Lindsay Miller offers her critique at UT's senior thesis presentations

Every year, another class rotates through the University of Tennessee's graphic design program. Around March panic sets in as seniors in the program realize there's only one month left to pull together a semester's worth of work. I can sympathize with March Madness because I graduated from the program 4 years ago, 10 lbs. lighter and sleep deprived.

Being invited back to to join the "professional panel" that critiques the thesis projects was a delight. Overall, the half of the class that presented on April 7th had solid projects and showed a great amount of potential. Students tackled subjects that were close to their own recreational, social and professional interests.

To bookend the day, the first student who presented is developing a book that celebrates the component of "chance" in relation to a designer's process. The book shows examples of how this student incorporated "chance" into her design and the results. In it's simplest form, it reminds designers that experimenting off the computer oftentimes leads to interesting, unpredictable solutions. The component of "chance" is the thrill seeking part of being a designer–it involves risk, audacity and can lead to the best design solutions you could ever think of (only thing is, you didn't think of them–you "chanced" upon them)!

The last student had a compelling personal story that motivated her to develop a journal for girls who are suffering from abuse. The journal intends to reach out to girls who are in a transitional state between knowing they need help and taking action steps. The final product will be a small, disguised journal that includes encouraging quotes from other women who have been in the same situation, questionnaires, room for journaling and a resource guide with local contacts of where to go to take the next steps.

Those are only two projects and many more were just as notable. If you're interested in learning more, UT's Senior Show is Friday, April 25th, 6-9PM at the Downtown Gallery.

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended Cuts Out the Excuses

This month AIGA Knoxville sponsored an Adobe Photoshop Workshop to show off all the new features Photoshop now offers. What do these upgrades mean? Well, there's now no excuse for unmistakable photoshop disasters. The program is too sophisticated to leave in extra appendages or blur out belly buttons.

Go easy with the spot healing brush!

Have a nice Friday.

Media South launches museum web site

The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum near Vonore, Tennessee interprets and memorializes the accomplishments of Sequoyah, the inventor of a writing system for what had previously been a completely oral Cherokee language.

Media South recently developed and launched a new and improved online presence for the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum. This attractive and informative web site includes photo galleries of the Museum and other local attractions, a calendar of upcoming events, easy-to-follow directions, downloadable copies of Sequoyah Speaks (the museum newsletter), as well as information about Sequoyah himself--the only man in the history of the world who was able to perfect a system for reading and writing a language, without being literate in any language himself.

Check out the new site at www.sequoyahmuseum.org

Adobe Photoshop CS3 Workshop

Need to sharpen your photo editing skills?

A representative from Adobe will be conducting a Photoshop CS3 Extended Workshop this weekend. The session is for designers and photographers interested in learning new photo retouching and color correction tips, as well as an overview of the new software features.

Best of all, attendees will be entered to win the Adobe Creative Suite® 3 Design Premium. (That's a $1,799 door prize!)

AIGA Knoxville will host the workshop. You can find out more or register online at www.knoxadobeworkshop.com.

Saturday, April 5, 2008 1-4 PM at the Crowne Plaza Hotel
Admission: AIGA Members $10, Students $15, Non-members $25

AIGA Knoxville Shows Helvetica at the Knoxville Museum of Art

Why watch "Helvetica" at the Knoxville Museum of Art when you can fetch it from Netflix? Well, if you're creative and you know Helvetica refers to a typeface (what the #$%vetica!), it's like watching an episode of Crocodile Hunter with a room of Steve Irwins (respectfully). When do you get a room of crocodile hunters, or rather designers, together and watch a movie? Not often! I can't remember the last time I watched a good film about a typeface....

Everyone's welcomed to join the camaraderie on March 27, 7:00 p.m.

Find out more at knoxville.aiga.org.

The Mother of all Chocolate Sauces

If you've read about the arrival of Avanti Savoia's new catalog of Culinary Treasures and are anxious to try out the new recipes, here's a Fresh Idea from Avanti Savoia that will leave you with your mouth watering:

The Mother of all Chocolate Sauces

This sensational chocolate sauce will be a big hit with the chocolate lovers in the family.

Break three bars of Extra Fonente 61% Dark Chocolate – (Castagna #50015) in pieces. Combine the chocolate pieces with 1 cup of milk over a hot water bath. Stir the mixture continuously with a sauce whip. In a bowl mix 7 tsp. starch with 1 cup of milk and 7 Tbsp. sugar. Add the mix to the warm chocolate. Cook the sauce over a hot water bath continuing to stir with the whip until it’s lightly thick.

Serve hot over vanilla ice cream, fresh cheesecake, and other confections. Also try it as a topping for heated Pandoro slices – (Dociaria A. Loison #51590), delicious!

If you'd like to track down these special chocolate ingredients, click on the item link above or call 800-213-2927. For your own personal copy of Avanti Savoia: Culinary Treasures From Around the World, visit www.avantisavoia.com and sign up.

Avanti Savoia catalog and web site design by Media South.

Avanti Savoia Spring and Summer Catalog Available Now!

Media South is happy to announce that the new spring and summer catalog for Avanti Savoia is off the press. Chock full of delicious gourmet items from all over the world, the AS catalog is a go-to resource for gourmet cooks and gourmet diners of all stripes.

The catalog includes exquisite facts and tips about using these delicacies as well as original recipes developed by Avanti's own Chef Joseph (from Spaghetti Aglio e Olio to Texas Chili and many taste treats in between).

Media South is proud to take care of the catalog design, production, copy editing and photo research. To grab your own personal copy of this publication delicacy go to avantisavoia.com and sign up for your free Avanti Savoia: Culinary Treasures from Around the World catalog.