Grip Design Welcomes the Mentor Program

Kevin McConkey and Lonnie Tapia of Grip Design led an energetic conversation last Thursday evening with the AIGA Chicago Mentor Program. Grip, a well-established Chicago marketing and design firm, is dedicated to high-value communications with a wide array of clients ranging from Death’s Door Spirits to the Kellogg School of Management.

Kevin and Lonnie were full of wisdom, much of which resonated with the mission of the Mentor Program, including: “The only skill you need to know is the ability to learn new skills”.

Mentor participant Kayla Mikula added, “Kevin gave us a metaphor about two sculpture students: one is told to make one sculpture over the course of an entire semester and refine and finesse it to perfection. The other is told to make as many sculptures as possible in the same amount of time. Who got the better grade? At first you would think, well obviously the person who only had to do one piece because they had plenty of time to make a great. But it was the student who made multiple sculptures, because that was the student who was practicing the process over and over. By the end they were creating really beautiful works of art. Practice makes perfect. That’s the most important piece of information I took away.”

Eric Farias, a Mentor Program alum a few times over concluded, “Kevin and Lonnie were two of the coolest dudes. Kevin could have given us a traditional tour but instead gave us some insight into his strategy and tactics that will stick with me throughout my career.”

Grip is on the hunt for a Senior Designer with extra panache. Maybe that’s you? Check out the job posting here.

Thank you Grip for the great evening!