The Bismarck State College Graphic Design and Communications program is settling into its new home in the Bismarck Public Schools Career Academy.
Contractors are still working away throughout the building, but it now looks and feels like a state-of-the-art facility.
The classrooms and storerooms have been arranged, but the work is really just starting, but will pay off for both instructors and students.
We are all looking forward to a great year.
The freshman Graphic Design and Communications students at BSC put the college on the map with one of their final assignments.
The assignment consisted of a few pieces - it started by randomly drawing numbers that represented each of the BSC campus buildings. Students chose two numbers and were then expected to shoot photos of the buildings. The photo parameters were simple - capture an image that represents the building, it could be inside or out and didn’t have to encompass the entire structure. The idea was to shoot photos like those that would be used in advertising pieces.
After students edited their photos, each uploaded the photos to a service called Panoramio that hosts images for Google Earth. The assignment was completed in early May and the photos are just beginning to show up. Each photo is reviewed by Panoramio staff before it can be viewed on the map.
Check out students’ work by opening Google Earth (the application can be downloaded here for free) and locating Bismarck State College. Make sure the Panoramio Photos layer is turned on. Click on the small blue squares to see images of the college. There are a few images of buildings that didn’t exist such as the National Energy Center of Excellence building when the satellite maps were created.
There should be several more photos appearing throughout the summer.
A screenshot from the Google Earth map of Bismarck State College shot by the Graphic Design and Communications students.
Many alumni have fond memories of the Commercial Art, or Graphic Design and Communications Department. The “cage” and the PMT camera have been gone for years, but the feel of the space is the same.
The department will have a new home next year - a building still under construction a little west and across the street from the current building. The staff is looking forward to the new location, but there are many memories from the old place.
The old building will be remodeled and house other Bismarck State College classes. The remodeling will take place this summer, so these photos are a last look at the old space.
From the interview process entering the Graphic Design and Communications program at Bismarck State College to through the freshman year the instructors frequently remind students to work toward building pieces for their portfolios.
In the graphic design industry, a designer’s portfolio tells her or his story. It showcases design style, concepts and strengths. Other than written testing, the portfolio is the last piece a sophomore student will produce before leaving the program.
The portfolios are no longer oversized briefcases filled with basic mylar pages, today they are full-blown promotional books. Below are examples from some of the sophomore portfolios.
Sophomore group photo shot on the fourth floor of the National Energy Center of Excellence building on the Bismarck State College Campus.
Sophomore group photo at Steamboat park in Bismarck.
The final photo project for the sophomore Graphic Design and Communications classes was to shoot a group photo. All students were expected to be involved and to work together to create a product everyone was happy with. It will be a record for the students and the instructors for years to come.
Both sections of the GDES 299 Darkroom Photography classes took a trip to the Dakota Zoo the week of April 19.
The zoo train wasn’t running yet, but the students still enjoyed themselves. The facility was closed to the public last week, but the zoo made special accommodations for the classes.
After a long winter of shooting with cold fingers or working indoors the nice weather and outdoor setting were a great change and a reminder that spring is here.
Jessica Ohlhauser gets low to take a photo of one of the zoo's babies.
Reed Kuhnley, Blake Kaul and Kristy Orcutt shoot photos during class at the zoo.