Camp Firebelly
Adventures in Good Design!
Chicago, IL (March 1, 2009)—With spring break over and exam schedules posted, college students across the country have started thinking ahead to summer. So has Dawn Hancock, the owner of Firebelly Design, an award-winning Chicago design studio known for their dedication to social responsibility and environmental sustainability. Hancock is also the force behind Camp Firebelly, a unique design charrette she created to help college students and recent grads find inspiration, build camaraderie and develop their creative portfolios in a sleep-away camp environment, where the counselors are the city’s best designers and nobody has to bathe in a lake.
Geared towards the socially conscious, Camp Firebelly brings the nation’s brightest design students together for two weeks of intense collaboration with an awesome nonprofit client. During that time, campers address a social justice issue, strategize the solution and see it through to production. The work is then donated to the participating nonprofit making “happy campers” out of everyone involved.
Last summer, students created a 36-page zine and promotional postcard and poster set for the Women and Prison program, created by Beyondmedia Education, which collaborates with underserved women and youth communities. Executive Director Salome Chasnoff speaks highly of the experience, saying: “As a client, it was wonderful for us—being able to engage with talented students about important issues in the language of design. It was exciting, it was satisfying and the results were gorgeous.”
Camp Firebelly provides amazing opportunities for students to grow their portfolios and learn firsthand what professional design life is like—the process, the methods, the daily grind. Campers bunk in Firebelly's Chicago loft office, sleep in sleeping bags and eat healthy organic and vegetarian grub while participating in research, brainstorm sessions and client critiques. There’re also several side missions, like field trips, workshops and guest speakers. And, of course, there’s a ton of design work but the final product is worth it…they promise—scout’s honor.
Summer 2009 marks the second consecutive year of Camp Firebelly, which is slated to kick-off on Monday, June 22nd. Applications will be available through www.campfirebelly.com starting April 1st. Visitors to the site are also encouraged to check out video highlights from 2008, as well as the official Camp Firebelly blog. For media inquiries, please contact Phyllis Murphy at (773) 255.2907 or contact@transmitllc.com.