Four years of work by graphic design majors graduating in May was on display for friends, family and potential employers Saturday as seven graphic design students finish the last months of their undergraduate degrees.
The show opened Jan. 21 and will be left on display until Feb. 9 in the Sargent Art Building.
The showcase includes at least 20 prints per student from projects each student has completed in their years at BJU.
The participating seniors—Jessica Saravia, Joanna Daniels, Lindsay Bullock, Luke Zockoll, Matthew Freeland, Olivia Matthews and Sarah Kuzmic—have done the planning and organizing for the showcase themselves.
Jay Bopp, chair of the Division of Art and Design, said that the show has taken place for more than 25 years to give students a chance to display their portfolios to the community and to work with each other on display design.
The seniors chose the theme “Spectrum” to reflect both the status of the class as a whole and as individuals.
Matthews said light passing through a spectrum is refracted into seven different colors, and the seven colors represent the seven seniors in the show.
“There are seven individuals in our graduating class,” Matthews said.
“Although we have all been through the same [experience], we have all been refracted seven different ways. We have emerged very different people with very distinct styles,” she said.
Freeland said the process of putting the exhibit together was more work than originally expected, including work extending late into a few nights.
He said that overall planning was an enjoyable experience and a good team-building exercise for them.
Daniels said her experience in planning the event has given her a greater appreciation for her peers.
“I have learned that I have the best classmates a girl could ask for, and I am so thankful for them,” Daniels said.
Matthews said communication was her most evident take away from preparation.
“We all think that our own ideas are the best,” Matthews said.
“But when we interact with other people, we learn that by bouncing ideas off each other, we can actually come up with a far greater idea.”
The participants said the showcase is an important moment in the career of a graphic design major.
“We are hunched over our sketches and the computer for four years working on some project, so it’s a perfect opportunity to show family and friends why they haven’t seen us,” Daniels said.
“And we have hopes that our future employer might come by and hire us.”
Freeland said the showcase is also a perfect opportunity for a graphic design major to compile a portfolio and advertise himself.
The seniors would also like to encourage students and peers to visit their displays while they are available over the next two weeks.
Matthews said her favorite projects displayed will be the ones she has done as helps to ministries, including rebranding for an Antiguan radio ministry she interacted with during a mission trip.
Daniels said visitors may see a design she made paying tribute to her Alaskan roots.
“Over the summer, I started an Alaskan T-shirt company, and my brand and design will be on display,” Daniels said.
“I am really proud of my Alaskan roots and would love everyone to see it.”
