my open door.net » Student projects

Design II Campaigns

opendoordesign — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:21:55 +0000

The Design II students have been hard at work developing print ads, direct marketing pieces, and other items to serve as the first part of a complete branding campaign. This blog will be the forum for choosing the campaigns to roll out at the end of the semester, so take a look at the work and help us choose the strongest concepts and designs. Click on a thumbnail below to see a larger version, then leave comments on your three favorites.

Overture, hit the lights

opendoordesign — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:35:54 +0000

This Thursday is our annual Showcase event—a one-night-only exhibit of graduate design portfolios. Design professionals drop by to pick up resumes, and families get to see what all the fuss has been about. As usual, David Gilbert has arranged for food and live music. The new AIGA student group is also assembling some very cool gift bags and door prizes. The beautiful poster this year was designed by Franny Priestly.

4-8 pm Thursday, April 23, 2009
Bagwell Center for Art and Media
Pellissippi State Technical Community College

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Mini Campaigns

opendoordesign — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:51:57 +0000

My Design II students have designed these mini campaigns for national brands ranging from financial to non-profits. Which are the most appropriate, creative, and potentially effective? Students with the most votes will select a team and create a complete campaign based on these designs. Who will be promoted to at director and who will be looking for a job? Help decide! Leave a comment with your favorites and the reason for your choices. On Monday I’ll post the winners.

Amanda McCathern: Amnesty International brochure | billboard | print ad
Deigha Anderson-Davis: Amnesty International campaign
Anastasia Williams: Amnesty International campaign
Ashlee Reed: Morgan Stanley envelope | direct mail | billboard | print ad
Ashley Meiers: Neiman-Marcus button | direct mail | billboard
Brenna Smith: Amazon direct mail | print ad | web banner
Brock Litton: Nikon hanging mobile | print ad | web banner
David Mullinax: Nikon print ad | direct mail | flash banner
Sarah Davis: Morgan Stanley print ad | brochure | billboard
Franny Priestley: Morgan Stanley print ad | tri-fold brochure | billboard
Jason Smith: Nikon web banner | print ad (part 1) | print ad (part 2)
Jerrica Dickenson: Amazon print ad | billboard | web banner
Michael Chandler: Volt print ad | direct mail | billboard
Mike Doty: General Motors brochure | print ad
Megan Singleton: Amazon web banner ad | print ad | billboard
Ryan Jean: Amazon billboard | direct mail: outside | inside | print ad
Cordelia Norris: Neiman-Marcus brochure | brochure | print ad | gift card
Daniel Hallquist: Neiman-Marcus campaign

Update: As of Monday, the winning mini campaigns are from David Mullinax, Amanda McCathern, Deigha Anderson-Williams, and Jerrica Dickenson. Now they are selecting creative teams to present their full campaigns on December 3.

The It Campaign

opendoordesign — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 13:28:24 +0000

In light of the current world financial crisis, my Typography students are creating a series of public service posters with simple financial tips the average student can use. This is not about stocks and securities, but about adopting thrifty habits that will carry middle class Americans into the future with more saving, less spending, and much less reliance on credit. Look for the results to be posted here on myopendoor.net. In the meantime, download text and logo for this series of posters.

Found Typography

opendoordesign — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 22:27:55 +0000

My typography students have been been prowling around with their digital cameras hunting for interesting letterforms. Here are the results, uploaded to Flickr: Jessica Shooster, Phillip Kiefer, Ryan Farmer, Jeremiah Todd, ceilidhkid, Channing McClain, Jackie Newman, Nathan Smith, Josh McPheeters, Seth Frazee, and Amy Tighe.

Teela’s Portfolio

opendoordesign — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 18:06:29 +0000

I just got an e-mail from Teela, a former student who earned her Associates at Pellissipppi and is now getting her BFA at Watkins College of Art and Design in Nashville. She’s set up her portolio using Behance, and says:

Behance is a pretty cool network. Its similar to the Myspace setup but ya know, without myspace. Its free and a great way to get feedback and network with other creatives around the globe! Check it out.

Her work looks great, and I recognize a few projects from my courses. I like Behance’s portfolio, and it’s features are more robust than Carbonmade. Think of it as MySpace for designers without the messy layout and ugly backgrounds. I require all my Design I and Design II students to create an online portfolio as their final exam. I think this semester I’ll switch to Behance.

Carbonmade Portfolio

opendoordesign — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:23:23 +0000

As a final exam, my Digital Design I students are using Carbonmade to create free online portfolios. Users get 35 free images and 5 projects. Carbonmade is easy to use—just drag your project PDFs to Photoshop, rasterize them at 72 ppi on the trim line, and start uploading. I like it well enough to use it for my own portfolio. If you want a shorter URL, buy a domain from GoDaddy for $10 a year and point it at the Carbonmade site. Then you can fit your web address on business cards without having to go to 6-point type. Stay tuned for links to lots of student portfolios.

PORTFOLIOS: Amanda Dunaway, April Overholt, Ashlee Reed, Brenna Smith, Brock Litton, Craig Newman, Daniel Hallquist, David Mullinax, Elaine Frank, Gene Priest, Jason Smith, Krestin Churchwell, Megan Singleton, Stephanie Holden, Teresa Brooks,

Books are in Bloom

opendoordesign — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:22:12 +0000

It’s the end of the semester, which means it’s about time for a new group of student book projects. My students download the text file for a public domain book from Project Gutenberg, then design and typeset the whole things using Adobe InDesign. This semester I’m expecting more classic books than ever. Pellissippi’s library is planning to use the best projects for e-books, and to print copies to add to the collection. Union Printers have donated a poster proof. I’ll be adding new titles to the download page as I get time.

Students ordering hard copies of their book need to go to the lulu help center. Our books will be 6 x 9″ paperbacks. First, get a page count by adding all sections together, then use the cost calculator to figure the cost, next use the spine width calculator to figure how wide your spine should be (we designed them at a 1″ default.) Finally, adjust your cover layout, upload your PDF files, and order your book.

The photo in my poster design (detail shown) is by Ove Tøpfer.

2008 Showcase and Design Exhibit

opendoordesign — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 21:40:30 +0000

On Thursday April 24, our graduating graphic design students will put their portfolios on display at the new Bagwell Center for Art and Media. From 4-8 pm, the work produced in our professionally-oriented 2-year program will fill the hallways and lobby the building. Design work from Pellissippi’s program will also be displayed in the gallery. Food and live music will enliven the event. CGT program coordinator David Gilbert will mail student-designed CD invitations in the next few weeks. We are expecting a record crowd of design professionals, friends and family.

Ten Show: Enter Your Work Now!

opendoordesign — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 14:38:25 +0000

The Ten Show is AIGA’s annual design state-wide competition for professional and student designers. Last year it was hosted in Chattanooga, and this year it’s in Memphis. This competition is the best thing going for designers in the volunteer state. Check out the wonderfully chartreuse web site for details and deadlines. With ten categories and a deep discount for students, this competition is a must for design students who want to stand out.

Update: The deadline has been extended 2 weeks! now you can get those terrific web or print projects ready. I’ll be available for advice and labs will be open for the next two Friday mornings for students to prepare. Check the website for details.