Date: May 9, 2007
Speaker: Liz Bacon, Devise; Sabrina Jetton, Portland Community College; Wendie Siverts, FlatHED, Inc.; Catherine Veraghen, White Horse —
In this co-sponsored event, local experts will discuss the role of visual communication when it comes to effectively selling our services. Panelists representing various disciplines (including graphic design, interaction design, multimedia design, and industrial design) will compare visual communication approaches as they apply in agency settings, corporations, and academia. Topics will include: How we as designers communicate visually with clients, coworkers, potential employers, and other stakeholders; various aspects that define visual communication; strategies for visually communicating more effectively
About the Speakers
Liz Bacon, Chief Design Officer, Devise
Liz discovered her calling as an interaction designer in 1999 while obtaining her Master’s degree. That year, she joined Cooper, where she consulted on interaction design projects for complex software systems, consumer websites, and office telephones, and also helped advance Cooper’s methodology and practice. In 2002, Liz helped establish the Human Factors group at St. Jude Medical, a Fortune 100 company that develops implantable medical devices. At St. Jude, she led all facets of user experience design work throughout the product development process. Today, Liz is Chief Design Officer of Devise, an interaction design and development consultancy based in Portland, Oregon. In Portland, Liz also organizes the IxDA Local Group and is an active participant in CHIFOO (an ACM chapter). Most of the rest of Liz’s time is spent with her daughter Evelyn, born in October 2006, or dreaming of her next autocross race.
Sabrina Jetton, Design Instructor, Portland Community College
Sabrina teaches Multimedia Design at Portland Community College. She has been a part of the PCC staff for the past 11 year years and has developed an evolving curriculum that maintains an edge on the industry standards in the area of Multimedia Design. Sabrina is also an Associate Creative Director for Ziba Design. Ziba, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is an internationally recognized design consultancy that helps companies create ideas, designs, and experiences that connect in meaningful ways with their customers. Sabrina has a background in rich-media communication and specializes in information architecture and multimedia interface design—from cell phones to websites. Past clients include Hasbro, Microsoft, Sirius Satellite Radio, and Procter & Gamble. She received her Bachelor’s degree in graphic communication and teaches principles of usability, information architecture, and multimedia design. Sabrina also heads up Ziba’s Education discipline, providing clients with new perspectives on meaningful design and innovation as well as new methods for cultivating innovation-rich culture within their companies.
Wendie Siverts, President, FlatHED, Inc.
Wendie Siverts is president and founder of FlatHED, Inc., an industrial design office. Working with firms ranging from Fortune 500 companies to garage shop entrepreneurs, FlatHED’s portfolio includes products ranging from motorcycle goggles to rugged vehicle mount computers to wireless headsets. Focused on delivering clients fully detailed designs, FlatHED has ushered over 30 products to market in its 10-year history, as well as provided design and engineering support to many others. An active member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, Wendie served as the 2002 IDSA Western District Conference co-chair, IDSA Oregon Chapter Chair, and Ink editor.
Catherine Veraghen, Creative Director, White Horse
As Creative Director at White Horse, Catherine is instrumental in leading the development of the creative strategies, concepts, and messaging on for a variety of websites, rich media pieces, and online advertising campaigns for clients such as Columbia Sportswear, Celestial Seasonings, Nautilus, and Providence Health Care Systems. Catherine is a firm believer that the user experience is the brand in the interactive environment. She is dedicated to pursuing a holistic approach combining flawless visual design, thoughtful rich media content, engaging navigation interactions, and compelling user task flows, to create memorable branded experiences. Before joining White Horse, Catherine spent two years as Interactive Group Creative Director for CMDagency, and more than six years as Creative Director for ImageBuilder Software, one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest independent game developers.