5:30 – 7 PM
Kraemer Design Group & Intramode

(1420 Broadway Street – Connected to the Opera House Parking Garage)
Open House / Organic Studio Tours

6:30 – 8 PM
Detroit Beer Co

(1529 Broadway)
First drink courtesy of Drinks X Design

Our May Community Partners:
International Interior Design Association (IIDA)
American Institute of Architects (AIA)
American Institute of Architects Students (AIAS)

Drinks X Design opens the doors to a unique atmosphere for attendees to experience, explore and build the relationships that lead to employment, community, and ultimately establishes Detroit as a center for design and creative innovation.

At Kraemer Design Group, there are no limits. Focusing on high-end architectural design and adaptive reuse, Kraemer Design Group specializes in the commercial, hospitality and multi-family residential industries. Our clients come to us for the best services in architectural design, interior design, historic preservation analysis, and general architectural consulting. KDG’s unique ability to offer the aforementioned services within one firm provides their clients single source responsibility, strict budgetary controls, and more importantly, complete design continuity.
Kraemer Design Group thrives on challenge. CreativeChallenge. FunctionalChallenge. EconomicChallenge. KDG brings together outside-the-box thinking and inside-the-industry knowledge to translate your project needs into a knockout design solution. They invite you to see how we earn our reputation for excellence.

Parking is available in the Opera House Parking Garage, on the street, or by taking the People Mover to the Broadway Station.
21 and up welcome to attend.
http://thekraemeredge.com

RSVP: Facebook Event.

Public Square : Metro Times Staff Picks the Best of Detroit

Best Creative Class Mingle: Drinks x Design

We’re reluctant to blow our own horn, but you might think we’re holding back if you haven’t gotten word already. Once a month, Metro Times teams up with Detroit Creative Corridor Center (DC3) and Quicken Loans — plus other outfits such as CCS and AIGA Detroit — to corral a local design shop to open its doors for a happy hour, typically followed by cocktails at a nearby bar or restaurant. It’s an opportunity to hang out, network and talk up Detroit as a burgeoning center for design and creative innovation. It happens the second Thursday of the month. Past mingles have included Skidmore Design Studios, Digitas and Signal-Return.
On May 10, we’re at Kraemer Design Group, (1420 Broadway, downtown Detroit; thekraemeredge.com).
Watch for Drinks X Design updates at MT‘s Facebook page (you like us already, right?) or e-mail drinksxdesign@metrotimes.com.

Original Metro Times article here.

Let’s talk about the Detroit Design Center.  The DDC is owned and operated by Erik and Israel Nordin. The DDC is located in  Southwest Detroit and is a “Creative Venture” enrolled in the Detroit Creative Corridor’s business acceleration program, which is led in partnership with the College for Creative Studies and TechTown.

The Nordin brothers focus on creating one of a kind objects for spaces. One of their more recent sculptures is an underwater piece, a coral reef created entirely of hand blown glass. This functioning salt water tank is a 700 gallon tank. The Nordin brothers worked along side of a team of glass blowers including their brother Chris to create 22 distinct species of coral inspired by real coral. The aquarium was one of three sculptural commissions the DDC worked on for Quicken Loans at their Detroit Headquarters. This is a link to view a video of the aquarium:

Detroit Design Center – Sculptural Aquarium “Three Brains” at Quicken Loans/Rock Companies Executive Suites – Detroit Michigan

Besides one of a kind sculpture, the DDC offers custom furniture, gates, railings, lighting and other functional objects. Both Israel and Chris Nordin graduated from the College for Creative Studies, Erik Nordin graduated from the University of Michigan. Recent works from the DDC include new signage, bike racks and a sculpture for The Villages in Detroit, a new studio console for WDET, Vintage Marque letters “Live, Work, Play” for the Madison Theater, featured glass pieces and signage at 24 Grill in the Book Caddilac as well as DUO Bar and Grill in Southfield. Read more about the DDC and the Nordin Brothers in an article featured in Model D last week here:

http://www.modeldmedia.com/features/designcenter412.aspx

Learn more at: www.detroitdesigncenter.com.

> LEARN what‘s new for 2012.
>> CONNECT with others involved in the design community.
>>> ENGAGE by joining our Design Ambassador Program.

The Detroit Design Festival (DDF) will take place on Wednesday, September 19th through Sunday, September 23rd.
The DDF is a five day festival in Detroit, including signature events that showcase designers, through exhibitions, installations, design shows, round-table discussions, studio tours, and virtual discussions. Through the DDF, Detroit creative practitioners will connect to each other, connect to new markets and consumers, and connect to global audiences, engaging not only Detroit’s design community, but the larger world, as Detroit becomes a global center of creative innovation.

Please join us for an information session to see how you can become in this exciting showcase of design.

Tuesday, April 17th 6PM – 8PM
Tuesday, May 1st 6PM – 8PM

MSU Detroit Center:
3408 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201-2726

The MSU Detroit Center is located on the east side of Woodward Avenue, 2 blocks south of Mack Avenue, between Eliot and Erskine. Enter through the Woodward entrance and follow signs to the session.
FREE PARKING available in the grass lot on the other side of Erskine.

RSVP via Facebook or at info@detroitdesignfestival.com
> http://www.detroitdesignfestival.com
> http://www.facebook.com/detroitdesignfestival
> http://www.youtube.com/user/DetroitDesignFest
> http://twitter.com/DetroitDesignFest

Presented by:
The Detroit Creative Corridor Center
> http://www.detroitcreativecorridorcenter.com

We are pleased to invite you to Eastern Market for our April edition of Drinks X Design!

5:30 – 7:00 Signal-Return

(1345 Divison Street, Eastern Market area)
Open House / Organic Studio Tours
Food + Beverage courtesy of Drinks X Design

6:30 – 8:00 Vivio’s

(2460 Market, Eastern Market area)

Our February Community Partner:
AIGA – The Professional Association for Design

Drinks X Design opens the doors to a unique atmosphere for attendees to experience, explore and build the relationships that lead to employment, community, and ultimately establishes Detroit as a center for design and creative innovation.

Signal–Return seeks to connect the community to traditional + emergent forms of printing as well as offer a resource for entrepreneurial artists + designers to produce for retail clients.

Signal–Return is a creative enterprise at the intersection of art and commerce that combines the back-end production process with a front-end retail store and gallery. Intermingling academics, curation and preservation with apprenticeship, the venue stands as a multi-use center for fine art, design, craft and literary arts.  Their overarching goal is to create a hive for dynamic visual production. By tipping over the barrier that often separates print production from the public eye, process is here made apparent, from composing and proofing, to running an edition and clipping fresh prints to dry on a line. The collaborative spirit of Signal–Return motivates participants to stretch their reach, as they expand their toolkits, vocabularies and means of production.

Street parking available.

21 are welcome to attend.

http://www.signalreturnpress.org

RSVP: Facebook Event.

Detroit Design Festival 2012: Design is _________.

> LEARN what is new for 2012
>> CONNECT with others involved in the design community
>>> ENGAGE by joining our Design Ambassador Program

Tuesday, April 3rd from 6PM – 8PM
Michigan State University Detroit Center
(3408 Woodward Avenue, Directions below)

The Detroit Design Festival (DDF) will take place on Wednesday, September 19th through Sunday, September 23rd.
The DDF is a five day festival in Detroit, including signature events that showcase Detroit design and designers, through exhibitions, installations, design shows, round table discussions, studio tours, and virtual discussions. Through the DDF, Detroit creative practitioners will connect to each other, connect to new markets and consumers, and connect to global audiences, engaging not only Detroit’s design community, but the larger world, as Detroit becomes a global center of creative innovation.

Lacking inspiration?
Here is a small list of what we want to make happen:
Installations / Sculptures / Monuments / Street Art / Billboards / Murals / Workshops / Lectures / Panel Discussions / Fashion Shows / Industry Expos / Trunk Shows / Season Showcases / Video Installations / Video Projections / Light Installations / Film Screenings / Product Launches / Furniture Showcase / Interior Design Exhibition / Graphic Design Competitions / Typography Discussions / Font Exhibition / Landscape Design / Agriculture Solutions / Parks / Hanging Gardens / Community Gardens / Transportation Alternatives / Brand Showcases / Transit Centers / History of Detroit’s Architecture / Bicycle Tours / Bicycle Design Showcases / Walking Tours / D.I.Y. Products / Repurposing Materials

DIRECTIONS:
The MSU Detroit Center is located on the east side of Woodward Avenue, 2 blocks south of Mack Avenue, between Eliot and Erskine. Enter through the Woodward entrance and follow signs to the session.
FREE PARKING available in the grass lot on the other side of Erskine.

** Future DDF INFO Sessions TBA **

RSVP via our Facebook Event (https://www.facebook.com/events/377249402309547/) or at via e-mail (info@detroitdesignfestival.com).

> http://www.detroitdesignfestival.com
> http://www.facebook.com/detroitdesignfestival
> http://www.youtube.com/user/DetroitDesignFest
> http://twitter.com/#!/DetroitDesignFest

Presented by:
The Detroit Creative Corridor Center

Photo Credits: Dave Burley of Metro Times & Alonso Del Arte. Logo: Left Bank Creative

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ATTENDED THE DIGITAS EDITION OF DRINKS X DESIGN !

Check out our photos on Facebook.

A Special thank you to our February Team:
Digitas Staff
Renaissance Center 
College for Creative Studies

Interested in getting involved or volunteering? E-mail jkirouac@detroitcreativecorridorcenter.com.

- The Drinks x Design Team
(Quicken Loans, Metro Times & Detroit Creative Corridor Center) 

A local community can use ID to collectively express its image. ID can
rebuild a region’s brand value and provide a sustainable economic growth.

Both design and business strategy needs to embrace, understand and seamlessly blend with each other. It has been done. It can be learned. It can be adapted to your market segment.

From March 30-31, join the Industrial Design Society of America – Mid East District to explore possibilities and immerse in various case studies and success stories shared by our outstanding cast of speakers for the 2012 Mideast Design Dialogue: Rebuilding Our Region with Design.

For more information and to register, please visit: http://www.idsa.org/you-are-invited-idsas-2012-design-dialogue-conferences.

- Jeevak Badve, Industrial Design Society of America – Mid East District, incoming Vice President

Jeevak is also a DC3 Advisory Board member and mentor to early stage creative sector businesses enrolled in the DC3 Creative Ventures business acceleration program.

The Detroit Creative Corridor Center, Quicken Loans and Metro Times welcomes you to the March edition of Drinks X Design:

Thursday, March 8th

5:30-7:30 Digitas

(Renaissance Center, Tower 400, Check in at level 2, Digitas is on the 15th floor)

Open House / Organic Studio Tours

February Community Partner:
College for Creative Studies

Digitas, the top global integrated brand agency, builds active brands for some of the foremost companies in the world. With a deep understanding of their client’s customers passions and behaviors, the agency combines media creativity, technology, creativity, analytics to ignite emotional bonds between people and brands.

Validated parking for the first 25 vehicles in the Miller Parking Garage only, located across the street from the Marriott hotel entrance and Joe Muer Restaurant (lot entrances are located on Renaissance Drive West and Bates St., see Map of Ren Cen Complex attached). Digitas will provide validation coupons upon arrival.

21 and up welcome to attend.

RSVP: Facebook Event.

DC3 – Annual Report – 2011 v Final

We look forward to taking this work to a whole new level in 2012; anticipate forming many new, results-oriented partnerships; and are excited to launch new programs to address needs faced by Detroit’s creative community while appropriately positioning Detroit as a global center of creative innovation. In doing so, we hope to push our limits, take more risk, embrace failure and share our work in an open-source manner, ensuring the community has the tools to replicate any successes and learn from any failures.

Here’s to some solid results for 2011, and to a 2012 filled with managed chaos.