Graphic Design—Service Learning Projects 2013-2014

My advanced graphic design class includes a service-learning project where students work on an actual design for a client. Through collaboration with Steven Gifford, Director of the Greensburg Community Development Corporation, my design students created logo designs for the Greensburg Farmers Market.

http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourhempfield/yourhempfieldmore/5994973-74/design-students-market#axzz36FHONmhu

Logo designs by (l-r) Alicia Babines, Daniel Grushecky, Michael Nucci

The service learning project is valuable to students in a number of ways. The students are able to work with a client, one of the more difficult situations to recreate in the classroom setting. The students create design work as a service to the community that also has strong visual impact on the community—and in the process they learn about environmental design, page layout, and other real world design jobs.

Design is a highly individualized activity that requires the students to listen to the client’s requests, research imagery, and then make sketches. They continued to work with the client to refine their initial designs until the final concept is created with professional design software.

The students working on the environmental design project were pleased to have the opportunity to present their logos to the Greensburg Historic and Architectural Review Board, hear the boards comments, and see their design work in print and hanging in a public space.

http://triblive.com/neighborhoods/yourhempfield/yourhempfieldmore/3890697-74/greensburg-board-students#axzz36FHONmhu

Below are window designs from my Graphic Design III course in Spring 2013. The designs were printed and are now located in vacant buildings in downtown Greensburg.

Design by Brittany Allen and Molly Follmer

Design by Christopher DeMichiei and Jessica Adams

Instillation of the design by MaRissa Boros

Maggie Ozzello and Steven Gifford at the window design unveiling

Design by David (DJ) Beckage and Maggie Ozzello

Additional service learning projects included a devotional booklet for Seton Hill's Campus Ministry and flyers for the Seton Hill Social Work Conference.

Design by Alicia Babines

Design by Michael Nucci

Saint John's Bible comes to Typography II class

Saint John's Bible is a work of art that brings together scripture and contemporary illustration. The first hand written Bible in over 500 years, it incorporates 160 major illustrations with artwork that references cave paintings, DNA, the Hubble Telescope, the AIDS virus and the Twin Towers. This 1,127 page work on calfskin vellum, took 12 years to complete. The  project was commissioned by Saint John's Abby in Minnesota and was the lifelong dream project of Donald Jackson, one of the world's most famous calligraphers and the scribe to the House of Lords and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Tim Ternes, Director of The Saint John's Bible, visited Sister Mary Kay's Typography II class to give students a close up view of the Bible. Students also had hands on experience drawing letters with a quill pen and ink. They used the same materials as the Bible's calligraphers had used.

A student prepares the ink.

Students learn to prepare the quill.

Tim Ternes demonstrates using a quill pen.

Service Learning Projects from my advanced graphic design courses at Seton Hill University

Christine Scholl, designerMy advanced graphic design class includes a service-learning assignment where students work on an actual design projects to gain experience working with clients and provide a service to their community.  This year students completed 4 banners for the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill University that will be used during a conference in the fall of 2012. Other students created a Lenten reflection book for Seton Hill Campus Ministry as well as a flyer for the Seton Hill Social Work conference.

(L-R) Katie Fleming, Alex Lindsay, Lindsay Cronin, Stephanie Shultz, designers

(L-R) Natalie Zambotti (SHU'12), Michelle Stang (SHU'13); Chantel McNamara (SHU'13), Meghan Fisher (SHU'12) designers

In 2010 and 2011, the service learning projects in my course had students designing for individual businesses and for the city of Greensburg.  Through collaboration with Steven Gifford, Director of the Greensburg Community Develop Corporation, my design students created environmental designs for the City of Greensburg as well as individual businesses in Greensburg.

Julia Leksell, designer

Julia Leksell, designerJulia Leksell, designer

The students broke into teams and worked with clients to develop their imagery. Design is a highly individualized process so the students listened to the client’s requests and made suggestions regarding the designs before putting pencil to paper. They continued to work with the clients to refine their initial designs until the final image was created with professional design software.

Robecca Novotne, April Ashoff, designers

Robecca Novotne, April Ashoff, designers

Robecca Novotne, April Ashoff, designers

The students learned a lot about requirements for environmental design and also working with clients — one of the more difficult situations to recreate in the classroom setting.

On this blog, I have included photos of some of the work that my graphic design students created in their service learning projects.

Elizabeth Cumming, designer, SHU '12

Elizabeth Cumming, designer, SHU '12

Tori Klipa, designer

Katie Fritsch and Casey Shannon, designersLaura Heinz, designerAero (Keping Wang), designerAshley Jervis, designer

Breanna Wong, designer

Breanna Wong, designer