Q&A with C&P’s Lucas Buick — Part III

We're back with Part III of our chat with Lucas Buick, the founder/creative director of design company Synthetic Infatuation and the Chicago design ambassador for the Cut&Paste Digital Design Tournament 2009. Do you have your tickets yet? You better hurry if you want to save some coin on the entry fee. Don't get shut out either — the event at the Congress Theatre on April 4 will likely sell out and you don't want to miss the excitement as 16 competitors go head-to-head in 2D, 3D and Motion Graphics events. Be sure to return to our blog every few days to read more of our interview with Lucas Buick — and find out what goes on at the event!

Artisan: You mentioned that you love the idea of bringing the design community together — how to you go about doing that?
Lucas Buick: I go to art openings and talk to people and through things like AIGA (the professional association for design) we reach out that way. I've been able to work with a group in Wicker Park called the Movement and we're putting on a preview show the Sunday before Cut&Paste in the basement of Crocodile and showcase past contestants in the bar so people can see what it's all about.

Artisan: Who gets to participate and why are they chosen?
Lucas Buick: Everyone submits their portfolio or website through our website and we make selections from there. We invite people to come in and do a test round. We're looking for not only for people who can do great work but we have to test them so they can do [design] in 15 minutes. What we're asking them to do is sort of ridiculous. Nobody gives you 15 minutes to design a product. A large thing what we look for is are they comfortable doing that in front of people and can they put on a show? This is really entertainment — they have to entertain the crowd. Is their process interesting? Will it translate on the screen?

Artisan: What's the vibe during the event — is it more Britney's Circus Tour or WWF?
Lucas Buick: [Laughs.] It's a little bit of everything actually — it's the WWF for the art geek community. It's very over the top. There are cameras everywhere. The competitors [computer] screens are projected on large screens behind them. There's a DJ spinning and an over the top MC talking about what's going on. It's a party atmosphere. It's 21 and over so people are drinking and hanging out. There's also an audience competition where they can attempt their own 15-minute challenge. It's definitely Britney meets WWF.

Tags: Cut & Paste

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