RMCAD artists and designers use their skills to give back

Update: our RMCAD AIGA Student Group has won an Ad Award from the 2020 Ad Club of Colorado’s “The Fifty” Awards Event for their branding work with DATA (Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance)! The Ad Club of Colorado is the local chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AAF), and every year they select the top 50 advertising/design projects from Agencies/Organizations from the Denver Area to represent the chapter. This award is also referred to as a Local “Addy” Award. Winners will be sent to the State AAF Awards. Congratulations to all of the students on their contributions to this project!

LAKEWOOD, Colo. – Students at Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) got the best professional experience they could ask for after redesigning the logo for Denver Anti-Trafficking Alliance (DATA).

Part of being an artist is knowing how to collaborate with others, which is what RMCAD students got to experience first-hand with this opportunity. Illustrative Design student, Allison Grzeskiewicz says that her biggest takeaway is learning how to work on a client project. “An experience like this will teach you how to work in a company with other creatives or just your own freelance work. It will make sure you are submitting work on time and making sure you take their feedback seriously to make sure they get what they are looking for,” Grzeskiewicz said.

For those who may be unfamiliar with the building a logo, it’s a back-and-forth process. It’s understanding your client’s values, mission and goals and bringing those to life while also going through revisions. Any artist will tell you that a brand is much more than a logo. DATA brings together community organizations and government entities to create an avenue for collaborations around human trafficking that may not ordinarily occur. DATA Director, Elise Rahn says her team was impressed with the quality of the logo and creative vision RMCAD students brought to the table. “The RMCAD students we worked with were professional and creative throughout every aspect of the process. They asked excellent questions and made thoughtful edits based on our feedback. With each meeting, it was clear that the students were committed to supporting our vision and wanted to help us succeed in designing a logo that accurately reflected DATA’s mission and goals,” Rahn said.

RMCAD Chair of Graphic Design and Photography, Jim Reiman says that this will be an experience that students can take with them into their careers, “With each iteration, our students learned more and more about what exactly DATA was looking for in a logo. Additionally, no individual student solved the problem on their own, each one contributed an aspect of the final design through collaboration. From an educator’s perspective, that was really cool to see. This project demonstrates collaboration, communication, design thinking, and a philanthropic desire to contribute to a good cause, all of which say so much about a designer and their work,” Reiman said.

This experience of conducting virtual client meetings and pitching creative ideas is something that RMCAD students will benefit from. Graphic Design major, Melissa Casaus says that working on a project to support a cause like DATA is important. “As designers, we know how expensive it can be for companies to keep their branding up to date. We also know the large role that design plays in communicating a business’s message. Having the opportunity to use my creative skills for a larger cause is what reminds me of why I love what I do: working with others to enrich, strengthen, and better the community we live in,” Causas said.

You can click here to learn more about DATA. The following Illustrative Design and Graphic Design students who made this possible are Allison Grzeskiewicz, Brianne Rodriguez, Darion Ramkissoon, Melissa Casaus, Travis Schuett, Whitney Grimm, Zuzia Kudasik. Check out the logo variations below! 

Categories
Archives

We're accepting applications for our next session. No fee, Apply Today!

Classes Starting Soon!

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design Campus

No Application fee