Designing dreams
Art in the real world
Archived article from Nov 30, 2001
By Douglas Frank
Alex Wierzbowski, a senior graphic design student at Rutgers-Newark, has a dream of working in New York City. "I've always loved New York," he said recently, "and I want to join a firm and get really serious about design."
Achieving such career aims today takes a bit of luck, as well as a thorough grounding in the basics combined with hands-on experience. In the latter two, Alex may have a leg up on other young designers seeking employment, thanks to his professor, Ned Drew, and Drew's Design Consortium.
The consortium on the Newark campus has been helping students like Alex gain valuable experience since shortly after Drew, an associate professor in the department of visual and performing arts, joined the faculty in 1994.
Drew established the consortium as a visual research laboratory to explore new approaches in the process and methodology of design. He began involving students in his outside work for not-for-profit agencies believing that they deserved a chance to share in both the joys and rigors of research and hands-on involvement in their chosen field.
The students' participation eventually grew into a structured internship program that offers a sense of community awareness along with practical experience, says Drew. Over the years, the studio has produced high-quality graphic designs in varied media for clients on and off campus.
"I wanted to create a learning experience to give students the opportunity to work on actual projects with clients, including deadlines, printing schedules, budgeting and working as a team," notes Drew, a 17-year graphic design veteran who holds B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond.
Projects over the years included a wall mural for the Newark Center for Families and Communities, crime reduction billboard ads for the Newark police department, a poster series for the Edison National Historic Site marking the 150th anniversary of Edison's birth, brochures for an annual poetry contest of the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, and student handbooks from 1995 through 1998 for the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs at Rutgers-Newark.
Charges to patrons consist of a fee to cover costs of supplies, materials and equipment. The students don't get paid, but they can earn three credits a semester for their participation.
The design consortium has garnered more than a dozen design awards and exhibitions, and many of the students have moved into corporate graphic design jobs after graduation, says Drew.
Alex and four other students hand-picked by Drew are now working on two projects to help the consortium itself. "One is a mailer for people interested in using our services," says Drew, "and we're also developing a Web site to display the work we have done." Another current project is a wall mural commissioned by the New Newark Foundation for an abandoned building.
Alex joined the consortium in the second semester of his junior year and hopes to continue through to graduation. Last spring he worked on a series of posters for the Rutgers Student Health Services that focused on issues of concern to students today, such as drug and alcohol use, smoking and safe sex.
"What's really great is that you get to see all that you learn - the theory, the sketching - go into action, and you see your stuff in print," says Alex, who notes that the students work together on most projects sharing ideas among themselves and with their professor.
"I've learned so much," he adds, "and at the same I realize I have so much to learn."
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