The life of a student is filled with homework assignment after homework assignment, but sometimes those assignments can lead to new opportunities.
Twenty students in graphic design’s junior studio were tasked with the assignment to develop new recruitment material for Ohio University’s School of Art, said Sherry Blankenship, professor of graphic design and the PR chair for the School of Art.
The students could work individually, in pairs or in groups to create an entire recruitment package consisting of an envelope, folder, map of Seigfred Hall and flyers.
This is the first time an entirely coordinated recruitment package for the School of Art has been created, Blankenship said. The package will be sent to high school art teachers to communicate the program to prospective students.
“It’s kind of ironic that a school of art doesn’t have good visual materials for recruitment, but that’s because we are always making art,” Blankenship said.
“What we did in the past was develop one thing at a time, but we think this showcases us.”
After evaluating all of the designs, Elijah Maher and Anthony Mannira’s design was chosen for the final package.
Even if one of the members specifically designed a piece of the package, the efforts were a collaboration, because having another eye is beneficial, said Mannira, a senior studying digital media and graphic design.
The project incorporated multiple aspects of art from layouts to word editing to taking textural photos. The final design aims to relate the Athens community with the School of Arts, Mannira said.
“In the end we wanted you to know that the people, the college, the environment, the programs, the materials, the art are all one,” he said.
Recruiting potential students is like a competition, said Maher, a junior studying graphic design.
“It’s extremely important to show what the school can offer if you are going to surpass the other schools,” he said.
The design will be used for two years and then reevaluated, but the design will stay student-based, Blankenship said.
“I think it’s really exciting to know that students at a junior level are able to do professional level art,” she said. “It shows that what we teach is advanced, and potential students can relate.”
ao007510@ohiou.edu
