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The 2024 Student Design Show “By-the-Numbers”

from Peter Pham

A few facts about this year’s show:

Every year I process the work for each Student Design Show, I make note of the trends that appear among the submissions each year. Certain work is consistently submitted, while other categories seem to ‘ebb and flow.’

  • Around 190 pieces were submitted this year. [We’ve had in excess of 300 in a very active year with high enrollments]
  • Qualifying student work was to have been created between Spring of 2023 (not previously submitted) through April , 2024.
    It may be selected from student coursework, or from parallel individual practice to coursework.
  • Categories needed to be made up of minimally 5 submissions to remain “competitive.” Where 5 submissions were not received, that category was merged with another similar or like category. (Since the Districtwide Student Design Show began in 1999, we have had anywhere between 7 and 14 categories in a given annual show).
  • This year’s categorical submissions (from MOST submissions in a category to the least) were:  
  1. DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION (~17%)
  2. POSTERS (~15%)
  3. LAYOUT (~14%)
  4. LOGOS and IDENTITY (~11%)
  5. UNEDITED PHOTOGRAPHY (~11%)
  6. TRADITIONAL MEDIA ILLUSTRATION (~7%)
  7. EDITED PHOTOGRAPHY (~7%)
  8. COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGNS (~7%)
  9. PACKAGING / 3D combined (~7%)
  10. MULTIMEDIA /WEB combined (~4%)
  • Digital Illustration, Layout, and Posters have frequently occupied the top slots, and that trend continued this year. This seems to be what most folks commonly associate with “graphic design” as a practical discipline.
  • Photography “Straight Out Of the Camera”(SOOC) rose a good amount this year. While far from the 2010’s where it held the top slot, it almost doubled last year’s submissions. If we look at all forms of Photography combined, it would be one of the top categories.
  • Logos and Identity had a slight increase.
  • Traditional Illustration media had a slight decrease. This is interesting since it is also associated with what most people would consider a major part of graphic design.
  • We had enough of the COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGNS this year to once again offer it as a competitive category.
  • Despite increasing “gig work” available in video and multimedia (and some decent work), many students are still not choosing to enter their multimedia pieces.
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SHARE YOUR IMAGES WITH US!

We’re sharing images from the SDS 2023 Awards Reception on this site.
If you have any images that you would like to share with us, Please contact one of the instructors and share any photos or videos from the show that we can in turn share with everyone!

Susan LaCanne lacannes@gtc.edu
Laura Laznicka laznickal@gtc.edu
Peter Pham phampete@gtc.edu

  • John Zehren of teh Fab Lab, Bob Kaebish, and Dr. John Thibodeau
  • The BEST OF SHOW AWARDS
  • The exhibit space
  • hors d’oeuvres
  • Laura Laznicka and Dr. Thibodeau
  • Welcoming guests
  • perusing the work
  • perusing the work
  • Attendees enjoy the food and discussion
  • Multimedia and Web display
  • conversation
  • The exhibit space
  • friends and classmates
  • Dr. Isensee enjoys the work
  • A student discusses his work with a guest
  • An Alumni catches up with Laura
  • Students visit and admire work
  • Faculty member discusses the eSports team


  • Community Art Piece directions
  • Magill Meinel shares the directions with attendees
  • Attendees add to the Community Art Piece
  • The Artist Ms. Meinel and guest
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REMINDER to PROGRAM STUDENTS…

The 204 GRAPHIC COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAM is going to be changing to the 201 GRAPHIC DESIGN PROGRAM.

Please keep this in mind as you select your classes and do your planning with Advisors.
Mrs. Sue LaCanne has made a Panopto video on this topic .

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WALKTHROUGH

A single/continuous shot walk-through of the iMET CENTER during a quiet moment
before our upcoming STUDENT DESIGN SHOW.
We hope to see everyone and their supporter there.

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The 2023 Student Design Show “By the Numbers…”

from Peter Pham

As I process the work for each year’s Student Design Show, I muse at the trends that appear among the submissions each year.

In the early 2000’s (when the analytics were not as easily processed and quantified) there was a definite preponderance of Layout and Illustration student work. It had been a mainstay of our program from its inception, and oft-associated with the practice of graphic design.

In the 2010’s, we saw a tremendous increase in the amount of photography work––possibly correlating with the increased availability of really good consumer digital equipment… and a notable trend towards people becoming more interested in creating high quality products for a variety of uses outside of the traditional scope.

It appears that everything old is new again.
Much like the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, illustration, posters, and layout is at the top of our list this year! Items associated with traditional print-media categories are making up teh vast majority of submissions… with traditional illustration coming in right behind them.

While Graphic Design is not necessarily synonymous with illustration, (and definitely not in the same category as Fine Art) the crossover point emphasized by volume of entries is worth noting.

A few facts about this year’s show:

  • Around 160 pieces were submitted this year. [We’ve had in excess of 300 in a very active year with high enrollments]
  • Qualifying student work was to have been created between Spring of 2022 through April , 2023.
    It may be selected from student coursework, or from parallel individual practice to coursework.
  • Categories needed to be made up of minimally 5 submissions, or that category was closed and merged with another. (Since the Districtwide Student Design Show began in 1999, we have had anywhere between 7 and 14 categories in a given annual show).
  • This year’s categorical submissions (from MOST submissions in a category to the least) were:  
  1. DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION (21%)
  2. POSTERS (18%)
  3. LAYOUT (13%)
  4. TRADITIONAL ILLUSTRATION (12%)
  5. LOGOS/ IDENTITY/ CAMPAIGN COMBINED CATEGORY (~9%)
  6. EDITED PHOTOGRAPHY (9%)
  7. UNEDITED PHOTOGRAPHY (6%)
  8. 3D/ PACKAGING (5%)
  9. MULTIMEDIA/WEB (4%)
  10. PHOTO MANIPULATION (3%)
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WELCOME to the 2023 District Wide Student Design Show

The Website for the 2023 Student Design Show is now live, and student work has been hung in the S.C. Johnson iMET CENTER in Sturtevant, Wisconsin for the show launch 4/17/23.

An OPENING RECEPTION and AWARDS CEREMONY is slated for TUESDAY, APRIL 18th , at 6 – 8pm.
Hors d’ouevres will be served and the event will feature the recorded music of DJ SPUNKSHINE.

The event is open to the general public and the greater business community. Invitations have been extended to area high schools, and our collegiate and business parters in the region.

To view the 2023 Student work, please look undertake main menu for the STUDENT DESIGN SHOW WORK CATEGORIES. This years show will feature work in ten categories.

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2023 Student Design Show Entry Form

Get YOUR name out there…enter YOUR work in the 2023 SDS!

LINK to the ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION FORM for
SDS 2023 Student Work Submission

We are calling for submissions to the 2023 Edition of the STUDENT DESIGN SHOW.
Students must submit:

  1. A properly prepared Mounted Work (on presentation board, black board, or black foam core) for hanging in the SHOW EXHIBIT SPACE

    as well as
  2. A digital image submitted for use in this website and for Judging. (see the Submission rules for JPG image size).

    Submitting both items is necessary to have your work appear in the show.

    STUDENTS MUST utilize their GTC email addresses to submit the digital portion of the work for the 2023 Student Design Show.
    [The form will filter non GTC email addresses.]

🔗 https://forms.gle/gSP9dQgcKL8Qs7C17

submission form for the Student Design Show

Please read the 2023 rules for submission statement sheet before submitting work.