The last couple years the Graphic Design and Communications students have created stop action videos for Halloween. They are fun and have educational value – they help students understand time and motion as it relates to animation. They learn about the story board process and work together as teams.

In the past the videos were done by the freshmen students, but this year sophomore students created videos as well. Visit our Facebook page to vote for your favorite.

Sophomore group 1

Sophomore group 2

Freshmen group 1

Freshmen group 2

Type can be more than something to convey a written message – it can be an image. This exercise used topics previously covered in class in a new way. Type was used to create a brush shape, then a portrait was created using those brushes and layer masking techniques. The results are wonderful.

Explore Bismarck State College Day is Tuesday. The event brings hundreds of potential students to campus and many of them to the Graphic Design and Communications Department.

This year the freshmen GDC students helped roll out a “welcome mat” for the visitors. Working with instructors, they created a giant GDC logo that begins on the wall and ends on the floor of the department using blue painter’s tape. The logo appears stretched or distorted when viewed from everywhere but a single spot in the hallway. It’s a great optical illusion.

The students also created a large QR code that, when scanned with a smart phone, will bring viewers to this Web site.

The logo project forced students to look at the entire image and make adjustments for aesthetics as they worked. The QR code project emphasized accuracy and measuring. Both projects encouraged collaboration and helped students build relationships within the class.

Check out the stop action videos of the projects being created below.

A number of modern digital cameras offer the option of creating panoramic images. The effect is interesting and gives us a wider perspective of the world.

Sophomore Graphic Design and Communications students focused on techniques using Photoshop to create very large panoramic images – some can be printed up to six feet wide. The students did a great job of choosing interesting locations and assembling the photos. Click on the image to see a wider version.

Two years ago Jeanette Myrhe Elementary students scored low in a Gallup poll in two areas: Hope and what the future holds for them beyond elementary and high school.

The staff and faculty took action and created a program called Hope for the Future. Local and state colleges teamed up with individual classrooms and a job fair was set up in the gymnasium to highlight possible career paths. Results have been positive with overall test scores on the rise and kids talking about what they want to do “after” they graduate from college. Parents of students have been affected by this program and some have gone back to school to be positive role models for their children. Other grade schools are now interested in adopting Hope for the Future for their students.

To help Hope for The Future go forward with a consistent message.The advanced design students at BSC were asked to develop an identity. Below are some of the logos designed for Hope for the Future. A special thank you to Linda Anderson and Jo Brekke of Jeanette Myrhe Elementary and Rita Nodland of Bismarck State College.