Presentation given to students to let them know about Fifth Letter, our business philosophy and thoughts for students entering the profession. And when it comes to my "thought farts," this is the presentation I wish someone had given me when I was getting ready to graduate.

5. And you are...?

6. I’m a work-in-progress,
just like you.

7. I don’t know everything.
I’d be boring if I did.

8. But I do know I’m damn lucky.
Why?

9. Design is a profession where you
get paid to satisfy curiosity and
wonder (and create it in others).

10. Elliot Strunk, Ringleader at Fifth Letter
•Graduate
of Ohio University
•Close to 20 years of experience
•Eight of those years spent owning a studio
•Internships in San Francisco
•Moved to North Carolina in 1996
•Current vice president of an AIGA chapter

11. I have experience working with companies
and organizations like Bali, Chronicle Books,
The Fresh Market, GlaxoWellcome, Hanes,
Krispy Kreme, L’eggs, Ocular Systems,
Quintiles, SECCA, UNC Chapel Hill,
UNC Greensboro, Wake Forest University,
Weyerhaeuser, and Wrangler (among others).

12. I consider myself a designer and
an entrepreneur.
A designtrepreneur?

13. Okay, so what’s Fifth Letter?

14. We help smart, motivated businesses and
organizations design their future by
discovering their unique opportunities.
We do this by providing thought leadership,
creating great work, and developing profitable
stakeholder relationships.

42. But we do much more than just
“make stuff”...

43. We help solve marketing and
communications challenges.
We build relationships.

44. 1+1=3

46. The most effective way to manage
change successfully is to create it.
—Peter Drucker

48. No.1
What you know is obsolete.
Sorry.

49. No.2
Get internships in a variety of
environments.

50. No.3
Design because you love it,
not to get rich.

51. No.4
Network your ass off.

52. No.4(a)
Visit designers and shops you
admire whenever you travel.

53. No.4(b)
Foster online relationships and
build your offline communities.

54. No.4(c)
Conferences are the best and
easiest way to meet your idols.

55. No.5(a)
Give before you take...

56. No.5(b)
...but don’t be an idiot.

57. No.6
Always do your own thing.

58. No.7
Pretty isn’t good enough.

59. No.8
Trendy is good.
Timeless is great.

60. No.9
In the long run,
chemistry often beats talent.

61. No.10
The older you get,
the smaller the world becomes.

62. No.11
Take good notes.

63. No.12
Get it in writing.

64. No.13
Embrace math.
It’s the true universal language.
Sorry.

65. No.14
Business needs more creative
thinkers.

73. No.15
Look for inspiration outside of
your profession.

74. No.16
Collect people.

75. No.17
Make mistakes every day.

76. No.18
If you’re comfortable for too long,
you should be worried.

77. No.19
Good, fast and cheap.
Choose two.

78. No.20
Creative loafing can be
a good thing.

79. No.21
How can design be measured
beyond awards?

81. Magazines
•Communciation
•Uppercase
•How
•Print
•GD
USA
Arts

82. Magazines
•Inc.
Magazine (Inc. 500/5000)
•Fast
Company
•BusinessWeek
•The
•Ad
New Yorker
Week

83. Magazines
•Wired
•Mental
Floss
•Monocle
•Make,
Craft

84. Books and Authors
•Paul
Arden
•Frank
Chimero
•tellmewhy
•Graphic
Designer’s Guide to Clients
•Becoming
a Graphic Designer

85. Websites
•Creative
Mornings / Swiss Miss
•UnderConsideration
•TED
(family of sites)
Talks
•Dribbble,
Behance, Coroflot, LogoLounge, 99u
•designjargonbullshit.com

86. Documentaries
•Helvetica,
Objectified, Urbanized
•Eames:
The Architect and the Painter
•Beauty
is Embarrassing
•Beautiful
Losers
•Winnebago
Man

87. Organizations and Events
•The
American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA)
•The
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
•American
Advertising Federation (AAF)
•MakerFaire
•Startup
Weekend (and its bretheren)

88. Fifth Letter
Elliot Strunk, Creative Director (or Ringleader)
336.723.5655 or elliot@fifth-letter.com

90. What’s on your mind?