Debating the Dots » Event

Pica goes Abstract

MicahEllis — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 21:50:45 +0000

On a Friday in early June, the Pica Design team took a road trip to Portland to attend Abstract Maine 2011. The conference was hosted by AIGA Maine and their supporting sponsors. Abstract brought together six heavy hitters from the design community to talk about editorial design and its future (psst…it’s digital): Florian Bachleda of Fast Company, Dirk Barnett of Newsweek, Scott Dadich of Condé Nast, Arem Duplessis of The New York Times Magazines, Luke Hayman of Pentagram and Gael Towey of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

We got an inside look at the process behind putting a Newsweek cover together; staging a photo shoot with Conan Obrien; blow-drying Martha Stewart’s Hens for a photo shoot; and rebranding the New York Magazine with Pentagram. More than that, we got an inside look at where the editorial world is heading and, yes, it has to do with the iPad and the tablet computer. We took a sneak preview at InDesign 5.5 with the good folks from Adobe and saw some of the digital tools they are building into future versions. Exciting stuff, to be sure.

Stepping outside of the daily goings- on around the office and listening to some great talks was both refreshing and inspiring. Overall, we brought home more ideas and inspiration than our brains could carry from some of the top professionals in our industry. The day was topped off by excellent food and conversation in Portland’s Old Port. Many thanks to AIGA Maine for putting together an excellent conference.

Pica Design Accepts AIGA Challenge: The Conclusion

Rob — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:14:41 +0000

A few weeks ago we shared our excitement about the letter ‘O’ and how we accepted the challenge to create the letter using found or re-purposed materials for the 2009 AIGA BoNE Show in Boston. Well, our efforts were well received and unique in that we submitted the only entry that used 100% organic materials. In this case, hay and twine. Ultimately, our ‘O’ was auctioned off to a bidder longing for Maine and now hangs proudly on a sun porch. Here are a handful of pictures of the project in the making and the final installation. Thanks to all who participated. Enjoy!

We Bring You the 'O'

Final Installation at Mass College of Art in Boston. Can you find our 'O'?

Google Voice

jen — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:40:40 +0000

Hey, my name is Zak and I’m a summer intern here at Pica Design. While reading a blog today, I saw a rumor that Google Voice is supposedly opening to the public soon, and I decided to write this blog post to elucidate this great service for our readers. While many of you may not know what Google Voice is, I urge everyone with a Google Account (and who doesn’t have one, these days) to pick up their own number.

Google Voice was originally called Grand Central, a company founded in 2005 which Google bought in 2007 for 97 million. Even years ago it was a promising business opportunity, and it remains a great service.

But what does Google Voice actually do? Well, it’s essentially a new phone number that allows a number of features that most phone services don’t offer.

The Google Voice Inbox (Credit: Google)

First, it offers a unified number that you’ll never lose when you move, get a new cell phone, or change phone service. This number can ring any other number of phones that you own, for example, when somebody calls my Google Voice number, both my cell phone and my home phone ring, which means I almost never miss a call.

Google Voice also features a robust voicemail system. When somebody leaves a voicemail on your Google Voice account, it notifies you via text message and even email, transcribing the voicemail into text and delivering it to your inbox.

Finally, there are a host of other features Google Voice offers. You can send and receive text messages for free online, screen calls, set different voicemail greetings to different contacts and groups, and more.

Google Voice is free, and a great service. I have been using it since 2008 and its unification makes life easier, which everybody deserves. I urge everyone to pick up a number and at least try it out.

Short Video Clip from Pica’s Seminar

Cassidy — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 13:50:47 +0000

www.youtube.com/watch?v=61bbBSilmQY

Here is a short clip from the question and answer session at our recent seminar at Unity Center for the Performing Arts.

Pica Presents:

Rob — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:45:06 +0000

Join us for a nuts-and-bolts presentation on the benefits of websites for businesses. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about websites, network with other business owners and learn more about putting the Web to work for your business.

Event Details:

Thursday, June 25th

4:00 – 5:30 PM

Unity College Center for the Performing Arts

42 Depot Street, Unity, Maine

For registration and event information, call Julie Downer at UniTel: 948-3959;

or email jdowner@uninets.net

Sponsored by Pica Design, LLC, UniTel and Unity College in Maine

Pica Helps to Bring The BoNE Show to Portland, Maine, Spring 2006

Cait — Sat, 17 Jun 2006 09:12:29 +0000

For the first time in its 10-year history, AIGA Boston’s BoNE (Best of New England) Design Show toured New England. Representing all six New England states, the bi-annual event recognized the best in successful visual communication in our region. The Portland installation of the BoNE Show was held at the Portland, Maine City Hall Rotunda for two weeks, June 5 — 16, with a closing reception on Thursday, June 15th. This was the first public event hosted by the newly formed Maine Chapter of the AIGA. For more information about the chapter, visit http://www.maine.aiga.org or http://www.boneshow.org