[Sigia-l] Why Are You an IA?

[Eric Reiss]

Dear Gail,

I started as a copywriter in an ad agency. But otherwise, mine is pretty
much the same story as yours.

I was intrigued by your mention of curiosity as a key contributing
factor. Here are links to two articles that may interest you:

http://vfire.ap.krakow.pl/konspekt/30/index.php?i=001
http://www.asis.org/Bulletin/Feb-08/FebMar08_IA_Reiss.pdf

Cheers,
Eric

- - - - - - - 
Eric Reiss
CEO
The FatDUX Group
Copenhagen, Denmark
www.fatdux.com

-----Original Message-----
From: sigia-l-bounces at asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-bounces at asis.org] On
Behalf Of Gail Leija
Sent: Monday, November 03, 2008 19:16 PM
To: sigia-l at asis.org
Subject: [Sigia-l] Why Are You an IA?

(Apologies for cross-posting)

In the process of preparing a talk that I am giving this month about
information architects, I began reflecting on how I became an IA.  In
the
mid-nineties, I was working as an art director at a digital agency and
one
day my creative director saw that I had put up a big flowchart (many
letter-size sheets taped together) that mapped out the content
relationships
for a particularly confusing project.  He asked me about it and I
probably
said something like "I'm just trying to figure out what goes where."  He
said "We should do this on all our projects."  So we developed an IA
practice I became one of its first IAs.

Since then, whenever I meet a fellow IA we inevitably engage in what my
friend Paula Thornton describes as "the story exchange." IAs are nothing
if
not curious (and a bit skeptical) - especially about each other - so we
like
to know what people did before they were IAs, what led them to it and
why,
how long they have been doing it, and for/with whom.  I've met IAs with
backgrounds in psychology, philosophy, history, music, journalism and
education, as well as former designers, developers, technical writers
and
project managers.

So -
When did you decide to be an IA?
Why?
What were you before you became an IA?
If you used to be an IA, what are you now?

I'd love to hear from you - on or off the list - and (with permission)
include some of your stories in my presentation.  Also, if you're in
Toronto
on November 17, please come to Refresh 03 at the Art Bar in the
Gladstone
Hotel at 7pm and share your story in person.

Looking forward to hearing from/about you.
Thanks!
/Gail
gail at gl-ue.com
------------
IA Summit 2009: 
Peabody Hotel in Memphis
Pre cons on March 18 and 19   
Sessions on March 20, 21, 22  
-----
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