KENNESAW, Ga. | Sep 1, 2016

Graphic design students at Kennesaw State University have created the branding for the Southern Graphics Council (“SGC”) International conference. Led by School of Art and Design professor Carole Maugé-Lewis, the students worked together to design the conference logo and other materials for the event to be held in March 2017.

School of Art and Design professor Valerie Dibble is the committee chair for the SGCI conference, and she relished the chance to showcase student work.

“We needed branding and a visual presence, so I reached out to all the graphic design professors at universities in metro Atlanta. Maugé-Lewis agreed to make it a class project for her students. It’s a wonderful real-life experience for our students, and they have done a spectacular job.” 

The SGC International conference, entitled Terminus: Arrivals and Departures and taking place in part at Kennesaw State, stretched the creativity of the students as they walked through the designing process together. 

Student Mark Stanley says, “We were given full reign to bring our best designs to the table without any instructor direction. In previous classes, we were told exactly what to produce and then received a lot of feedback before the final presentation. We had to do this among our groups and make decisions on our own.”

This freedom gave the students a taste of what it takes to work as a professional designer.  For this project, they worked for a client, the Southern Graphics Council International, and not just their professor.

Student Hannah Fortune said, "We had to work with the changes being made and, of course, had to satisfy the client. I learned that 20 different people can create very different things and it’s always surprising what the client will pick. It made me want to think outside of my comfort zone and design something I typically wouldn’t do.”

Since the beginning of the spring 2016 semester, Maugé-Lewis has worked on this project with her class, and will continue to support them as they complete the project in 2017. 

“It was important that students got a sense of what is required of them in the real workplace and the importance of the team concept in order to work with the client. In a team environment, students must learn to assign roles and to stick to assigned tasks and deadlines so that all parts of the branding and campaign come together flawlessly.”

Student Eric Liu created the winning logo design that was chosen by SGC International. Now, the students are working on various other items for the conference, including the program cover and a logo for a growler that will be produced by Atlanta’s Orpheus Brewery. With so much ahead for these students, Dibble remains confident.

“The service this class has provided is wonderful. Carole always provides her students with real world experiences that shine the best light on KSU. We will be known among all of the thousands of members of the council for this work.”

Stevi Dinizio