Steamboat

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Courtesy Yampa Valley Design Guild
Good Design Makes Life Better
Graphic artists donate talent to community
The BesT inTenTions, the smallest budgets. nonprofit
board members know that marketing and public relations are
crucial, but their budgets just won’t support their efforts.
Yampa Valley design Guild, steamboat’s professional
graphic design group, wanted to help. Guild members sent
out requests for proposals to local nonprofits and selected
one recipient to be the beneficiary of last summer’s premiere
steamboat design Camp. nine graphic designers from the east
Coast, midwest and even alaska gathered in steamboat springs
for this weeklong, intense collaborative design experience.
The campers worked with Yampa Valley data Partners,
which gathers and distributes data for decision-making
and community collaboration in the Yampa Valley, western
Colorado and at the state level. working with YVdP executive
director kate nowak, the campers produced print materials,
redesigned the logo and provided a fresh look for YVdP’s
most well-known pieces, the Community indicators Project
and the economic forecast newsletter.
“i loved working with people from all across the U.s. i
would definitely try to keep this up in the years to come. it
worked out so well that none of us knew each other. it allowed
us to bond so much more. and now we all have so many more
touch points across the country,” says lisa hoeynck of denver.
The designers were fairly split in terms of experience.
about half were seniors in college or recent college grads and
half were working professionals with several years of graphic
design experience.
“The work we were doing wasn’t just for a client, but for a
town and its community and businesses. Being nestled within
the micro-culture for which we were designing felt unique and
energizing, yet completely normal and foundational to what
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Designers gather from throughout the country for Yampa Valley Design Guild’s summer workshop.
we do as designers,” says Jacob deGeal of normal, ill.
in the end, campers contributed more than $30,000 of
design work to YVdP. “we won the lottery. The campers were
a complete joy to work with on this project. if it weren’t for
the steamboat design Camp, we would not have had this
wonderful opportunity,” nowak says.
lest the name “camp” mislead you, it wasn’t all work and
no play — and no one had to sleep in a tent. housed on the ski
mountain with trails outside the front door, the campers had
opportunities for hikes, the rodeo and a gondola ride. Campers
also spent an afternoon of drawing and fine art exploration
with local artist Gregory Block. They cooked in their gourmet
kitchen with fresh local produce from the farmer’s market,
and they sampled the dining and entertainment hotspots in
downtown steamboat.
at camp’s end, not only did YVdP have a new look, but
nine campers and several design Guild members had a
renewed understanding of how good design can add value to
daily life and the community. They appreciated the chance to
collaborate and make new friends. “after camp, i could go into
other collaborative efforts with more confidence,” says adele
wiejaczka of fairbanks, alaska.
The Yampa Valley Design Guild is planning another
Steamboat Design Camp next summer. For more information,
visit www.yvdg.org
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