As the final step in a semester-long client project, design seniors present completed work for the BFA in Design Senior Exhibition. The works on display show how the design process practiced in class can be applied to real design needs in our local community and beyond. The BFA in Design Senior Exhibition is on view at Carolla Arts Exhibition Center December 2-16 and will be open for First Friday Art Walk December 2 from 6–9 p.m.
The following students are featured in this semester’s exhibition:
Matt Brown, Karly Byers, Abigail Fahnestock, Alex Gaebler, Koramadou Heng, Emi Juchems, Alexa Langelier, Duc Le, Bao Nguyen, Hannah O’Neil, Andrew Stinnett, and Jenny Thompson.
The projects involved creating new logos and illustrated graphics, as well as promotional materials including stickers, tote bags, and business cards for small business, organizations, and inititatives.
Emi Juchems shares how the experience of this client-based project stood out from previous assignments. “Something that surprised me while working on this project is the amount of real-world experience it would provide. Part of this final project is finding a client, identifying their needs and wants, and then producing those results while communicating clearly via emails, phone calls, or meetings . . . Learning how to apply my design and illustration skills in the real world, even before I graduated, is a super valuable lesson.”
When asked to reflect on their time at Missouri State, plenty of other valuable lessons came to mind for this group of students. Andrew Stinnett created branding material for a small window cleaning business, Pane is the Glass, for this project. He shares how skills developed as a student will translate to life outside of college, “The most important thing I’ve learned at Missouri State is the ability to ask for and receive feedback from peers and professors, and to communicate better within the community, which will normally open a lot of opportunities.”
Alex Gaebler echos the importance of building strong professional relationships by offering the following advice to future students, “Work hard, ask questions, and network as much as possible. Growing connections has helped me jump-start my career before graduating.”
As a dual major in design and illustration, Jenny Thompson found a passion for storytelling and making people laugh through her work during her time at Missouri State. She offers the following advice for current and future design students trying to find their place, “Start thinking as soon as possible about what you want to create and create it. Until I got to college, I had been making art for teachers and for other people. I had to seriously think about what makes me happy and how to go about creating it . . . I feel more proud of projects that I make when I stay true to that.”
Carolla Arts Exhibition Center is located at 326 N. Boonville Ave, Springfield, Missouri. Gallery hours are Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–6 p.m. Call 417-837-2330 for additional details.
Taylor Ladd is a graduate assistant for the Department of Art + Design. She is working towards her master’s degree in writing at Missouri State University with professional interests in writing about art, culture, and food.