UAB Design Graduate Awarded CORE77

Last week, Alyssa Lauren Mitchell was awarded a Student Runner-up award in the Packaging category for the Core77 2012 Design Awards program. The project, Split Milk, is for the Earth Fare milk products made of French Paper Company’s Smart White line to employ the mill’s commitment to conservation. The concept highlights a growing trend in America’s eating habits. The cows that appear across the packaging rotates so that the cartons form a shelf stable system and also encourages the consumer to interact with the product.

Recognizing excellence in all areas of design enterprise, the Core77 Design Awards celebrates the richness of the design profession and its practitioners. In 2012 there were 17 categories of entry, providing designers, researchers and writers a unique opportunity to communicate the intent, rigor and passion behind their efforts. From client work to self-initiated projects, entrepreneurial to pro-bono engagements, the Core77 Design Awards embrace a wide diversity of enterprise: commercial, cultural, social, environmental and discursive.

For more information about the full awards program please go to Core77DesignAwards.com

Brandi Wilson-Sides BFA Exhibition

UAB Design graduate Brandi Wilson-Sides' BFA exhibition is on display from November 21 thru December 19, at the UAB Mervyn-Sterne Library. The BFA work is on display in the first floor display cases.

"This exhibition features three campaigns based on companies that represent standards that I find admirable and unique," said Brandi. Each campaign contains a business system, a product, and product packaging. You can see all three of these campaigns as well as a diagram and examples of the process used to create them.

Design Students Present to Local Agencies

On Thursday, November 11th, UAB's Intermediate Graphic Design students presented their final work for the Cahaba River Society to Monica Carmichael and Gordon Black of the Society. The students worked in teams of 2/3 for the past 3 weeks, visiting the Cahaba river, taking photos and developing their own visual narrative about this wonderful Alabama resource.

Matt Leavell from the Alabama Engine and Dan Monroe from Cayenne Creative were also part of the group listening to presentations and offering feedback. The Society will choose a direction form the eight  options and work with that team to finalize the project.

Previously, students had present the work to David McMath at Intermark and Sara Cannon and Dan Gavin from Scout for in-process feedback.

Watch for more info as the project develops.

UAB Designer Teas featured on Project Splash

One of UAB's Introduction to Graphic Design projects is featured on Project Splash this month. The project titled, "Designer Teas," is an introductory project where design students are paired with historic designers as a way to interact with and build their own aesthetic. Student research other designers such as, El Lissitsky, Art Chantry, David Carson, Paul Rand, Lester Beall, etc., and use there work as a collaborative spring board to inspire their own work.

The project also requires considering the work in 3D and building a box from a template, using those all important craft skills!

New Home for the UAB Art Department

The UAB Department of Art and Art History will have a new home in the fall of 2013. The building (pictured) was designed by Los Angeles-based Randall Stout Architects. Randall served as Senior Associate to world-renowned architect Frank Gehry from 1989 to 1996 and, in 1993, started his own architecture firm.The firm has designed numerous noteworthy buildings both in Europe and here,including the new wing of the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, and the Art Museum of Western Virginia in Roanoke.

The new building will feature multiple gallery spaces and a unique metal exterior. Groundbreaking will begin over the winter holiday of 2011.

UAB Design Student in the Big Apple!

UAB Graphic Design student, Cana Grooms, spent the summer in the big apple interning with home design guru and bon vivant Jonathan Adler. She worked for 3 months on everything from basic patterns and color palettes to a redesign of the Adler product tags that will be used in all their stores. Talking about her experience Grooms said, "I was given tons of freedom. I would be given a basic idea of what the project was and the concept, and then allowed to ramble through designs and present the strongest ones at the end of the day." Cana was given free reign on many of the projects she touched, including the design of the 2011 Holiday Look Book. Talking about life in NYC, "Its crazy and wonderful at the same time, there is so much creative inspiration in the city. There is an energy that constantly renews your creative spirit."  

UAB Design Students Win Big at 2011 Addys!

pictured: Alexandra, Elizabeth, Brittany, Alyssa

Thursday, February 24, 2011 - UAB graphic design faculty and students won 9 awards in several different categories on Thursday night at the 53rd Annual Birmingham Addy Awards. The event was held at the Alabama Theatre. Addys recognize excellence in advertising and graphic design. Three creative directors hailing from San Francisco, Denver and Chicago juried the work.

Assistant Professor, Douglas Barrett received 2 Silver place awards in the category Advertising for the Arts and Sciences for work done for the Department of Art and Art History.

Student awards are:

Alexandra Crawford, Student Best of Show
Alexandra Crawford, Gold, Student Editorial
Brittany Fox, Gold, Student Non-Traditional Advertising
Brittany Fox, Gold, Student Collateral
Alyssa Mitchell, Silver, Student Non-Traditional Advertising
Lindsey Griggs, Silver, Student Collateral
Elizabeth Springer, Silver, Student Collateral

Design Students win at AIGA Salon

jacinta, alyssa, brandi, chris, doug

UAB Graphic Design students and professor took home several awards from the 2010 AIGA Birmingham Salon de Refuse. The Annual Salon was held at OMNI Studio in downtown Birmingham.

IDEO Workshop - Jemison Lecture Series

Beau Bergeron of IDEO

IDEO Communication Designer, Beau Bergeron, spent 3 days lecturing, ideating, making, and remixing at UAB’s graphic design studios. His lecture, “How to Get Everything You Want out of School, Job Hunting and Life,” takes students on his own wild-ride to score the job of his dreams and live life by his own rules. Through his personal insight and experience, students learn to take control of their own design practice and future.

Using IDEO’s creative method of learn, look, ask, try–students brainstorm the idea of connecting a soda vending machine to cell phones and social networking. The session began with these words of wisdom, “No idea is too crazy, do not play it safe today!” Students worked, shouted and waved for 40 minutes, drawing out ideas on sticky notes. Beau worked the floor like a DJ at a party, shouting out “THANK YOU” and “REMIX IT!”

The workshop also featured a poster design session and a one-on-one portfolio review. 

UAB Students Tour Atlanta Studios

On November 12th, members of the UAB graphic design program along with students from Samford University and Montevallo University spent the day touring Design Studios in Atlanta. Over 30 students participated in the tours. Students were also treated to a tour of MAC Paper's Design Center and were able to take home paper samples and promos. Above, students talk with Chris Miller of the Jones Group. The tour was a joint venture between the schools and the local AIGA Birmingham chapter. We wish to thank everyone who graciously gave time and effort: Mac Papers - Andrea Hill, Mohawk Papers - Rebecca Pilgrim, The Jones Group, Fletcher-Martin, Primal Screen, Unboundary and the AIGA Birmingham.