LUBA LUKOVA (New York-based artist, illustrator, and designer) offered students a class called “Creating Posters That Make You Feel and Think.” It departed from the other classes in that there was more conceptualizing than poster-making here. Lukova would suggest a current sociopolitical issue (e.g. silicon breast implants) and ask participants to create visual metaphors that communicated their feelings on the issue. Few made it beyond initial sketches as most sat about thinking dreamily, relaxing in the afternoon sun and light breeze while their beloved professor complimented their efforts. “It was my favorite class,” said one cowgirl. “Some of the other classes made you get dirty, but Luba’s just made you think.” See? Ranch work can be for sissies, too.

HANK RICHARDSON (President, Portfolio Center, Atlanta) amazed many with his zany course by not holding forth with his patented speechifying but instead letting “Play.” This freewheeling exercise combined team building, model making, and storytelling to create perhaps the liveliest class at Ranch. In the end, students deconstructed and reconstructed phones, mixers, and clocks into odd little toys that reminded us that our inner child can trump our predictable, hungover, frying pan-faced adult if you just let it go.

GAEL TOWEY (Creative Director, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia) is regarded as Stewart’s creative right-hand and is credited with much of what we now regard as the Stewart “look.” Big job. Talented woman. So was it too much to ask to have on hand enough chemicals for the cyanotype photograph workshops? Despite the lack, Towey soldiered on in the true spirit of improvisation and making do so that nearly everyone who wanted to could make the beautiful silhouetted photographs. Towey even cleaned up most of the mess when her assigned “student volunteers” disappeared later to enjoy a mellow afternoon of swimming and Frisbee. Now, whom would Martha have fired?

SPARKLE LAB AND DECODER RING demonstrated their mutual love of silkscreens, ink, paper, graphics, beer, and filthy fingernails. Beer? Yep—to make fine silkscreen posters, copious amounts of Lone Star beer must be consumed. Otherwise … um … you’d just be another sober silkscreen printer—and that’s just wrong. Sick and wrong. A waste. Participants walked (or staggered) off with some beautiful posters, among the best work at Ranch.

Design Ranch is not serious; it is fun. It is not conventional; it is liberating. It is not pedagogical; it is inspiring. With few of these local chapter AIGA retreats left, it richly deserves to be supported by sponsors and creative professionals. All things being equal, if the choice was between a four-day weekend in a big city and a four-day weekend in the middle of Texas Hill Country with some great teachers and fellow students, skip the city and take the Ranch. If you are a student, you can volunteer to help and come at a greatly reduced fee (just make sure that you are indeed helpful and not useless, as some yellow-shirted volunteers were this year).

And speaking of sponsors, a debt of gratitude is owed to those who still care enough to put their money where their mouth is to ensure that Design Ranch can still exist. Intended to be a fundraiser for AIGA Austin, this Ranch barely broke even. Or didn’t, depending upon whom you asked. One key sponsor from years past declined to help this time, and that hurt. The others deserve our loyalty and patronage, and they include Williamson Printing of Texas, Neenah Paper, Sibley/Peteet Design in Austin, StoraEnso, Appleton Coated, and STEP, the very magazine you’re holding in your hands. A kind thanks is owed to all.

So will there be another ranch in 2006? Sure hope so. Where else can you spend four days learning new tricks, drinking great beer, eating great food, and dancing to fantastic Austin bands among some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet? Only outside of Austin in April.