Students gain professional experience In skateboard
design project
Jess Hatley
Under the mentorship of Assistant Professor Paul Booth, two Fort Lewis College students ventured into the world of professional graphic design through the Bordo Bello Skateboard Project sponsored by the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Artists.
In the Bordo Bello project, student participants were to pair up with mentors (graphic design professionals) and design the underside surface of a skateboard deck, which would ultimately be sold at a Dec. 12 auction to benefit Youth Design Denver, a high school summer internship program, and Giving Voice, a mentorship program for disabled teens. Handpicked by Professor Booth, students Drew Sima and Jess Hatley jumped at the opportunity and were approved by the Art Department for independent research credit.
According to Professor Booth, outside-the-classroom endeavors are a vital component to a graphic design student's education. "These kinds of projects get students to work with a variety of people in the field--including printers and other designers," Booth said. "I encourage students to do internships for the same reason."
Drew Sima (left) with skateboard buyer.
The business of art
When searching for inspiration, the wide open parameters of the project were exciting and a little overwhelming for Jess and Drew. With no assignment or syllabus to follow, the two decided to put on their business hats during initial brainstorming—an approach strongly encouraged by Booth in the classroom. “The first thing we did was try to think about why we were doing this, and who these boards would go to,” said Drew. Knowing that the boards would ultimately be auctioned off to benefit two charities, Drew and Jess decided that they would love to design not one, but several boards apiece, and aim to sell them for as much as possible. How could they make their boards stand out? At Booth’s suggestion, they decided that professional printing—rather than painting or decorating the boards—was the way to go.
A great idea, but Drew and Jess knew that professional printing wouldn’t come cheap. Professor Booth advised them to investigate research grants to help fund the cost, and before long, Drew and Jess were focusing their efforts on putting together a proposal for a Fort Lewis College undergraduate research grant. After drafting the proposal, the students turned to Drew’s composition professor, Dr. Erik Juergensmeyer, for editing help. Their diligence paid off. They were awarded $1,700: $1,265 for supplies and printing, the rest to cover travel expenses to Denver so that Drew and Jess could attend the Dec. 12 auction at Access Gallery.
Armed with grant money to make multiple boards and professional printing possible, each student set about developing a theme. Sticking with her lucky number, Jess knew immediately that she would design three boards, and chose to highlight the elements of nature.“I liked the idea of somehow showing the actions that represent the elements,” she explained. “I decided to focus on water, earth and air.” She did a variety of word association exercises to find representative terms to incorporate into her designs, finally settling on the words “move,” “grow” and “soar.”
For Drew, it was the seasons that compelled him most, though he knew he wanted to take a local angle. “Growing up here, I’ve watched Durango develop. The idea with my boards really came from the overall premise of cherishing and preserving this area—the animal habitats and the plants,” Drew said. “I wanted to include animal prints and symbols of the places animals roam throughout the different times of year.”
Putting pencil to paper
For both students, one of Professor Booth’s classroom mantras proved especially helpful when it came time to start designing. “Paul is all about starting first with pencil and paper, and only going to the computer at the very end of the design process,” said Jess. “In class, if we’re designing a logo, he’ll have us start out doing 100 quick thumbnail sketches. We’ll narrow them down week by week until we come up with our best three or five, and only then will we scan them into the computer. I like that, because it’s easier for me to think through an idea that way. I feel it’s very organic to start by hand.”
In that vein, Jess started by drawing the tree for her earth board. After dozens of drafts, she decided that drawing on paper the same size as the skateboards would help her visualize them better, and cut three board-sized sheets of paper. She also separately sketched “creatures”—her own invented beings that are meant to remind people of other things they see in the world, “plus a little touch of fantasy.”
“When I’d finally get something I liked, I would trace over my pencil rubbings in pen, then erase as much of the pencil work as I could,” said Jess. Finally satisfied with her paper models, she scanned them into Photoshop to begin the coloring phase. Nearing the printer’s deadline, Jess began to panic when she didn’t like how things were turning out on the computer. She turned to Professor Booth for advice.
“He said, ‘Have you thought about painting them?’ and I knew immediately that would work. I went home that night, and painted for 11 hours straight,” she said. “Since I hadn’t thought about painting before then, I was afraid that the paper would be too wrinkly when I scanned it in, but it ended up looking great.”
Drew took a slightly different approach, but also began with nothing but a piece of paper, a pencil and an idea. “I spent a lot of time brainstorming the symbols that would represent each season and sketching and laying out where I wanted different images to appear on the board,” recalled Drew. “Then, I’d scan a few things into the computer, like the footprints, trace them there, then print it and scratch it in with permanent marker. It was a lot of back and forth between hand drawing and the computer.” Always in the back of his mind was his initial goal: a professional-looking design that would sell. To accomplish it, he kept his lines clean and his design simple, yet striking.
From concept to reality
Drew and Jess admitted that the project not only enhanced their educational experience at Fort Lewis, but reminded them why they chose to major in graphic design. “Working on this really opened up my idea of what’s possible in this field,” said Drew. “I was able to expand on what I’ve learned in class so far, but the coolest part was that I could do this project however I wanted to. It created this tangible learning experience.”
Jess agreed, adding that the process in and of itself was incredibly valuable. “This whole experience really helped me understand the different ways to start a project,” she said. “I also learned a lot about how I work best when under a deadline.”
One requirement of the grant Drew and Jess received was to show their results, which they did by displaying their work for all Fort Lewis students, faculty and staff to see in the John F. Reed Library. “It was great to share with other people what we’re doing in the graphic design program,” said Drew. “I’ve had students on campus come up to me to talk about my boards, which is very exciting.”
Added Jess, “I didn’t expect to get this much attention, but it’s been really inspiring to have other people getting excited about our work.”
From De. 5-12, Jess’s and Drew’s boards were on display in Access Gallery in Denver. The final auction was held on the evening of the 12th, and the students flew in for the event. Of the nearly 50 boards at the auction, Drew and Jess were the only participants to have designed a group of boards. According to Jess, about half of the boards were purchased, with three of Drew’s boards and all three of Jess’s boards selling.
What’s next?
Eager to partake in future outside-the-classroom projects, Drew and Jess are considering doing something different in 2009. Next up: shoes. “On the way back from Denver, Drew and I talked about how we’d like to do something like this again, and the idea I’ve been working on is for us to design all kinds of different shoes,” Jess said. “I know of a few galleries in the area who would be interested in displaying this kind of artwork, so I think it will be really fun. Plus, it’s cheap enough that I’m hoping lots of graphic design students will be interested in getting involved.”
Both students are considering graduate school, but are being encouraged by Professor Booth to gain work experience first. Drew, a senior, graduates in the spring of 2009, while Jess, a sophomore, has a few years to decide. Whatever path they choose, one thing is certain: They’re incredibly grateful for the Bordo Bello experience. “I’ve never done anything like this before,” said Drew. “I worked on these boards for six months, and then all the sudden they were hanging in a gallery for everyone to see and comment on. It was really neat for us to be a part of the art community that way. I felt like my work was finally coming to life.” |
