By Julia Frenkle
Last month I hosted my 10 year MassArt reunion with a small group of friends I graduated with. With most of them I’m still in touch with regularly, others I have not seen since graduation. Getting together with these great graphic designers and other artists — all of them are working in the Boston area — made me really appreciate how wonderful graphic design in Boston is.
Graphic Design Boston — A Great Community of Artists
Boston offers so many ways to connect with other graphic designers. For example, AIGA is very active in Boston and a wonderful way to meet and connect with other graphic designers, continue learning, and network. I really enjoy their AFTA event series which are after-work networking events that are hosted by a different design studio around Boston every time.
There are also so many great art schools in Boston (go MassArt!) and they all offer continuing education classes, workshops, and alumni networking events. Participating in these events inspires and keeps me in touch with what other designers are up to. Field trips and workshops MassArt has offered in the past include a visit to a letterpress studio, workshops on how to price your art and graphic design services, how to sell yourself as a graphic designer, and many more. Other schools offer fabulous classes as well. At the SMFA I have found a calligraphy class that I’m really interested in taking.
Boston also offers so many great resources for graphic designers. For example the Design Annex in Somerville. That’s where I started my graphic design studio in Boston. It is an affordable solution for solo designers to have the benefit of an office and a conference room so they don’t have to work from home all the time. Access to the conference room also makes meetings with clients so much more professional. Working from home every day is very isolating after a while and working in the Design Annex connected me with other graphic designers and artists. For all freelancers out there, I can really recommend this resource.
Boston also offers so many great resources for graphic designers.
—Julia Frenkle
The museums in Boston are a wonderful way to be connected to the art community. My favorites are the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum and the MFA. The MFA offers so many wonderful programs covering film, music, lectures, classes and more.
Reflecting on all opportunities and design resources Boston has to offer, I am not surprised that most of my friends who graduated with me are still working in the area. Our reunion was a great way to celebrate graphic design in Boston!
The picture shows my table decoration for the reunion. I created the old MassArt logo (that was in use when we were in school) with jelly beans!
