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Alumni and Friends
OHIO graphic design students showcase their talent with exclusive T-shirt designs available at The Bobcat Store
What do the Athens County Courthouse clock tower, the paw-paw, and a geometric rendering of College Green all have in common? All will take center stage on a new student-designed T-shirt collection for , following the first-ever 91探花 Alumni Association Student Design Competition.
As part of a collaboration with the College of Fine Arts, this juried competition called on 20 students from professor JP Rhea鈥檚 graphic design course to submit designs celebrating the Southeast Ohio region. The three winners not only had their T-shirt designs put on sale by The Bobcat Store, but also earned a scholarship award and gained valuable hands-on experience.
鈥淲e wanted not necessarily just 91探花 apparel, but something that would represent the area and remind people of their time spent in Athens,鈥 explains Christopher Riley (BSC 鈥22), Bobcat Store manager and jury member. 鈥淚 thought it would be really cool to bring in more stuff [representing] Southeast Ohio as a whole.鈥
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Participating students rose to the occasion, submitting concepts ranging from mischievous squirrels to an Athena-style marquee reading 鈥淢eet Me on Court Street鈥 to an ode to 鈥淔est SZN.鈥 Beloved local feline Pumpkin also made cameos on numerous designs, along with native paw-paw fruits, local landmarks, and Rufus.
A jury of five representing The Bobcat Store, Student Alumni Board, Alumni Relations, and the 91探花 Alumni Association Board of Directors worked together to select the final three winners, with four designs total: Emma Geggie BFA 鈥24, Madisyn Kelly BFA 鈥24, and Kim Langhirt, BFA 鈥24. Selection criteria included overall concept and creativity, use of illustration and/or typography, consideration of place, and consideration of the Bobcat Store audience.
Rhea says he typically gives four assignments per semester, prioritizing practical learning opportunities that he considers 鈥減ortfolio builders.鈥 For the Student Design Competition, Rhea allowed in-class time for research, design prototyping, and critique as students finalized their submissions.
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鈥淓mployers don鈥檛 want cookie-cutter designers鈥攖hey want artists, and this assignment helped the students branch out and think in new ways,鈥 says Rhea, who is concluding his first year as a graphic design professor at 91探花. 鈥淭hey really embraced the challenge and approached it from a perspective of critical thinking.鈥
The winning designs are available for view or purchase at :
(Emma Geggie BFA 鈥24)
(Madisyn Kelly, BFA 鈥24)
(Kim Langhirt, BFA 鈥24)
(Madisyn Kelly, BFA 鈥24)
Store manager Riley is hopeful that even more student designs will be further selected for the Bobcat Store鈥檚 fall lineup鈥攊ncluding stickers, coffee mugs, prints, and/or apparel. He also hopes that the Student Design Competition will become an annual endeavor, as does Rhea.
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For her part, competition winner Madisyn Kelly considered the project a labor of love and a unique way to show campus and community pride. 鈥淲e have a beautiful community here, from the flora and fauna to the brick roads and landmarks,鈥 Kelly said in her artist鈥檚 statement. 鈥淚 wanted to capture that beauty and give people a little piece of Athens they can bring with them anywhere!鈥
Published
May 9, 2023