Graphic Design & Communications

The folks at the Bismarck State College Snack Bar are wonderful - they make great food and are always very nice to deal with. Portions are aimed student student-sized appetites, so you never leave hungry.

Several weeks ago the Graphic Design and Communications Department was approached about creating a new breakfast menu for the Snack Bar. As part of the project, the instructors decided to have the sophomore students photograph the breakfast food. It’s a great real-world exercise where students’ photos will become part of a design that will be posted in the Snack Bar area.

So far the photos look great, but not all of them have been downloaded from the cameras and edited. Check back for a preview of some of their images.

Glass bottles on a shelf.

Bass and guitar.

Pen and notebook.

Converse basketball shoes.

Controlling depth of field in photography is an excellent way to create interest in an otherwise mundane image. The technique is simple, but requires a little practice.

The freshman Graphic Design and Communications students captured the images above for a depth of field assignment.

The freshmen Typography students in the BSC Graphic Design and Communications program recently completed some portraits using nothing but type. It may be unusual to look at type characters as a way to accomplish illustrations, but it was a great project to get students to really appreciate the design and shape that type has. See how many of these faces you recognize.

Food is considered the most difficult studio subject to shoot. Too much, too little, to dark, too bight - all those things can ruin the shot.

As consumers, our tolerance of bad food photography is minimal. We’ve become accustomed to perfectly exposed, heavily saturated food photos that look better than they would ever taste.

With that idea in mind, the sophomore Graphic Design and Communications students tackled their first food assignment. Much like the beverage photo assignment, they were encouraged to create an interesting image that represents the food well. The results are excellent and speak for themselves.

In the Graphic Design and Communications classes the topic usually revolves around published work - either on paper or the internet. As a creative exercise, the freshmen students attempted sign design with a twist.

The students formed into groups and were asked to create the look and design of the sign and then produce a physical model of it.

The concept came from “Caffeine for the Creative Mind” and was only modified slightly for this exercise. Students were offered three choices - sporting goods for the first Olympics, a caveman campground or a medieval knights training academy.

All of the finished pieces were interesting and very creative. The construction methods were particularly interesting and the students did an excellent job working in groups.

Friday, the Bismarck State College Graphic Design and Communications Department hosted David Molanphy, the Interactive Design Manager with Larsen (http://larsen.com/). There was also a surprise visit from Tim Larsen, founder of Larsen, former Bismarck resident and alum of the BSC Commercial Art program (now GDC). The lecture was presented via Skype video.

David walked students and faculty through the process Larsen uses when working with new clients.

David also took students through ten tips to remember when interviewing and presenting a portfolio.

Thank you Tim and David for taking time and dedicating resources to help students.