Graphic and Visual Arts Students Have Designs on the Class Schedule

The work of two graphic design students at California State University, Dominguez Hills has been chosen to grace the publication of a discerning client – the university itself. Ernest Tulabut and Omar Ocampo, students in Michele Allan’s conceptualization class this fall, designed the cover artwork for the 2008-09 and 2009-10 class schedules.

Allan's design class worked with the office of University Communications and Public Affairs (UCPA) to develop the project’s concepts. The criteria for the assignment was to create three distinctive but thematically cohesive schedule covers for an academic year — one for the summer schedule, one for spring and one for fall. Allan also told the students to pull out the stops on creativity, as this is the first time that the covers will be printed in full color.

“It’s not about just making a pretty image,” says the associate professor and chair of visual arts. “You have to have an idea behind it. There were very specific steps that the students had to follow. The guidelines were to basically not use any photographs or clichéd images that had been used in the past. No pictures of students or buildings [on campus]. And if they were using buildings, they had to be introduced in an interesting new way.”

Brenda Knepper, UCPA director, and John Lionel Pierce, UCPA’s graphic designer, met with the students in November to critique their work in its initial stages and offer suggestions for improving the designs. They also made the final selections for the schedule covers.

“Michele has done a great job with the students,” says Knepper. “Many of the covers were very well thought out, fun and creative. The work that was selected was very creative and showed a consistency of quality through each series of three schedule covers. The class as a whole produced very high quality design and the all of the students should all be very proud to put these designs in their portfolios.”

Tulabut describes his vision for what could have been a potentially institutional outcome to a creative design job. His stylized landscape theme for the 2008-09 class schedule, depicts the seasons, echoing his appreciation of walking through Dominguez Hills’ tree-lined campus.

“I wanted to give the students something to be excited about, something they could relate to,” he says.

Ocampo took a different approach, with a bold graphic reminiscent of a town cryer, calling all students to take the opportunity to build a future at Dominguez Hills during the 2009-10 academic year.

“I was inspired by the importance of education,” he says, “and in how students must be motivated to enroll in classes.

Ocampo has already been able to add published work to his portfolio from freelance design work that he has been doing for a nonprofit organization. He says that Dominguez Hills “has everything I need in order to succeed professionally.”

“My professors at Dominguez Hills are a huge help in becoming a better designer,” he says. “They motivate me to do my best, and their vast experience is leading me to achieve more effective designs.”

In another partnership involving Dominguez Hills art students, faculty and university administration, Allen’s digital graphics class is designing logos and typography to be used for the inauguration of CSUDH President Mildred García this spring.

- Joanie Harmon