D.Talks is an ongoing series of panel discussions presenting practical information about current trends and hot topics in the world of design and business. Our goal is to foster robust dialog and critical thinking, so crowd participation is an integral part of each event.

Are you a freelancer or looking to start your own business? This seminar will give you helpful tax, financial and legal information. The panel consists of experts in business practices for design-related companies.

Networking: 6:30 PM
Discussion: 7:00 PM

Light refreshments will also be served before the seminar.
Tell us what topics you want for 2010.

Moderator/Host:
Josh Levine
Josh Levine is a Design Strategist and former board member of the San Francisco Chapter of AIGA. For over ten years Josh has helped global brands engage consumers and empower employees through design, strategy, and marketing programs.
His new firm, The Matter Collaborative, brings those same benefits to small creative businesses, helping entrepreneurs get the work they want by creating more value through positioning, messaging, and touchpoint design.

Panelists:
Shel Perkins
President, Shel Perkins & Associates
Chairman, AIGA National Task Force on the Center for Practice Management
Shel Perkins is a graphic designer, management consultant, and educator with twenty years of experience in managing the operations of leading design firms. He provides management consulting services to a range of creative firms in both traditional and new media. Shel writes the Professional Practice column for STEP magazine, the Design Business newsletter for AIGA, and the Design Firm Management column for Graphics.com. His book, Talent Is Not Enough: Business Secrets For Designers, was recently published by New Riders. He teaches courses in professional practices at the California College of the Arts, the Academy of Art in San Francisco, and the University of California. He has served on the national board of the Association of Professional Design Firms and has been honored as an AIGA Fellow “in recognition of significant personal and professional contributions to raising the standards of excellence within the design community.”

Linda Joy Kattwinkel
Linda Joy has been a visual artist for over 40 years and an attorney for over 17 years. She received her BFA cum laude in Communications Arts from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she studied with Phil Meggs. She was a graphic designer and illustrator for 13 years before receiving her law degree cum laude from Hastings College of the Law in 1991. As a member of the law firm Owen, Wickersham & Erickson, Linda Joy represents clients and serves as a mediator/arbitrator in matters of intellectual property and arts law. She frequently advises designers on business-related copyright and trademark issues, such as developing appropriate contracts, avoiding infringement, and obtaining registrations. She is a co-author of AIGA’s Standard Form of Agreement for Design Services; the author of Legalities, an online column on legal issues for designers; and has published various articles on copyright and trademark basics for designers, e.g., for STEP magazine and AIGA. She speaks frequently to designers and visual artists, including at AIGA national and regional conferences, the Illustrators’ Conference, and the annual Visual Arts & the Law conferences.

Neil Griffith
Neil Griffith is a financial consultant in San Francisco with MassMutual Financial Group. Partnering with a Fortune 100 company has allowed him to provide a wealth of financial resources to the Bay Area’s small business community. Neil has a background in marketing and advertising in addition to finance and has always been an entrepreneur.

Identity by Shawn Rosenberger, Thermostat

If you need special assistance to participate in this program, please contact AIGA SF at aiga@aigasf.org or 415-626-6008. For reasonable assistance accommodations to be provided, please RSVP for the event and notify us at least five business days in advance. If we do not receive timely notification of your reasonable request, we may not be able to make the necessary arrangements by the time of the event.
More information about accessibility, public transportation and parking.