WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Oct. 3, 2018 — West Liberty University’s visual communication design students presented their senior design projects to an attentive audience on Wednesday, Sept. 26 as part of the annual Design Competition for seniors.
Two teams took part in the presentation competition this year, the MIZI Design Group and the GEMS firm. Participants listened to the students marketing plans, design thoughts and branding ideas, then selected the MIZI design group as the winner, based on scoring rules.
“I am grateful for the participation of the audience that listened to the students present their plans and design vision. The chance for students to present is a great team-building catalyst that will lay a great foundation for successful design work in the months ahead,” said Professor Jim Haizlett.
Students participating include: Mimi Albon, Emily Artimez, Matthew Layton, Shelby Moore and Isabella Pozell. Albon and Pozell were in the MIZI group and Artimez, Layton and Moore were the members of the GEMS group.
The audience scored students on their enthusiasm, organization, quality of digital presentation and persuasiveness. The competition took place in Historic Shaw Hall, in the Board of Governors Room.
“The goal is for students to learn a bit about presenting their ideas to potential clients and to make the audience understand their vision and choose them to work with,” said Haizlett who has held this student-to-public presentation for several years.
The student designers also selected the following community service projects to share their talents with the community. This work is geared toward non-profits or start-ups that cannot afford a design firm.
- Renaissance Weirton Corp, arts organization branding
- Liv a Little, branding for new Community Arts Center in Wellsburg
- WLU, D.R.E.A.M collaborative research project for pediatric cancer survivors
- WGLZ WLU student radio station, signage and brochures
- Not Alone, suicide prevention website
- Nail City Records, logo and identity system
- Stars That Shine, Jefferson County nonprofit providing resources for girls
- Liz Paper Arts, website and branding for a new small business
- Drone Master Pro LLC, logo and identity for a small startup LLC
- WVU Extension Service, signage and marketing materials to assist farmer markets
“We work hard to help our students gain real-world experience and to ensure that they are prepared to become skilled visual problem solvers in a variety of ways including web design, illustration, branding, publications, and user experience,” added Haizlett.