We recently had a discussion with our partners over at Hastings College about the fact that many employers feel that recent college graduates are not properly prepared for work in the real world. The primary thing that everyone agrees changes graduates from “I’m sorry, we just don’t have any openings right now,” to “when can you start?” is an internship. Lucky for all you students, we’re seeking the next up-and-coming designer for a Summer 2013 design internship.
5 Mar 2013
Nathan Kirkman
A couple of weeks ago, I participated in Meet the Pros (read Drew Gourley’s account of it here), and it got me thinking about my own time in school and my own path towards becoming a designer.
After spending almost ten months out of school, 2013 is the first full year that I haven’t been attending an educational institution since 1992.
That being said, it took me a little longer to get through college then most. Right after high school I attended Muscatine Community College, a great little campus in the “big city” just south of my little hometown. At the time, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. Well, if i’m honest… I knew. But I wasn’t sure it was possible. And I wanted to be sure that it was the right decision. (It was.) …
26 Feb 2013
Drew Gourley
Last week I spoke at Meet The Pros and, not surprisingly, my presentation was titled Fun with code. When I had volunteered to speak way back when, I envisioned myself talking about a bunch of code stuff and making it really interesting and fun. If you’re a regular reader of the Fun with code series here, you probably don’t remember any of it being terribly interesting or fun. It may be really helpful and useful, but it’s certainly too specialized to be a crowd-pleaser. As I was writing my presentation notes, I realized that I needed to speak to the students as a group — not just the few that may be interested in code — and I needed to make it relevant to them. I thought it would be nice to say something that I hadn’t heard in my years of attending Meet The Pros, but perhaps wished I had. …
14 Feb 2013
Adam Torpin
Oxide recently designed a brand new corporate identity for cosentry, one of the nation’s leading data centers. Primarily serving large and mid-sized enterprises, cosentry provides compliance ready solutions as well as cloud computing and professional technical services. …
7 Feb 2013
Drew Davies
Ask most designers who they’d most like to design for, and it’s likely you’ll hear a similar list of companies including Apple, Nike, Volkswagen, Target, and Herman Miller. It’s not that we wouldn’t welcome the chance to work with any of those clients. But lately I’ve been dreaming of partnering with a more personalized list of possibilities. …
31 Jan 2013
Nathan Kirkman
I recently shared my love of fantasy novels. So I think it’s acceptable to let you in on a little secret. I really really love books. (Except that it’s not really a secret.) Before deciding to become a designer, I toyed around with the idea of becoming a librarian instead. I even spent three years working at the public library back home and three more years working at Iowa State University’s library. …
24 Jan 2013
Drew Gourley
Several years ago, I started to take notice of a logo I would see every once in a while. It wasn’t a particularly great logo by the design standards that I had been taught, but it was catching. A train passing by every once in a while would have some freight containers loaded onboard, and every so often one of the containers was emblazoned with a cheerful alligator. Not only was this beefy green alligator illustrated to look ridiculously happy, but he had a shipping container slung over his shoulder and a ship anchor tattooed on his other shoulder — hilarious! …
14 Jan 2013
Adam Torpin
After a local public meeting in August 2012, a small group of business owners, property owners, and residents began gathering weekly to discuss the process of developing a Business Improvement District for the area of 36th to 42nd along Farnam Street. Group member Brad Iwen (of Iwen Exposures) approached Oxide to create an identity for the district.
Mission: Our goal is to re-create and nurture a district that is lively, pedestrian-friendly, and provides a unique cultural experience for businesses, residents, and all members of the community. …
10 Jan 2013
Nathan Kirkman
Almost everyone else over here at the Oxide office is a giant movie buff.
I’ve never really been into movies, but if you’ve read my profile you know that
I love books. (Thankfully, now I have Rainbow to talk about them with.)
Earlier this week, the conclusion to one of my personal favorite series was released. So in honor of A Memory of Light by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson, so I’ve decided to give you some recommendations for some of my favorite fantasy series.
28 Dec 2012
Drew Gourley
Last year, for Oxide’s 10th anniversary, we launched this snazzy new website. It was packed with a ton of new features, but we still had a wish list of things that we wanted to see added within the next year. Well, that year has passed and with the new year at hand, it is time to officially launch the next version of oxidedesign.com.