FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  April 30, 2015

For More Information:
Glenville State College
Public Relations Department
(304) 462-4115

GLENVILLE, WV - Students in the Fine Arts Department at Glenville State College recently completed an eye-catching new display to use during career fairs, conferences, and meetings for the staff of NASA's Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Facility in Fairmont, West Virginia.

"NASA contacted us in early October last year with a general request for the graphics. Seeing this as a tremendous learning opportunity for the students, we took on the challenge for the Intermediate Art and Design Class. NASA accepted and we provided them with a small brief on how the process works for design. NASA then gathered all the relevant ideas and wording needed for us to begin," explained GSC Assistant Professor of Art Chris Cosner.

The GSC graphic artists took part in the student design activity which was introduced by Justin Smith from NASA's facility. The students were given a lot of latitude with the creative look for the display and were only given an approximate size and some marketing guidelines to observe in their process. Throughout the end of the fall semester, the class produced three draft designs and submitted them. With some fine-tuning and input from NASA staffers, the end result took shape.

"We wanted something that would express NASA’s well-established brand while having the ability to attract their audience by standing out among other displays. The students researched NASA’s extensive library of images and working closely with NASA’s Style Guide, we were able to start bringing the design together. The students learned the entire process of working with a real client from start to finish and shared in the success of the project which will add a valuable piece to their portfolio when seeking employment after college," continued Cosner.

"I'm happy to have been a part of the group that prepared this display for NASA. We were all really interested after Professor Cosner shared the idea with us and we researched the NASA website and some of their photo galleries to narrow down our ideas. It's great to see how nicely the finished project turned out," said Ryan Singleton, a senior art major who took part in preparing the graphic.

NASA's Smith recently brought the completed display, along with a commemorative plaque featuring the artwork that the students designed, to GSC so that the class could see how it turned out. They called it a "win-win situation for both groups involved" and said that they were very appreciative of how interested the Glenville State College student designers were in the project. The plaque is now on display in the GSC Fine Arts Center.

Cosner says that the graphics and digital media concentration often gets several design requests similar to this one throughout the semester and, if time and lessons permit, they try to incorporate them into the class. "The Graphics and Digital Media Concentration is now in its third year at GSC and the students have gained the knowledge and confidence to tackle these types of projects. As our enrollment, space, and equipment continues to improve, we hope there will be even more time for community engagement and real-world projects including the use of our brand-new 3D printer," said Cosner.

The art program at Glenville State College includes both traditional studio art and digital media as areas of study. For more information about the programs, contact Cosner at Christopher.Cosner@glenville.edu or (304) 462-6349.