FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: “This image is the fire curtain that has been a part of Lyric since its opening. The poster was printed on a silver mylar sheet giving the inks a golden cast—it’s quite impressive in person,” designer Gina Vieceli says; The image used in the ring poster for the LYRIC OPERA OF CHICAGO was originally horizontal, but it was retouched to work vertically. ”We had to cut the image into pieces and reassemble it seamlessly. The treatment of the title is reminiscent of the neon lights used in the show,” Vieceli notes. Both LYRIC OPERA posters have been inducted into the permanent collection of the Chicago Design Archive; “I was a bit of everything on this project—Photographer, art director, and designer,” says Vieceli, adding, “but a lot of people were involved in the collaboration. It’s designed to show off the new color palette by Beatrice Santiccioli for Gilbert Paper, as well as take viewers on a visual journey.” Fof the AIGA Milwaukee poster, the doodles came from Rick Valicenti and the font was developed from a typeface Vieceli designed in college. ”We had the poster silkscreened. Some of the colors overlap and shapes don't align, but it’s an incredible piece. I always run into people who tell me it’s a prized piece in their collection,” she says. It won an award from the 2003 type directors club exhibition.

Gina Vieceli, Thirst (3st) Latin Name: Banksia Normalis Age: 26 847.842.0222 | www.3st.com

Gina Vieceli is on a high: She’s a newlywed and a senior designer at the Chicago-based design firm Thirst. But her life wasn’t always so picturesque. When she neared graduation at Northern Illinois University, she launched a full-scale job-hunting assault, sending out more than a hundred resumés. Eventually, she landed a freelance design job, but the experience quickly turned into a nightmare. “The person I worked for made me second-guess myself and fall out of love with design,” she says. “I called an old boss from an internship, and she said, ‘Get out of there.’” Vieceli took her advice, walking away from the position and moving back home.

The career search went on hiatus, and Vieceli got a job at Toys ‘R’ Us. It took some time and coaxing, but ultimately, she started mailing out resumés again. Thirst was literally the last firm she tried, but now she’s worked there more than three years. “The really unique thing about Thirst is that all our clients have a creative background,” she says. “They understand design and creativity.” Her projects have ranged from posters for the Lyric Opera to a promotion for Gilbert papers.

Vieceli’s also passionate about sharing her experiences with student designers. She’s given presentations at her alma mater, spoken at the school’s design conference, and led a workshop at the Hamilton Wood Type Museum. “It’s really an amazing thing to share what you know with other people,” she says.

Thirst’s founder, Rick Valicenti, predicts that Vieceli’s future in the design world will include time in the classroom, inspiring the next generation. “Gina really, really cares,” he says. “Not only is she a young designer practicing design in the broadest sense of the word, she’s also ideal in terms of professional practice. She’s really good in the studio, and she’s really good at the client level.”
Michelle Taute