For the past 13 years West Liberty Graphic Design seniors have made their mark on the Ohio Valley, and this year has been no exception. Students from Jim Haizlett’s Graphic Design III class have been busy all semester designing community projects ranging from logos and brochures to websites and museum displays. The students formed small design “companies” during the first day of class and worked on real world projects throughout the semester.

Clients included organizations such as the Wheeling YMCA and YWCA, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, The Children’s Museum of the Ohio Valley, WLU Theater and Music Departments, Ohio River Heritage Trail Project, WV AIDS Task Force, Wetzel County Museum, Laughlin Chapel, WLU College of Sciences, Center for Arts and Education, and Key Beginnings.

This semester’s four design companies are Moxie Design, run by Samantha Wilson and Lauren Herman; Right State of Mind, run by Jessica Gordon, Kevin Kidwell and Kelsey Wetzel; Faction Design, run by Brandon Fehr and Kylie Emfinger; and V and A Design, run by Victoria Lavorini and Alexander Allen.

After a grueling first three weeks, in which the teams designed a logo, identity system, and made a public presentation, they then selected a variety of community projects to complete during the semester. Professor Haizlett says that the class “helps the designers begin to transition between classroom assignments and professional work.” The students work with real clients who have real design needs. They meet with their clients, write design briefs, establish timelines, and produce final projects that oftentimes exceed client expectations. The students are coached on how to conduct themselves professionally and to earn the respect of their clients through hard work and enthusiastic attitudes.

Joseph L. Scarpaci, WLU Associate Professor of Marketing, was a client of V and A Design, and described the team in his final evaluation: “They are consummate professionals and I would rank them as the most mature students I have worked with at WLU. “

The work below represents a small sampling of the creative designs produced by the design companies this semester. Keep your eyes open as you travel through the Ohio Valley. Chances are that you will come across a lot of designs created by our talented West Liberty graphic design students.