FEATURED PROJECT

Winter 2008: Students in Chris Maier's GD246: Digital Publication Design class designed a 32-page book to commemorate the travels of a group of MercyCorps donors as they visit Nepal and India. They travelers observed, first hand, the impact of their donations to the MercyCorps Phoenix Fund whose mission is to "alleviate suffering, poverty and oppression by helping people build secure, productive and just communities." The Graphic Design students got involved through an invitation from Portland photographer Joni Kabana who serves on MHCC's Integrated Media Advisory Board. Joni documented the trip through her photography and also served to faciliate the use of photo equipment generously provided by ProPhoto Supply. Students practiced their design and storytelling skills as they combined type and images to tell the MercyCorps story. Adobe Creative Suite 3 software (InDesign, Photoshop and Acrobat) were digital tools they used. Find out more about the trip by reading Joni's blog.

Support this project by purchasing one of 15 different designs on our very own online store.All proceeds generated from the sale of these books will benefit Mercy Corps media projects in Nepal and India.

First-Year Projects

Initially, projects in MHCC's Graphic Design Program are designed to be skill-building exercises. These early assignments are focused on developing software skills and the application and exploration of design fundamentals. First term projects usually deal with exclusively black and white elements on two-dimensional surfaces. Color and content/message issues are added to the mix in the second term. By the third term, three-dimensional form and space are layered into more complex project assignments. Eventually, students are asked to apply higher-level thinking and imagination as they tackle more complex assignments which include copy writing, concepting and applications to a variety of collateral. Both digital and traditional hand skills are incorporated in many projects.

Second-Year Projects

During their second year, students solve real design problems in the three-term Graphic Design Practicum sequence. Sponsored Projects are posed by actual clients who have fixed budgets as well as production and time constraints. In these competitive assignments, tuition waivers or cash prizes are awarded to the winner of each project. Additional theoretical, complex problems are also assigned to students, giving them the opportunity to develop unique, innovative solutions for their portfolios. Students also transition from print-based design projects to web-based media as they learn programming and web page design skills.

This year, we're doing dozens of projects for the Student Activities Board on campus, as we design posters, flyers and table tents for on campus events. Students are working in small creative teams. Each team is paired with an SAB coordinator to provide design services for that person's events each term.

Graphic Design students have been designing the Mt. Hood Jazz Band CD artwork for over a dozen years. These are from 2006, 2005 and 2004.