We are a group of graphic design students at George Mason University who meet weekly to plan events, discuss design, and have fun. Our organization provides a way for students to get involved in the professional design community and to network with practitioners from AIGA local chapters such as our affiliate, AIGA DC.
Whether you are a graphic design major or just curious about the field, feel free to come by a meeting and talk to us.
Events
In addition to attending local events sponsored by the AIGA DC and AIGA Baltimore chapters, we host several events each semester which have played an important part in defining ourselves both within George Mason University’s Art & Visual Technology department and the broader design community in and around Washington, DC.
Intersect: When Design and Fine Art Meet
The Intersect student art show is our most popular annual event. Each spring, we accept submissions of student artwork from George Mason students as well as students from other local institutions of higher education, including Corcoran, American University, The Art Institute of Washington, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Northern Virginia Community College. The submissions are judged by professional designers. Our goal is to foster intercollegiate cooperation and to facilitate networking both among students and between students and professionals.
We have held the Intersect Student Art Show at Clarendon Grill in the past because it provides a neutral environment for participants not only from George Mason, but also from other area schools. The Clarendon Grill is located in Arlington, Virginia and is Metro accessible.
BFA Portfolio Workshop
We provide a free workshop for George Mason BFA applicants who want feedback on their portfolio from faculty and experienced students. Workshops are held once a semester, approximately 2 weeks prior to the due date for the BFA application to accommodate the needs of applicants to the program.
Extreme Pumpkin Makeover
Every October, student and faculty are invited to carve, paint, create, draw, or creatively alter a pumpkin and submit it in our competition. Works may include (but are not limited to) natural or polymer pumpkins, mixed media, illustrations, digital art or paintings. Great prizes such as iPod Shuffles are awarded by our judges to the best submissions.
Membership Drives
Our membership drives provides a forum for students to gather information about and potentially join our organization. Membership drives usually take place near the start or end of each semester and come with free pizza.
Join
All George Mason students are invited to attend our free weekly meetings, which are generally held on Thursdays at 7:20 pm in the faculty lounge of Mason Hall. We do encourage students to take advantage of the student rate for membership in the AIGA national organization.
Benefits of membership include:
- discounts for AIGA DC local events and AIGA national events
- access to resources on AIGA members-only sections
- inclusion in the AIGA membership directory
- increased networking opportunities
Links
The following are a categorized list of external resources that the design student and practictioner should find useful. We like these sites, but we don’t own or have any control over the contents. Use at your own risk.
Organizations
- American Institute of Graphic Arts
- Association Typographique Internationale
- National Association of Photoshop Professionals
- InDesign User Group
Stock Images
- Stock.XCHNG – completely free photos
- iStockPhoto – high quality royalty-free
- Getty Images – royalty-free to rights-managed
- Veer – royalty-free, rights-managed and cds
Fonts and Typefaces
- Dafont – freeware and shareware
- Linotype – catalog of 6000 typefaces
- Monotype Imaging – features Adobe, Monotype and ITC type libraries
- Emigre – digital type foundry
Contact
We invite questions and comments. We are always open to new, entertaining, and educational activities. If you want more information about our group, have an idea for an event, or just want to give us a shout, feel free to contact us at
Additionally, we have a group on Yahoo! that serves as a mailing list and discussion forum. We use it as the primary means for announcements, discussions, and general communications between meetings. Messages are archived so you can see what we have talked about in the past!