Students, members and colleagues of the Retail Design Institute Southern California Chapter met at the Gensler office space in Downtown Los Angeles for the annual “Student Portfolio Review,” which was held on April 30th.

Following the success of this extremely popular event last year, the evening did not disappoint, giving the professionals and students a chance to swap ideas and make introductions through a creative ‘speed dating’ style review of creative work.

Students nearing graduation from various Southern Callifornia schools (including Cal State Long Beach, Art Center College, and USC, among others) attended, along with several participating mentors and professionals throughout the local design industry.  The evening was open to all disciplines related to the practice of retail design, including Architecture, Planning, Interior Design, Exhibition Design, Graphic Design, Visual Merchandising, Set Decorating, Digital and Interactive Design.

For many members of the RDI, the event was a chance to evaluate emerging design talent and to potentially add energetic new additions to their studios.  For students, it was an invaluable opportunity to meet with seasoned professionals from leading design firms and to receive feedback on their portfolios before graduating.

All in all, it was a great night, with plenty of drinks to go around and delicious Australian-themed food from the Downtown LA artisan pie shop, The Bronzed Aussie.

For a photo gallery of the event, click here.