VCD Grad Continues Senior Project After Graduation

By: Emily Horne

Renee Volchko, a December 2011 B.F.A. graduate from Kent State University’s  School of Visual Communication Design (VCD) is continuing her senior project, even after graduation. Volchko’s 2-D concentration with a minor in Web design and programming has gone to good use as she continues to tweak her project for use by the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring organization.

Volchko’s final project consists of three “ad spots” or roughly 30-second videos. In order to create these videos, she interviewed many different kids. From her 25-30 minutes of footage from each kid, she narrowed it down to about 30 seconds for each video.

She says she chose to work with Big Brothers Big Sisters because family has always been important to her, as she has a sister eight years her junior. “I think that everyone deserves to have a sibling relationship,” she said. She also said she believes there is something special about having someone like that in your life.

One of Volchko’s biggest challenges with completing this project was adhering to a strict schedule. Between utilizing a green screen, rendering, animating, filming, setting up lights, and making sure each of the small technicalities were in place, it was a challenge to balance that with executing an overall message to her chosen audience.

“It was such an accomplishment, not only for me to get it done, but to get it done with success,” she said. She began thinking about this project in May 2011 and began executing it in October. She says there was “a lot of thinking and planning” before she began tackling the actual project.

After contacting the Big Brothers Big Sisters headquarters in Philadelphia to show the executives her project, she got in contact with the art director. The organization is now in the process of integrating its logo and an existing slogan into the project so it can be viewed by the public. Volchko said she hopes Big Brothers Big Sisters will use the spots as viral videos or ads on its Youtube channel and website.

“Completing this project gave me a little bit more confidence in my abilities,” Volchko said. She went on to say that receiving responses and praise from people who have viewed her work is a great reward.

A self-proclaimed driven and inspired designer, Volchko said she finds inspiration very easily and very quickly. “Graphic design has been my way to communicate with people,” she said “art is a language everybody speaks.” Volchko said that she has her heart set on “making something happen someday.”

Volchko recently coded and launched a new personal website to showcase her work. View it at www.hellorenee.com.

VCD Alum Jeramie Selders says “That degree will take you anywhere.”

By: Emily Horne

Jeramie Selders, a 2005 Visual Communication Design graduate, now works at Trek Bicycle as the Director of Retail Design and Environmental Design.

Trek Bicycle, located in Waterloo, Wisconsin, about 25 miles East of Madison, started in 1976. A family owned company, there are about 2,000 employees globally. Selders has worked with the company for five years.

Trek Bicycle provides customers with any and all of their bicycle needs and provides subcategories within the merchandise based on the specific type of riding a customer engages in from road to town to mountain riding. Selders said he helps the customer “experience the brand within an environment.”

The company puts much of its focus on advocacy revolving around riding such as trails and sustainable paths and wants to support the growth of the bicycle.

The company’s creative studio, where Selders works, houses approximately 50 designers and is divided into teams: interactive and Web, visual, product graphics, and Selders’ team, retail and environmental. His team handles the design and execution end of branded retail stores, corporate interior design, special installations, environmental design, events, trade shows, and high profile product launches.

One of the things Selders admires most about his experience at Kent is the discipline aspect of the education he received. He thinks that what students learn in the VCD program is incredibly transferable and prominent in the design field.

“A note to undergraduates now,” Selders said, “[this degree] is such a great base for everything that you do in your life. It just makes you so much more marketable and you can apply what you’ve learned to anything down the road.” He continued to say, “that degree will take you anywhere.”

For more information on Trek Bicycle, visit the Web site at www.trekbikes.com.

WHYCCI Summer Classes?

By Britney Beaman

As the semester is coming to an end, it’s not a bad idea to register for summer classes. I know the last thing you probably want to think about is another class right now, but enrolling in a summer class or two isn’t a bad idea. Why you ask?

1. Make hard classes easier: Taking a tough class in the summer will make the class easier for a couple reasons. One, you won’t (unless you choose to) have as many classes to juggle as you would during a regular semester. This gives you much more time to study and focus on the class or classes you’re taking. Two, summer classes are condensed courses, so you won’t have to spend as many weeks in that course as you would during a regular semester.
2. Graduate on time: If you don’t want load up on classes during your semesters, summer classes can help you to graduate in four years. That’s what I ended up doing, and it really helped me out. Each regular semester I took 15 credit hours of class and almost every summer I took a summer class or two. I will earn my Bachelor’s degree in four years and never had a semester over-loaded with credits.
3. Move ahead in your major:  If you choose to take LERs and LSRs in the summer, you’ll have less non-major classes to take during your semesters. As I said before, condensed courses make the classes easier on you, and if you get these classes out of the way, you can move on quicker in your major. This way, too, you won’t have to take as many of these classes as an upper-classman.
4. Improve your GPA: This is another aspect of summer classes that I took advantage of. After a long semester of 12-plus credit hours, taking one or two courses is cake. You have all the time you need to study, do your homework and get a good grade in the class. It’s a great way to improve your GPA a little.
5. Maintain school mode: After a long summer, the first couple weeks of the fall semester can be rough. I know it is for me. I always feel like I don’t remember how to write, I can’t focus and I can’t manage my time, nor do I want to. When you take summer classes, though, you maintain school mode without much stress. Just taking a couple classes at a time is easy and keeps your work ethic polished for the full semester to come.

Summer classes are open for registering now. Below you can find some classes that are offered for students in the College of Communication and Information:

School of Communication Studies

- COMM 15000 Intro to Human Communication: An inquiry into the nature and function of human communication in interpersonal, group and public contexts.

- COMM 26001 Public Communication in Society: Examines communication in public settings. Content includes issues in mass media, political communication and political advertising, news, crisis communication, public opinion and communication in executive, legislative and judicial settings. Students explore the influence of mediated messages via application of mass communication theories and constructs.

- COMM 30000 Communication Research Methods: Introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods in communication. Students should complete this course early in their program of study.

School of Journalism and Mass Communication

- JMC 20006 Multimedia Techniques: Introduction to basic elements of multimedia journalistic storytelling, including the creation of audio, video, slideshows and multimedia packages for distribution via the Internet.

- JMC 21001 Principles of Advertising: Advertising history, purposes, techniques, media and research; analysis of functions of advertising organizations.

- JMC 40006 Law of Mass Communication: Libel, slander, privacy, copyright, obscenity, regulation of advertising, broadcasting and corporate speech.

School of Library and Information Science

- LIS 30010 Information Fluency in the Work Place and Beyond: Teaches information access, technology and media literacy skills, which enables students to become, not only information literate, but also information fluent-able to move seamlessly among multiple information sources and technologies resources to fill their informational needs whether in the classroom or the workplace.

- LIS 50693 Open Source Software for Libraries: Maximum workshop credit accepted for MLIS degree is 4 semester hours. Intensive examination of special topics of interest to practicing librarians.

- LIS 60001 Access to Information: Examination of information access issues. Topics include discussion of information needs, use of information sources and information access services.

School of Visual Communication Design

- VCD 13000 Intro to Visual Communication Design I: Introduction to the design and illustration program in VCD as well as the design profession. Focus on historical overview, industry standards, job opportunities, creative design process and skills needed to succeed.

- VCD 28000 Photography: Basic camera techniques to provide a better understanding of photography as a creative skill in visual communication.

- VCD 37000 Visual Design for Media Advanced: A lab course which students apply design concepts to computer-generated communication pieces using a layout software program. May not be used toward degree requirements for VCD majors.

For more information about these or other classes offered this summer, visit http://www.kent.edu/summer.

CCI is now on Pinterest!

By: Emily Horne

Pinterest, a virtual bulletin board, seems to be the new “it” Web site and social media outlet that many people are talking about. While it has not entirely reached the business and organization audience, Kent’s College of Communication and Information (CCI) is now on Pinterest. Like some other universities, CCI has been researching the best ways to utilize Pinterest. There seem to be mixed opinions on whether universities need to be on Pinterest yet or not but why shouldn’t Kent’s College of Communication and Information be one of the first?

What other universities are doing:

1. Contests
2. Showcasing its Personality
3. The Student Experience
4. Study Abroad Destinations
5. Dorm Room Decorations
6. Artwork Created by Students
7. Achievements from Alumni

What can students gain from CCI’s Pinterest profile?

1. CCI Student, Alum and Faculty Successes: Many people with connections to CCI go on to do great things during or after their time with the college. On this board, followers can see what these people are doing.
2. School of _________: There is a board for each of CCI’s four schools that showcase information about the school and stories that relate. Pay attention to these boards if you are a prospective student, a current student, or a former student!
3. Facilities: This board showcases the great facilities each of CCI’s programs are housed in. From the recently renovated facilities in Franklin Hall to the Resource Room in the Art building, CCI’s programs offer their students the best.
4. Study Away: CCI offers a variety of study away programs. Here, we are pinning information about various programs.
5. Why CCI Kent Blog: Here we are reposting blogs posted here on our Why CCI Kent blog to reach more students.
6. For Future Students: Students interested in CCI, whether current college students in other majors or current high school students, can look to this board for basic information.

Send us your work:

We would love to begin showcasing student work (artwork, photography, research, Web site design, etc.) on Pinterest. If you are interested in seeing your work on our page, please send an E-mail to ccikent@kent.edu with your work, a caption, and a link (if applicable) to attach to the pin.

Follow CCI Kent State:

Follow us on Pinterest to keep up on the latest information.  http://pinterest.com/ccikentstate/ Also, please help us to promote our Pinterest account. Share it on Facebook, Twitter and repin our pins that interest you!

VCD Graduate Specializes in Clothing and Décor for Children

By Emily Horne

Alex Rodgers

Alex Rodgers, a December 2009 graduate from Kent State University’s Visual Communication Design program, is now a successful business owner, specializing in printing trendy and affordable clothing and décor for children. His company, Lil’ Burritos, is a Northeast Ohio based design boutique that both sells items online and in a few specialty shops in the Cleveland and Columbus areas.

While Rodgers may not have always aspired to start his own business, he did always want the opportunity to work for himself. He began Lil’ Burritos in October of 2010 with his girlfriend Stephanie Rericha, also a Kent State graduate. At the time, Rodgers was working part-time at the American Greetings World Headquarters in Cleveland but unsure if it would result in a full-time position so he decided to start his own “passion project.” Now he works full-time with both companies.

The business stemmed from Rodgers’ passion “for creating cute, whimsical illustrations” and Rericha’s knowledge of kid culture. Though it started as a hobby, the business has turned into so much more and Rodgers says he couldn’t be happier with the result.

The name of the company was inspired by a term of the same name used to describe newborn babies as they were swaddled. Late in the planning stages, however, he had what he calls a “eureka moment” and decided to wrap the onesies in foil, like burritos. He says both he and Rericha have “an unhealthy love of Mexican food” and continued to say that the name fits on multiple levels.

The company began with onesies but has grown to include prints, tote bags, and night-lights, in addition to some adult shirts in their line of Big Burritos and dog shirts in their Doggie Burritos line. Most of the products fit into one of three categories: Regional Pride, Lil’ Animals, and their Swell Series. With Rodgers and Rericha both being from the Stow/Kent area, they admit to having an attachment to Northeast Ohio. Rodgers says the regional items seem to be most popular and are sold to many customers outside of the state.

Lil’ Burritos has grown into something Rodgers and Rericha never anticipated but they are still just a two person team. They love watching it grow and are simply along for the ride.

Look for Lil’ Burritos at the Kent Heritage Festival and Kent’s Art In The Park festivals this summer. For more information on Lil’ Burritos or how to purchase products, visit the Web site at www.LilBurritos.com.

Inspire: A Summer Creative Camp for High School Students

By Emily Horne

Jillian Coorey and Gretchen Rinnert, both Assistant Professors in the School of Visual Communication Design (VCD), have developed a summer creative camp called Inspire that will take place this summer. The day camp is for students who have completed their freshman year of high school, are between the ages of 14 and 19, and have an interest in design, photography, illustration, and creative thinking. There is no requirement of previous experience, transcripts, or a portfolio to attend this program.

Gretchen Rinnert

Taking place the last week in July from Monday through Friday, this camp will provide students with an overview of graphic design disciplines such as 2-D print, 3-D print, image making, motion, and interaction. With covering a different discipline each day, Coorey said they want to keep each session fresh and exciting for the students.

The idea for this camp has been in the making since 2009 when Rinnert began planning it with a former faculty member, but since this past summer, the planning has been in full swing. Coorey and Rinnert have high hopes for the success of this program. With only a handful of similar design camps in the country and nothing similar in the area, the directors hope this camp will become an annual event, eventually turning into an overnight camp with multiple sessions in order to reach out to more than just the local community.

Not only will students in attendance be able to either add to their portfolios or begin creating one, they will also be able to learn about careers in the field.

“So many students come to college and change majors,” Rinnert said, “the earlier students can learn about programs, it’s such an advantage for them.”

Jillian Coorey

Coorey added that the camp will act as both an introduction to the field and serve as a college experience for the students.

“Some people don’t understand the impact that graphic design has,” she said. “The term ‘design’ is an umbrella for so many things.” Rinnert added that the term design is “so overused.”

In addition to the knowledge students will gain, Coorey and Rinnert want to begin creating a community that involves high school students and VCD students and faculty. Helping with the camp is “a great tool for our grad students” as they will lend a hand during the workshops, said Coorey.

For more information on camp details, how to donate or sponsor students, or to register for the program, high school students should download an application on inspirecamp.com. Applications are due March 1, 2012 and are on a first-come first-served basis.

Benefits of Living on Campus

By Nicole Gennarelli

Information from CCI Commons

As an incoming freshman, you can’t wait for the freedom of moving out of your parent’s house and moving into a dorm room with a new roommate. However, as freshman year comes to an end, you may start entertaining the thought of living off campus in an apartment or house. All first year students must live on campus for two years, so why not sign up to live in a living and learning community? There are many benefits that an LLC can provide compared to living off campus.

According to the College of Communication and Information (CCI) Commons website, it is “a living a living and learning community housed in Olson Hall exclusively for students with majors or pre-majors in one of the College of Communication and Information’s four schools (Communication Studies, Library and Information Science, Journalism and Mass Communication or Visual Communication Design). Students live with others who are studying the same major or similar fields of interest, allowing an open exchange of ideas and experiences that go beyond the classroom. CCI Commons is the central hub for activities and information related to CCI Kent State. Weekly programs offer students a peek into various career possibilities and current practices in the broad field of communications.”

CCI Commons is located in Olson Hall right in the middle of campus near the Kent Student Center and close to the coordinating buildings for each of CCI’s four schools.

“As a resident of the commons for three years, I can say that living here is not just a place to sleep and do homework, it is an experience all in itself. The people you meet are going through your classes with you, so you suffer and grow together. Its a way to make a large campus seem a lot smaller.” – Kristen Deran, CCI Commons resident

Building Benefits:

• Studio Space
• Community director on site
• Advising and technology help provided weekly
• Classes help within the hall with other Commons members

Why should you join CCI Commons?

• Connections with other students who share the same academic and professionals goals/interests
• Close location to your college advising office and classrooms
• Guest speakers geared toward your major
• Computer lab and studio space available in your hall
• Up-to-date valuable information  about CCI with the Community Director’s listserv

How do I join?
Students must be accepted to the College of Communication and Information in order to be eligible to join the CCI Commons. Rooming assignments are based on the date you turn in your housing application. To receive a CCI Commons assignment, make sure to get your application in early!

Students who are interested in applying to participate in the CCI Commons need to follow these steps:

• Select Olson Hall and CCI Commons as your #1 choice on your residence hall application, and alert the academic advisor during your Destination Kent State: Advising & Registration program that you would like to participate in the CCI Commons.
• If you have already completed and submitted your residence hall application and now want to make changes, you may re-enter your application by logging back into it through the residence hall application website.
• If you need further assistance, or have questions about how to join the CCI Commons please contact the community coordinator.

“The CCI Commons offers advantages to our students both academically and socially to help them connect to their major and set them up for success. We’re a living/learning community, so in order to reap the benefits of our programs and services students are asked to live in Olson Hall.  It’s the only live-in community on campus for our CCI majors, and we work very hard to provide programming and support to help you succeed here at Kent State.  With more than 200 students living in the community, you have an opportunity connect with others in the College of Communication and Information and to make bonds that will last beyond KSU.” –Marianne Warzinski, CCI Commons Director

Nicole Gennarelli is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

VCD Welcomes Two International Graduate Students

By Nicole Gennarelli

Two international students have come to Kent State University to pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Communication Design.

Luis Brito Telles from El Salvador and Penina Acayo from Kampala, Uganda, have always had a passion for art and design. In 2007, Acayo came to the United States and obtained her bachelor’s degree in art with a concentration in pre-architecture and graphic design from Goshen College in Indiana. Telles obtained his undergraduate degree at the Matías Delgado University in El Salvador.

“When I was 12 years old, my math teacher in primary school thought I would make a great architect,” Acayo said. “I have always had a passion for math and fine art. All through high school, I studied towards becoming an architect until I got to college in the United States, and then I took a digital design class out of curiosity and loved it.”

In her sophomore year, one of Acayo’s teachers encouraged her to take more classes in the graphic design field. Anne Berry, who is an alumna of the Kent State VCD graduate program, took over the graphic design program at Goshen College and has since been her mentor.

“Because of my love for architecture and design, I was thrilled to find a happy medium between design and architecture — environmental graphic design,” she said. “I know that through design I can impact my society in a positive way through designing for the social good.”

During his junior year of high school was when Telles knew he was going to study graphic design. Ever since he was a child he had a designer’s way of thinking, he said.

“I was a rebel, always wanting to do things differently and getting into trouble all the time,” he said. “I love how you can help all industries, organizations and companies in this profession.”

Acayo chose Kent State to complete her graduate degree because it was in line with her interests. She appreciates the fact that the professors here are well experienced in the various disciplines they teach.

“I also really enjoy the emphasis on design research because I believe that there is more to being a designer than just having the skill sets to make artifacts,” she said. “From the get go, we are being equipped with the skill sets we need to carry out independent research with [faculty] guidance. We are treated with a different level of respect because we are no longer undergraduate students. We can hold conversations with our professors on a more level playing field and are also getting hands-on experience when it comes to teaching.

“Besides being assigned different classes to assistant teach, we actually get to sit down and share these experiences in class while also getting feedback on various questions we might have regarding the class room setting,”she added.

Coming to a different country was a bit of an adjustment for Acayo, but Telles settled in just fine.

“I love the people,” he said. “They are very similar to Salvadorians —  homey, inviting, kind and wise. I encourage any student to study abroad. The experiences that you will acquire are priceless, and the opportunity to learn from others is gratifying knowing that you are also making a difference in their lives.”

Do not be afraid to take chances, Acayo said. The past four years studying in the United States has been the most exciting and adventurous moments of her life.

“I took a step of faith when I decided to further my education in the United States,” she said. “My way of thinking is a lot more global now that I have been able to experience another culture. It has been a worthwhile journey thus far, and I would encourage other international students to take a step of faith because you will never know what is on the other side if you don’t take a chance and find out for yourself.”

Nicole is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

VCD Team Runs Akron Marathon

VCD Akron marathon team

By Nicole Gennarelli

A team from Kent State’s School of Visual Communication Design ran in the Akron Marathon this September.

The five-person team consisted of two VCD faculty members, Joan Inderhees and Bryan Rinnert, two VCD graduate students, Sarah Rutherford and Jason Goupil, and one mutual friend. The majority of the team members had run marathons before or had prior running experience.

“I have run the Akron Marathon three times with friends at my church, and I wanted to see if we could get a team within VCD,” said Inderhees, a VCD assistant professor. “It’s a fun race — about 16,000 runners participated and about 100,000 spectators watched, as reported in theAkron Beacon Journal. Each leg of the relay is a different distance, so each of us could choose a distance that suited us.”

Rutherford started running in May and talked with Goupil and Inderhees, both experienced runners, to get their advice.

“Joan mentioned that the marathon relay was a fun event, and I thought it would be a good motivator to sustain me through the summer,” she said. “I began training in early June for my hilly course through Sand Run Park.”

The members decided to pick a clever team name that correlated with running and their department — Step and Repeat.

“Step and Repeat is a function from a design program we use, literally repeating the same image in a step fashion,” Goupil said. “As a group we considered about 20 other names, but this one rose to the top.”

Of the mixed relay teams, Step and Repeat came in 94th of 753 teams and 175th of all relay teams, Inderhees said.

“The race went really well,” Rutherford said. “There was so much going on in the stadium, I missed seeing Jason cross the finish line!”

Nicole is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.

Design Team Starts Practitioner Website

By Nicole Gennarelli

Ken Visocky O’Grady, and wife Jenn, used their experience and knowledge about the design industry to start Parse, a website that aims to make sense of issues and information relevant to design practitioners.

Photo Courtesy of Pablo Contreras http://www.bebop-ad.com

Ken and Jenn, both Ohio natives, graduated from Kent State University with an undergraduate and graduate degree in visual communication design. Ken is an Associate Professor at Kent State University where he teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in VCD. Jenn is Chair of the Art Department and an Associate Professor at Cleveland State University.

According to Parse’s website it “aims to make sense of issues and information relevant to design practitioners, regardless of the disciplines they work in. Parse makes big ideas useful, actionable and applicable. It distills jargon, reduces complexity, pares words, omits gobbledygook. It’s open-source, approachable and friendly.”

“There’s a lot of great stuff being written about design research and design thinking today,” Ken said. “However, that content is lengthy and written in a way that is not directly applicable for professionals. We created a platform where the information is broken down into 500 word posts that professionals can read quickly and easily.”

Parse started off as a source for just designers, but has evolved and has many business professionals reading the content, said Ken.

“The concepts addressed on Parse could be applied to anyone in a small business,” he said. “We felt that there were a lot of people talking about design research, but the information only got out to a small handful of people. There were a lot of the same old voices talking about the same old things. Parse is platform for new, innovative voices.”

Not only did Ken and his wife start Parse, but they also founded Enspace in 1988, a company that offers many services from advertising to production management.

“We thought in order to engage in national dialogue, national conferences and write for industry publishers about design we needed to have professional experience to do so,” Ken said. “We eventually brought in business partners, our graduate school friends from Kent State, and gave the business over to them. Enspace was a stressful experience, but one of the most rewarding. We learned a lot from our mistakes.”

 

Nicole is a senior public relations major and a marketing assistant for the College of Communication and Information.