May 14 - June 21, 2007
The Parkland College Digital Media Exhibition showcases the best work of students in Parkland’s Graphic Design, Web Design, and 3D Animation programs.
“Digital media is the new term for what we used to call ‘commercial art’,” Paul Young, associate professor in Graphic Design, explains. “Before the age of personal computers and the Internet, ‘commercial artists’ would create illustrations, advertising, logos, or brochures.” Now that commercial art is digitized, the term ‘digital media’ is used to incorporate “all graphic design work, animation, game design, web design, visual effects for movies—even the design of fonts.”
Besides giving students a chance to present their best work to the community and to industry professionals in marketing communication, advertising, and design, the exhibit also highlights service learning, an important component of Parkland’s curriculum. As the students successfully solve visual communication problems for local clients, the clients often donate money for awards.
“This is a juried exhibition,” said Matthew Watt, director of the Graphic Design program. “Our faculty are also working professionals in the industry, so when they select student work to include in the show, theyhave very high standards.” For students, the exhibition marks a jumping off point to their self promotion campaigns. “It’s important for us as students to put our work on display, to get our work off those computers and onto a wall,” said Graphic Design student Jana Johnson. “Our professors demand perfection, and when I show my pieces to the rest of the world, I want my best effort to be visible.”
Bock said Digital Media Program students “in the area of 2D animation will demonstrate their talents in Flash cartoons as well as stop motion, puppet, and clay animations. Game design students will exhibit samples of entirely new games designed completely by teams of students. Finally, as in previous years, our students will exhibit some of their best work in 3D stills, animations, character performances, and visual effects.”
The exhibit also featured two presentations. Young answered the question “What is Graphic Design?”; also, David Bock, director of the Digital Media Program, introduced a special screening of 3D animated shorts.
View online catalog of student entries and winners.