On Thursday Andocia Creative Agency and UX Pittsburgh are hosting a Pittsburgh Dribbble Meetup at the new Truefit office space. They’re excited to unite designers from the Pittsburgh area and to hear from some of the best designers in the tech industry. There will also be time to talk shop, have some fun, and go home with Dribbble swag. Here’s where you can RSVP.
In advance of the meetup, Founder and CEO of Andocia Jerry Scheller gave us a tour of Pittsburgh’s design scene.
Tell us what you love about Pittsburgh, PA.
“What don’t we love about Pittsburgh?” would be an easier answer. This city has so much history and character that runs through it’s windy and hilly streets and has beautiful scenery. You can be in the “downtown” area in the hustle and bustle and then be in the middle of nature within 20 minutes. Being a native, you grow up with a ton of pride for this city. It’s a working town and hasn’t always been glamorous and it has normally been overlooked as a boring and dirty city (neither of which are accurate today).
Pittsburgh is growing pretty quickly with companies like Google and Uber, who have recently built offices here, and other companies like Facebook and Apple who are moving in soon. Specifically, the design industry was once housed mainly in advertising design, but it’s now growing outside those walls as the tech industry rapidly grows here. The need for design has never been more present, and the talent here is phenomenal with schools like Carnegie Melon University.
Pittsburgh could be summed up with words like: authentic, eclectic, innovative, historical, booming, beautiful, powerful, hard-working, and welcoming. If you haven’t visited I highly recommend it. Make sure you have a local show you around all the good spots:)
Tell us where you work, in relation to the rest of Pittsburgh.
We work in a small town south of the city called Canonsburg. It’s an old mining town with the hopes of becoming a bit more restored like a lot of the older neighborhoods and boroughs around the city. Fun Fact, Perry Como is from there. Our office is in an old victorian house with lots of character. We are also located Sunnyvale, California as of summer of 2015.
Tell us about the Pittsburgh design scene.
The Design scene is growing like crazy in Pittsburgh. We have always had a great art scene (fine art, dance, theater, food, etc.), but with so many startups exploding—digital design specifically has been great. There is an increase in work for small agencies like us to partner with innovative startups and companies who see the value in creative and interactive design. Studio A.M. is an amazing art studio owned by the former steeler, Baron Batch. You can see his work all over the city. But what’s great is the community of designers and artists he brings together. Carnegie Mellon University has one of the best design programs in the nation. And with companies like Google, Facebook, Uber, and Apple in town, we have a better retention of design and engineering students staying in the city once they graduate.
Choose three shots from Pittsburgh Dribbblers you admire, and tell us what you like about each one.
Space Suit by Matt Braun, above left.
We connect with this shot from Matt Braun because it fits the same tone we try to achieve. Plus the colors and clean lines are great. This shot goes with a series, and the consistent tone makes them perfect.
Release the hounds by Justin Burns for Seat Geek, above center.
We dig the colors and geometric form of the dog in this shot by Justin Burns. It also fits our tone and style. It’s great how he can gain the right clients that allow him to produce this type of work.
Portfolio Wireframes by Larry Levine, above right.
We dream in typography and layout design. This shot from Larry Levine makes us drool with the simple dark charcoal and white color choices.
Can’t make it on Thursday, April 7th? Find Andocia on Dribbble and and Twitter and at www.andocia.com.
Meetups
The following Dribbble Meetups are happening soon. For the full list of upcoming meetups, visit our Meetups page.
Find more Meetups stories on our blog Courtside. Have a suggestion? Contact stories@dribbble.com.
