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Students gain priceless "real world" experience.
Published in Campus Voice
August 30, 2006
Two PLU graphic design students, Royce McLean and Rob Ripley, are gaining valuable, hands-on experience in the world of graphic design by creating all of the printed promotional material for Tacoma Artists’ Month, a month-long promotion in November highlighting the art scene in the city.
The coordinator of the event, Naomi Strom-Avila, wanted to improve the printed promotional materials created to market the art events occurring in November. She approached her husband, J.P. Avila, PLU assistant professor of art, about forming a team of students to design and produce the campaign because the students had the skills she needed, she said.
“We wanted to be able to really use the skills that were available out there,” she said. “So we pulled together this team of two students, chosen because of their skill level and ability to pull off large projects.”
Avila asked McLean and Ripley to work on the project because both show great potential and their strengths complement one another, he said. Ripley is a senior-level student who understands the principles behind design and has worked on projects outside of the classroom, while McLean has the essential skills but is younger and lacks experience beyond the classroom, he said.
“I thought it would be great to pair them up so Royce could be mentored by me and an older peer, who can explain why things are happening,” Avila said.
The students work as independent contractors, splitting their time between the lab in Ingram, meeting once a week in Avila’s office and working on their own. Avila said his role is similar to an “art director” because he gives the students direction and insists on high quality pieces.
Due to the way the project is set up, the students get to see what it’s like to be a real designer, Avila said. McLean agreed, adding that he and Ripley get to work directly with Strom-Avila, their client, and the pieces they create must meet professional standards, expectations and deadlines.
“It’s just a taste of the ‘real’ stuff, but it’s an important taste,” McLean said.
He said the biggest challenge has been finding an idea that everyone agrees on. Strom-Avila wanted the campaign to have a consistent theme, something it has lacked in past years. When McLean and Ripley decide on an idea and Avila approves it, the students must get Strom-Avila’s authorization to move forward, McLean said.
“We’ve been able to get through this process without too many bumps in the road – thanks to J.P. and his insistence on high quality and finality,” McLean said. “But it’s still pretty time-consuming trying to please so many people.”
McLean and Ripley are responsible for creating all the large, printed promotional materials of the campaign, including posters, postcards and the main brochure that lists the month’s calendar of events and has a map marking the locations of theaters, museums and artists’ studios. McLean said they have several of the key elements either completed or underway, but he expects to work through October perfecting the campaign materials.
“There is always, always room for improvement,” McLean said.
Avila added that each of the pieces the students create is a higher quality piece for their portfolio, and the experience is a key element to both McLean and Ripley’s education. There’s only so much he can do as a “one-man show at PLU,” and he can’t teach them all aspects of the profession from the classroom, Avila said.
McLean said he the project is giving him the opportunity to gain valuable experience in graphic design.
“I’m still a student, and this is one of the first short glimpses I’ve had of the real world,” he said. “I want to come away from this with a better understanding of what it takes to make things out there in the ‘real’ world."
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