How many sheets of paper towels do you use daily? You use paper towels almost every day to dry your hands off but does it ever cross your mind how much paper you’re wasting? Joe Smith demonstrates the perfect technique of drying your hands with only one sheet. We can conserve 571 million pounds of paper each year if we all just kept to one sheet. Two simple words. “Shake” and “Fold”.

The Design Studies Program at MacEwan University allows students to learn about design: Digital Media, Motion Image, Photography, Illustration and Exhibit Presentation. Every year, we have had the opportunity to work with one student from the program as an intern for three weeks to help the student with hands-on experience in the industry and how to deal with real-world problems.

Name
Kaitlyn Moore

Major
Illustration

College/University
Grant MacEwan

Internship Position
Graphic Designer

Tell us a little bit about your College/University experience
I started my first year of university at Grant MacEwan in the Design Foundations program and finished my diploma in design there with a major in illustration there. I loved going to the arts campus, it has such a different vibe than city centre. I also lived in the Grant MacEwan dorms for the first 2 years, which was fun for the first year, but wasn’t my favourite the second year. It’s been a good change coming from a small town to a big city, but it was nice to have my 2 best friends make the change with me.

What inspires you?
I’m inspired by other great designers, I love looking through books and different sites and finding different illustration or design that is well done. But, bad design also inspires me. There is too much awful design in the world so it’s really great to create something usable that is also interesting to look at.

What made you decide to intern with EventIQ?
When it came to picking an internship I wasn’t really sure where I wanted to go so I talked to our program coordinator Dianne, and she suggested I go for an interview at EventIQ because it would be somewhere that I could work independently and have a lot of control over the projects I received.

What did you like most about EventIQ?
Honestly, not having homework when I got home. It’s really great to get up in the morning and go and do something you love, but then come home and be able to do something else you enjoy

What did you learn or gain from your internship?
I learned more about illustrator and creating type and expanding images in illustrator and about more about branding.

What did you consider as your biggest accomplishment during the internship?
Being able to choose what time I come to work and making it every day before 9 am. It was very tempting to sleep in more some days. I’m also pretty happy with some of the graphics I made or redid in Illustrator.

What is your future career aspiration?
I’d like to do corporate identity work, it’s exciting to create a logo and be able to carry that aesthetic throughout so many different pieces. I’d also like to try exploring a lot more types of design, like silk screening or stain glass making. There is always too much to do and too little time!

It’s been a pleasure to work with you Kaitlyn and everyone here at EventIQ wishes you good luck in your future career!

Check out Kaitlyn Moore and other design students during the MacEwan University Design Student Exhibition on Tuesday April 24, 2012. Click here to learn more about the exhibition.

Recently, Google has released a new feature for its Google Maps – real-time traffic. This new feature allows you to see the estimated travel time based on current traffic conditions. Let’s say you’re late for a meeting or work; you’ll be able to see how long several routes might take with no traffic as well as how long it may take based on current traffic conditions.

“In areas where the information is available, this new and improved feature evaluates current traffic conditions and is constantly being refreshed to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date estimate possible,” says Szabolcs Payrits, software engineer for Google Maps.

Anyone who drives during rush hour traffic (which I seem to always be doing), should find this feature beneficial!

Earth Hour is an event originally organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature to raise awareness for the need to take action on climate change. Every year on the last day of March, businesses and households turn off their lights for one hour. This year, it will fall on Saturday, March 31 at 8:30pm at participant’s local time zone. Sydney was one of the first cities to lead this awareness in 2008 and many cities and countries soon followed with last year totaling 135 countries. Each year, more people are realizing the importance and exciting desire for change to protect our planet. Think of this as not only protecting our planet but maybe also spending time with friends and families for just one hour.

Going on vacation soon to get away from the cold weather? Here are some regular hand gestures we are familiar with but means something totally different in other places in the world.

Artist James Roper constructed a project that took three years to finish. On an average of 10 per day, Roper would craft origami flowers which totaled 10, 000 flowers once the project was finished. He calls the art piece “Devotion” and says, “The title refers to the act of creating it itself as well as religious practices found in Hinduism, the repetitive practice of mantras and the flowers used in devotional ceremonies.”

A YouTube user came up with an interesting project with his 5 year old daughter. He presented her with different logo brands to see her first impression. Some logos she recognized while others she had interesting perspectives. Check out the video below.