Creative Minds. Powerful Ideas.

Imagewest International will be taking their fifth international trip abroad to work on client projects. This year the team formed a partnership with the Instituto Lorenzo de’ Medici (LdM) in Florence, Italy.

LdM is an Italian international institution that caters to American students and
other English-speaking students. They have four campuses in Florence, Rome,
Tuscania and Venice. They teach 2,800 students each year in the following
areas: arts and sciences, creative arts, design and Italian language and culture.
They have been a leader in Italian study abroad since their inception in 1973.

Imagewest has been tasked to help LdM with their communication and marketing
efforts. The responsibilities of the team include a digital marketing plan, which
will help LdM successfully use digital channels to market their institution on an
international level. Students will also be making promotional videos that will be
used in recruitment efforts.

While abroad, the Imagewest International team will have the rare chance to learn and experience different cultures by living and working for a month in the heart of Florence. Also, the team will be taking side trips to Naples, Pompeii, Capri, Rome and more.

In 2008, the team traveled to Malaysia to work with the International Islamic University in Malaysia (IIUM). In 2009, the agency traveled to Madrid to work with the City Council of Villanueva de la Cañada. In 2010, the agency traveled to Barcelona to work with the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey (ITESM) liaison offices in Europe. In 2011, the agency traveled to Paris to work with the Global Editors Network.

To learn more and stay up to date, check out the team’s blogs, photos,
and videos.

» Read more about this story on the WKU News blog.

The countdown to Florence, Italy has begun! The ninjas are buzzing with excitement about the upcoming trip. We are taking action to make sure that we never forget this amazing trip. We will be writing in a “five senses” journal, which will record what we heard, saw, smelled, tasted and felt every day in Italy. We will also be updating the Imagewest blog regularly as well as our own personal blogs.

We have been trying to prepare ourselves for what to expect when we arrive in Italy. We have researched the Istituto Lorenzo de’ Medici, the client we will be working work for, as well as Italian culture.

Here is some of what we have found thus far:

• Lorenzo de’ Medici, and his patronage of the arts, was an integral part in why the Renaissance took place in Italy. The Medici family is one of the most well known in Italy
• Italians are known for being snazzy dressers
• First impressions are very important to Italians
• The concept of ‘bella figura’, or good image, is important to Italians
• Dinnertime for Italians can last hours. The meal comes in several courses
• Ninety percent of the population is Roman Catholic
• There are more Catholic churches per capita in Italy than any other country
• Italy manufactures most of the world’s top sports cars: Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, Maserati and Alfa Romeo are some of the most popular
• Many of Shakespeare’s plays were set in Italy, including Romeo and Juliet
• Opera is an Italian creation
• Italy has the lowest birthrate in Europe—a contradiction to the large Italian family culture
• Naples is the birthplace of pizza
• The ice cream cone is an Italian invention
• The average Italian consumes 26 gallons of wine a year
• The national sport of Italy is soccer
• Italy’s national dish is pasta (obviously)

Learn more facts about Italy!

Working at any agency, especially one with twelve new interns, can have it’s ups and downs, and the most important thing to do in those times is to stick together. That is why my favorite thing about working at Imagewest has been family time with my fellow interns.

Coming into the semester, I already knew some of my fellow ninjas, but I wasn’t close with any of them outside of a classroom setting. While I figured we would all get along at the agency just fine, I had no idea that we would end up being so close by the end of our time here. There isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not laughing and spending time with my fellow interns both inside and outside of the office. It’s these random moments that I am going to miss the most.

I’m going to miss starting off my Monday meetings with the ‘snap box’ full of random inside jokes and hilarious one-liners. I’m going to miss the mornings filled with ‘girl talk’ and the Titanic soundtrack (on repeat). I’m going to miss leaving messages in the magnets, crock-pot cooking and team outings. I am even going to miss being picked on by the boys for basically anything and everything that I say. I’ve already begun to miss sharing a computer with Kenn Glenn and our idea to make computer-sharing fun by leaving random backgrounds for each other every day has become the highlight of my shifts. I am going to miss all of these little moments, because these are the moments that have gotten us through the semester.

Work and maybe even a little bit of life in general will be different after the agency, because somewhere between all the projects, the meetings, the critiques, the outings and the many snaps, we became a tiny family. Although it hasn’t all been fun and games, we overcame all obstacles this semester with one thing remaining constant. We stuck together as a team and helped out one another. I think it’s safe to say that we’re all still pretty proud of ourselves for being the first, and only, group to ever complete the hard puzzle during team building exercises and in record time too!

My time here at the agency has been a special one, because of the people that I have shared it with. I have bonded with my fellow twelve ninjas and I am honestly going to miss each and every one of them. My experience here would not have been the same without them and as silly as it sounds, I know they all know I truly mean it when I say, “I love my ninja family.”

Within the next few weeks I will officially walk away as an alumnae of Imagewest. Although my experience has—at times—been difficult due to learning curves and timeframes, I am thankful for the opportunity I had while at Imagewest. I gained knowledge about pre-press and the ins-and-outs of Indesign, I went on several job shadows and made connections, but most of all, I am thankful for the friendships I created while at Imagewest. Heather seems to understand that a team that has great chemistry leads to an enjoyable and productive work environment. Perhaps one of the most difficult parts about leaving the agency is that I will no longer have the chance to irritate Ashley, joke with Ross and Kenn, or even listen in on girl-talks and endure hearing the Titanic soundtrack over and over again. I hope that I am fortunate enough to work in an environment similar to this one in the future.

Going into Imagewest, I knew that I was missing something that would make me feel comfortable enough to enter the real world. The opportunity that I was given to become a designer has given me the confidence to move on and make myself marketable to future employers. I am excited for the fall 2012 ninjas and hope that future students take advantage of all that Imagewest has to offer.

Imagewest was recently recognized for their public relations efforts at the 26th annual Parthenon Awards in Nashville, Tenn. The event is hosted by the Nashville chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and acknowledges excellence in all aspects of public relations and communications.

This was the second year for any student entry to win a Parthenon Award, the first was last year and Imagewest was also the recipient.

A panel of public relations professionals evaluated entries based on the following criteria: quality of research, creativity and accuracy in strategic planning, effective execution, evaluation efforts and appropriateness for desired audience.

The Parthenon Award was given to the Human Resources benefits booklet. Imagewest also received three Awards of Merit for Imagewest’s Ninja Star and Fortune Cookie campaign, the Dr. James Curtiss website and the Imagewest International Paris book.

» Read more about this story on the WKU News blog.

Imagewest made contributions to the American Advertising Federation’s WKU Student Chapter, AdFed, and the Public Relations Student Society of America’s WKU Student Chapter, PRSSA.

Throughout the year, the two clubs have meetings, guest speakers, activities and fundraising events. Imagewest thought it was important to assist them with their mission, so the clubs could do something extra special for their members.

Director, Heather Garcia, and the WKU AdFed officers

Director, Heather Garcia, and the WKU PRSSA officers

Congratulations to the new fall 2012 team! We’re excited to welcome you into the Imagewest family. You’re in for an invaluable work/learning experience, fun and food! That is, if you decide to continue the tradition of crockpot cookin’ on Fridays. Which leads me to a list of advice I’ve constructed from each of my team members during our time here at the agency.

The training of the incoming fall 2012 team this week forced me to face the fact that we’re in the final stretch of our Imagewest journey. The time truly has flown by. With the speed, strength and agility of ninjas, we’ve conquered projects, and it is that same skill set that we pass on to you future ninjas. Work hard every day. Listen to your team. Seek advice from them. Help everyone and be a team player. Remember, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.

My career as a web designer thus far has been overshadowed by one obstacle, that obstacle’s name is code. Code was like a disease to me. It was something that I had hoped one day to come to terms with and be able to manage and live with. Do not get me wrong, I am a web designer who understands it, and I can design for the different types of code, and I envy, respect, and admire those who can effectively design a web site from the front end and back end. I tried everything I could to merge the line between design and code. I watched every video, every tutorial, read every website, and book. Much like math, code just never sank in for me.

However, thanks to a few new programs I have been learning to master this semester, I have been able to avoid 90% of the code that stands in my way, and I am one step closer to finally blurring the line between front end design and back end development.

Headway themes is a great and easy way to customize a WordPress web site. When you want an easy content management system most will direct you to WordPress. Though WordPress can be great, it can very limiting when wanting to customize it. You either have to rely on pre-installed themes, or you would have to buy or custom build your own theme. Those are all fine options, if you do not mind using a theme that someone else may have or if you are comfortable with PHP. In Headway, you can click and drag to create a box and tell Headway to make that box a navigation menu or an image slider. From there, you can use Headway Themes design tools to customize your site’s colors and overall look. If you get really into it, you can create your own designs and put them into Headway to write your own CSS to create a 100% customized website in half the time it would take you build one from the ground up. Headway Themes has pricing packages ranging from $68 to $500 for a lifetime support package.

Pros
• Easy to use
• Wire framing is built right in
• Uses WordPress so you have many plugins to your disposal
• Great for freelancing
• Fast turnaround when building
• Great support community

Cons
• Like with any new software there is a learning curve
• Updated often so finding resources online for current versions can be a hassle
• Customization menu system feels clattered, and is easy to lose your way while editing

The other program I have been using is Tumult Hype. Hype is a HTML 5 animation program for Mac and is an easy way to create web animation for any platform. You can build animation elements for other sites, animated banners, or even entire HTML 5 websites. Animation is as easy as clicking a record button and dragging your elements to the parts of the screen where you want the animation. Hype also allows you to edit the HTML if you feel inclined and will let you add all the Javascript you want. The workspace looks a lot like Flash or a handful of other video editing software. Hype is a fantastic alternative to Adobe Flash and Adobe’s beta program, Edge. The best part is the program only costs $39.99 and is $29.99 if you are a student.

Pros
• HTML 5 animations that works on any platform! I.E. iOS devices
• Easy to use
• Inexpensive when compared to alternatives
• Updated often

Cons
• Mac only
• Support is lacking- will have to do some research
• Although you can create an entire site, Hype is still limited in ways. For instance, not being able to create anchors to create one-page sites easily. HINT HINT!

Imagewest’s Semester at Sea campaign was awarded a 5th District Student Silver ADDY in the second tier of the three-part National ADDY Awards. The piece will advance to the third and final round at the National ADDY Competition.

The Semester at Sea campaign was recognized in the first level with a Gold Louie Award from the Advertising Federation of Louisville’s Annual Louie Awards in February, which allowed it to move forward to the District Level. The American Advertising Federation consists of 15 districts. District 5 includes colleges throughout Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

The winners will be announced at the ADDYs Awards Show on June 5 at the Hilton Austin Hotel in Austin, Tex.

The National ADDYs Awards are the third and final step in the three-tiered national ADDY creative competition, sponsored by the American Advertising Federation.

» Read more about this story on the WKU News blog.

Ever since I started my job search back in January, I’ve said that WKU should offer a “How to Find a Job” class. I had no idea what I was doing or where to start.

What is a cover letter? What do I include on my resume? Where do I send my resume? No one is hiring (AHHHH!)! Wait a second, I’m in public relations, and you mean I need a portfolio for that?

All these things, plus a few more, were common thoughts for me. And I mean really common. I was freaking out about how to start looking for a job for so long that I procrastinated even more on sending anything out.

As a part of the Imagewest internship, we talk about a lot of this stuff and go to Career Services for a mock interview. The interview is videotaped, and the staff looks at our resume, cover letter and portfolio and provides feedback. I was blown away at how much useful information they had for me. Of course, I learned a few things on my own the hard way through trial and error. I realize now that it would have made so much more sense if I had just visited Career Services BEFORE I started sending out resumes and cover letters.

For example, I learned when to show my portfolio during an interview, what kind of words to include in my resume, how to apply for jobs (stay away from career-search sites!) and how to organize my resume, among many other things.

Career Services is awesome, and I had only been in there a time or two when I needed to sign papers for internships. What was I thinking? Since WKU has this place that can help you find a career and land a job, it doesn’t even need the “How to Find a Job” class that I’ve been complaining that we needed. I highly suggest you check this place out, especially all you juniors and seniors!