functionality
• Must be familiar with industry standards and trends
• Visual portfolio of work is required.

PLEASE NOTE – This is a contract position which requires the candidate to work onsite in the Seattle area. NO remote work will be permitted.

How to Apply:
Send your resume and samples of your work to JobsEP@sakson.com

May 8th, 2008

JOB OPENING: Art Director - Packaging

We are seeking a highly organized and strong project manager to direct the full scope of a game product’s packaging timeline. This person should be a “soup-to-nuts” type of person, not afraid of taking on a project from a clean slate and seeing it through to final delivery. This person would be comfortable addressing global design issues across product groups and developing solutions.

REQUIREMENTS:

- Background as a Project Manager within a creative agency, supervising teams with multiple designers

- Managing and supervising production schedules and assuring the timely completion of each step in timeline

- Building and managing project budgets

- Negotiating vendor contracts

- Good communication skills and strong ability to articulate ideas clearly

- Must have the ability to follow strict corporate brand guidelines

If this is you, please contact us! Our client, the “largest software company in the world” is waiting to meet you!

For more information or to submit you portfolio & resume, please contact us at JobsEP@sakson.com. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Sakson & Taylor, an Aquent company, is a firm that offers content design and development, marketing, and creative services solutions. For more than 20 years, we have helped provide outsourcing and staffing solutions to clients such as Microsoft, HP, and Starbucks. We're a minority-owned business, committed to maintaining professional quality with a personal touch.

February 29th, 2008

3D Artists

CALLING ALL 3D ARTISTS – TEXTURING PROS, LIGHTING GURUS, MODELING MANIACS AND RIGGING ROCK STARS! WE HAVE JOBS!

Ladies and Gentlemen – start your engines!

Our client, a Seattle-area gaming giant, needs your awesome 3D skills to help in the creation of the next version of this popular racing title. We need massively talented individuals with expertise in lighting, texturing and modeling for environments/objects as well as character animators (non-facial) and concept artists.
*
What you will get:*
Several months of experience working on a major, best-selling title in a fun, fast-paced environment, competitive pay, free parking, free soda, free bus pass, bonuses, fantastic benefits including a ZERO premium/deductible health care option (more money in your pocket), and the support of a team committed to awesome employee care.

Ready to sign up? Not so fast! Read on…

You must have (Non-negotiable. No exceptions. No kidding.)
3Ds Max proficiency. Sorry, Maya is not an option in any of our roles.
Low-poly modeling expertise
Experience with and examples of normal maps
At least a year of professional 3D experience
A portfolio (duh)

BIG pluses
Previous work on a racing/driving title. If you have this, stop reading now and send us your resume. Seriously.
Gearhead status (strong passion for cars)
Previous experience on a console title
Modeling/texturing/lighting expertise with machinery – paint reflection, chrome, steel… metal of all kinds

To apply
Please email a copy of your resume (Word or PDF format) and a link to your portfolio to Jobs3D@sakson.com.

If you need to send a DVD or CD reel of your work, please mail it to:
Sakson & Taylor
3D Recruiting
1109 North 36th Street, Suite A
Seattle, WA 98103

Please note: We cannot return reels. Interviews will only be granted after a portfolio and resume review, so please do not call to arrange a time to meet or drop by expecting to meet with a recruiter. If you are a qualified candidate, we will respond quickly to arrange a time to discuss the role in more detail.

Sakson & Taylor, an Aquent company, is a firm located in Seattle, WA that offers content design and development, marketing, and creative services solutions. For more than 20 years, we have helped provide outsourcing and staffing solutions to clients such as Microsoft, HP, and Starbucks. We're a minority-owned business, committed to maintaining professional quality with a personal touch. Our benefits package is exceptional including full-coverage medical, dental, vision, bonus pay, training, and a generous 401(k) plan.

February 22nd, 2008

Designers With Microsoft Expression Experience?

I know it's a new product and all, but there's gotta be some talent out there with Microsoft Expression experience. But I'm having the hardest time finding any in the Seattle area! I know you're out there...come out of hiding!

February 7th, 2008

AIGA - GET OUT THE VOTE 2008

GET OUT THE VOTE 2008

AIGA invites designers from across the United States to create nonpartisan posters that inspire the American public to participate in the electoral process and vote for a presidential candidate in the 2008 general election.

Sample posters from the 2004 Get Out the Vote

Get Out the Vote, an AIGA initiative since the 2000 campaign, enables designers to engage in the public arena by contributing to a coordinated voter mobilization campaign. The 2008 campaign will build on the efforts made in 2004 campaign, which placed more than 50,000 AIGA posters in public places in communities across the nation and gave access to online PDF versions that anyone could print and post independently.

By motivating eligible individuals to register and turn out on voting day, Get Out the Vote fulfills an ongoing AIGA objective of demonstrating the value of design to the public, public officials and business by providing a clear call to action for an activity that is important to everyone.

Further details and submission instructions for 2008 will be available by mid-February.

January 31st, 2008

Junior to Mid Level Web Developers Needed!

Calling all web developers!!! We currently have multiple positions open for junior to mid-level developers. These opportunities all take place at the “largest software company in the world” and require smart and energetic candidates who are interested in working on projects ranging from HTML/CSS hand-coding to Actionscript. Please note that we said hand-coded - no Dreamweaver, no WYSIWYGs.

We are looking for candidates who kick some tail with the following skills (you don't need all of them, just let us know what you have) :
- hand-coded HTML/CSS
- Actionscript 2.0 & 3.0
- XML, XSL
- PHP, JavaScript
- Working with template implementation, content insertion and coding design assets into websites.

All positions are full-time, contract positions that REQUIRE you to be ONSITE! Yes, onsite only, no exceptions.

Intrigued? Great! Email us with your resume and samples of your work at JobsEP@sakson.com. We offer a great benefits package including paid medical, 401K and we hear there’s even free soda involved.

Sakson & Taylor, an Aquent company, is a firm that offers content design and development, marketing, and creative services solutions. For more than 20 years, we have helped provide outsourcing and staffing solutions to clients such as Microsoft, HP, and Starbucks. We're a minority-owned business, committed to maintaining professional quality with a personal touch.

January 15th, 2008

Scripting Whiz Needed – Animation!

Who needs timelines and built-in functions when you can script your animations by hand? Properties, tweens, motions, curves, timers… you can create broadcast-quality animations in your sleep. If this sounds like your particular type of challenge, read on.

Our client "The Largest Software Company In the World" can use your phenomenal scripting abilities STAT. While they have lots of talented designers coming up with the images, they need someone with your superior scripting brilliance to make it work. They are working on some pretty cool stuff that THE WHOLE WORLD sees. Seriously. They create some of the most visited sites on the Web. And this stuff will look really good in your portfolio and on your resume. Plus, you'll get paid well and you'll get great benefits including no-cost health insurance and a generous 401k plan (I hear there is even free soda involved).

Requirements
What they need:

· A superstar coder who can create complex animations using only script.

· The ability to accurately and collaboratively interpret storyboards and design elements into a smooth animation

· Experience in XML a big ol’ plus

Intrigued? Good. Then, send us your resume and portfolio (or some links to some of your work) to JobsEP@sakson.com. We know that there aren't a ton of you out there who can create the particular type of multimedia magic they need, so don't make us beg.

The fine print: This is an onsite, full-time, 3-6 month contract opportunity in Redmond, WA. No, we are not looking for an off-shore IT company to fill this spot and unfortunately you cannot work from home in your PJs and bunny slippers. Full time. Onsite. Redmond, WA. 3-6 months. Thank you for reading.

Sakson & Taylor, an Aquent company, is a firm that offers content design and development, marketing, and creative services solutions. For more than 20 years, we have helped provide outsourcing and staffing solutions to clients such as Microsoft, HP, and Starbucks. We're a minority-owned business, committed to maintaining professional quality with a personal touch.

January 8th, 2008

Snowboard Design Event in Seattle

AIGA Seattle Presents
The Hills Have Eyes
snow:culture:design

Thursday January 17
6PM panel discussion / 8PM reception
EVO Gallery
122 NW 36th St / Seattle / WA 98107

Featuring
Dave Benton: Metajive
Aaron Draplin: Draplin Design Co
Stefan Hofmann: Spacecraft
Ryan Schmeis: K2 (Interview)
Mike Styskal: Department of Energy

Skiing, Snowboarding, and Graphic Design
Whether you think of retina-burning neon ski suits or splatter-paint/graffitti-inspired art, alpine snow sports have never been about blending in with the snow — or the crowd. From ski and snowboard designs to editorial, interactive and even clothing applications, designing for this market can offer a graphic designer a creative freedom not found in many other arenas.

Seattle enjoys an unparalleled view to this small but highly influential corner of the design world. This is, after all, home to K2 Sports — which also produces Ride Snowboards — as well as a host of related design industry. The hills may have the eyes, but what they see often has a way of trickling back into the mainstream.

Seattle AIGA has assembled a panel of uniquely qualified designers to discuss the sport, the role of design; and the risks and rewards of combining two passions. Join us at the EVO gallery in Fremont for what promises to be an inspiring and educational evening of industry insights, design jabber and a cornucopia of eye candy.

The panel discussion will start at 6PM and be segmented to allow plenty of audience participation. A reception with light snacks and beverages will immediately follow.

Admission
AIGA Members: $10
Non Members: $15
Student AIGA members: $5
Student non-members: $10

Register online at aigaseattle.org
Seating is limited, so buy your tickets early. Sorry, no refunds.

January 3rd, 2008

Amazing Graphic Designer

Are you a seasoned digital illustrator with a deep portfolio reflecting a variety of styles? Are you a master of the tools of your trade (Photoshop, Illustrator) who is constantly seeking the latest upgrade, filter, or brush? If this sounds like you, our group can use your creativity and professional expertise to help them design and develop upcoming generations of their design tools. Your ability to evaluate our product and give thoughtful, insightful feedback and offer design solutions is key.

We are looking for someone who:

- Has a solid history in visual design for the web including both web site design and digital illustration
- Knows the traditional visual design tools of the trade inside and out and understands the fastest, most effective methods of accomplishing a task.
- Has a robust portfolio full of design solutions and illustration styles
- Is not afraid to speak his/her mind, offer thoughtful insight, and suggest solutions.

Requirements:
- Proficiency in Photoshop, and other industry standard visual design programs
- Proficiency with Dreamweaver or other industry standard WYSIWYG tools.
- At least two years of professional design experience backed by a solid portfolio.
- Flash proficiency is fantastic, but not a must.

Please note that this is a year long, full-time, contract role that will require you to be onsite in Redmond, WA.

Email me at erins@sakson.com or through my profile if this position is right for you!

December 21st, 2007

Pantone's Color of the Year

What do you think of Pantone's Color of the Year? Apparently, the color “Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspects of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic," according to Leatrice Eiseman, the executive director of the Pantone Color Institute.

With Pantone being common practice amongst design professionals, I'm surprised that the article only touched on color in fashion. When will the world finally realize the importance and impact of design?

Here's the Yahoo article: www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/fashion/20COLOR.html?no_interstitial

December 20th, 2007

Wanted: ActionScript Guru

ActionScript Guru

Are you a creative type who works in code rather than color? Do you relish knowing that you are the true magic behind what the designers design and that without your super awesome ActionScript, they could only produce lovely, motionless images? Do you LOVE leaving other Flash devs wondering "How'd s/he do that?" If this is you, we want to talk to you.

Our client "The Largest Software Company In the World" can use your phenomenal scripting abilities STAT. While they have lots of talented designers coming up with the images, they need someone with your superior coding brilliance to make it work. They are working on some pretty cool stuff that THE WHOLE WORLD sees. Seriously. They create some of the most visited sites on the Web. And this stuff will look really good in your portfolio and on your resume. Plus, you'll get paid well and you'll get great benefits including no-cost health insurance and a generous 401k plan (I hear there is even free soda involved).

What they need:
Passion for ActionScript. Some people go home and play WoW to relax - you figure out how to do something neat with code.
The ability to work with designers and translate their flat images and story boards into dynamic pages.
The chops to script truly interactive pages that engage users - possibly including data pulls from XML pages or databases.
HTML and JavaScript savvy

Intrigued? Good. Then, send us your resume and portfolio (code samples if you have 'em) to JobsEP@sakson.com. We know that there aren't a ton of you out there who can create the kind of Flash magic they need, so don't make us beg.

P.S.: If you happen to be a stellar visual designer as well as an ActionScript phenom, we’ll be extra excited to chat with you!

Sakson & Taylor, an Aquent company, is a firm located in Seattle, WA that offers content design and development, marketing, and creative services solutions. For more than 20 years, we have helped provide outsourcing and staffing solutions to clients such as Microsoft, HP, and Starbucks. We're a minority-owned business, committed to maintaining professional quality with a personal touch. Our benefits package is exceptional including full-coverage medical, dental, vision, bonus pay, training, and a generous 401(k) plan.