Did you know when you graduated what path your career would take?

On the eve of their portfolio shows, we wanted to make sure that our Design Forum panel discussion and portfolio review included a broad range of examples of design careers in Hawaii and beyond.

On Saturday, April 9th, 24 college students from KCC, UH Manoa and BYU (yes, they drove down from La‘ie!) gathered at the UH Art Building Auditorium to hear from eight local design professionals about their career paths.

Each panelist gave a presentation about their work life starting at graduation through to present. (See their bios below.) The panelists sat together for a spirited panel discussion about such topics as paid/unpaid internships, how to bill for your time, and dos and donts of interviews

Following the panel, a few brave students laid bare their draft portfolios in an informal review and were rewarded with invaluable feedback, ideas, and guidance from the esteemed speakers.

AIGA Honolulu also raffled off two premium Skillshare memberships, both were scored by BYU students Kasey Kang and Kiera Kim. (Congratulations!)

MEET THE PANELISTS

Stephanie Chang
Principal & Founder of Stephanie Chang Design Ink

The Bio: Specializing in “strategic design that delights,” Stephanie focuses on helping community-based organizations tell their stories and garner support.

Matt Honda
Partner at Middle Management
Vice-President of AIGA Honolulu

The Bio: Before co-founding Middle Management last year, Matt worked with MVNP and HIFF, and held a position as Creative and Innovations Director with Nella Media Group. He previously launched INTERVAL, a creative branding studio.

Kelsey Ige
Art Director for Honolulu Magazine

The Bio: Kelsey is an art director, designer and illustrator, having previously served as the Art Director for the Waikiki Aquarium and in-house Brand Administrator and Designer for Bank of Hawaii.

Mike King
Vice President of Interactive Design at Ikayzo
Lecturer at Kapiolani Community College

The Bio: Mike King specializes in interaction design and front-end development for cutting-edge web applications. His experience with global finance customers such as Wells Fargo have given him a keen understanding of the unique design requirements for large-scale enterprise clientele.

Alan Low
Owner & Design Director of Alan Low Design
Design Instructor with Pacific New Media
Advisory Board Member for AIGA Honolulu

The Bio: Alan has designed visual identities, print collateral, signage and packaging for a long list of Hawaii businesses over a distinguished career spanning 30 years in Honolulu.

Chris Magpoc
Founder & Principal of Dfi Design

The Bio: Before returning to Honolulu and founding Dfi Design – an award-winning design studio – Chris worked for various design studios in California, gaining design experience while working on projects for the NFL and Disney World. Chris is also a past president of AIGA.

Emily Moody

The Bio: Full Time Faculty in the New Media Arts department at Kapi‘olani Community College, Emily also operates her freelance design business under the name Superfine Design.

Jared Stone
Art Director for the Honolulu Museum of Art

The Bio: Before spearheading the rebrand of the museum – formerly the Honolulu Academy of Art – Jared worked for several design studios in New York City, including Doyle Partners and Sagmeister, Inc.

This event took place Saturday, April 9th   |  11:00am to 3:00pm
University of Hawaii at Manoa, Art Building Auditorium
Student members attended free. Non-member students $5. Professionals $10.