Some people – regular people – observe Halloween with costuming, tricks and treats. But we are not normal. We are advertisers. After a long year of impossible clients, joyless industrial copywriting, and sucking on the marrow of corporate graphic design, we get together and subject ourselves to rigorous amounts of fright so as to scare ourselves back to life in time for the holiday season. All of which is to say that it’s time to get your freak on at this year’s Halloween social, which includes foolery and fellowship at Pastime Pizza, then FREE admission to the 13th Gate, one of the scariest haunted houses in America. Hope you made some friends at the Kick-off Social. Good friends. The kind of friends you’re not afraid to cry in front of… October Membership Social

Friday, October 4th, 201311:30am-1:30pm at Juban’s Register Jon Bell (Lead Designer on Office Mobile | Windows Phone Design Team) Advertise Relevance Why do high quality designs have trouble finding an audience while poor design is celebrated? Come join Jon Bell, lead designer on Office Mobile and previously of Windows Phone’s design team, as he addresses one of the most vexing challenges in product design today.

Got a problem with your printing process? Do your deadlines get destroyed by dastardly discoloration! Color management is the key! Matias Bilbao of Yellowcase is on-hand to explain the basics of color management (including the proofing process, Pantone and corporate color matching) and demonstrate its correct use in a digital printing workflow.  Whether you’re a seasoned pro or planning a career in design, you need to get a handle on a successful color-managed workflow.  It enables quick turnaround, meeting deadlines, and achieving the very best color accuracy in your prints. (While you’re there, you can check out the state-of-the-art digital printers at Rebel Stamp & Sign, Co.) We’re offering the workshop at four different times.  Register today by clicking the links below! Workshop #1 (September 11 at 10:00-11:30am) Sold out! Workshop #2 (September 11 at

Our kickoff luncheon will feature: Von Glitschka (Glitschka Studios | HOW Design Conference | 5 Minute Logos | Vector Basic Training) Creatively Recalculating Your Daily Design Routine It’s too easy to get stuck in the uninspiring routine of design sameness. Predictable results, based on a safe creative formula we find ourselves drifting towards too often. We justify it because it’s proven, risk-free and we know the client will be comfortable with it. This presentation encourages you to rock the design boat, jump into the creative waters and capsize your USS Mundane through smart creative risks that’ll move you in new directions and help you stay inspired and relevant. Register early, this one will fill up fast!

Each May, AAF-BR members hug tearful goodbyes, set our president emeritus on a gator floe and send him out to sea.  Then we disband and spend the next few months getting varying degrees of buck wild on vay/stay-cations. We grow, change and find ourselves. These changes, among other reasons (see Plato’s Allegory of the Cave) are why our annual tradition of the AAF-BR Kickoff Member Social is so important.  This year, sun-drenched road warriors will reconnect, network and fall in love all over again at Mud & Water in Baton Rouge. Will we uncover any embarrassing Danny Zuko/Sandy Olsson situations?  You’ll never know unless you go! RSVP NOW  

If “Liquor & Vinyl” has piqued your curiosity, we’ve done our job. This tantalizing combo is our theme for the evening. We’ll provide artists with printed sheets of vinyl from Lamar. Use it to make inspired creations that are truly one-of-a-kind furniture, objects d’art and more. This juried art auction is open to all artists and the public. Cash prizes will be awarded. RSVP NOW & read more about the event here If you would like to participate and/or use vinyl in your creation: Contact Curtis Vann at cvann@moranprinting.com or Elizabeth Perry at eperry@hdaissues.com