Graphic Design Program at Gateway Technical College

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.

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%)
    

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.

Students in the ADVANCED CLASSES submitted their proposals for the 2023 edition of GATEWAY TECHNICAL COLLEGE’S DISTRICT-WIDE STUDENT DESIGN SHOW back in October and November of 2022.
The event has been scheduled this year on April 18th, at the SC Johnson iMET Center in Sturtevant.
Members of GTC Administration team have helped us each year in the selection of the Show Identity and Direction for this year’s show identity.

The DESIGN SELECTED for this year’s design show (the item that received the most ordinal vote points) is:

Mr. Heller’s Show Identity Design uses 3D imagery and plays with concepts related to: materials, technology, transparency, reflection, opacity, as well as lights and darks. Congratulations to Ron!

The SECOND PLACE SELECTION
(there was a tie for the second most number of points received)

Mr. Hespel’s Show Identity Design uses vector artwork with a deco-period historical theme, and Ms. Noble’s employs a scholastic photographic-style collage.

The FOURTH PLACE SELECTION
(the third most number of points received after the second place tie)

Mr. Hansen’s Show Identity Design uses a strong Icon-driven 2D graphic approach, playing with ideas of luminance and color. Congratulations to Sam!

The Graphic Design Department would like to thank all of the Administrators who helped us select this year’s identity, and congratulate all of the students who participated in this year’s competition.
We look forward to seeing everyone at the show in April!

from Peter Pham

As I process the work for each year’s Student Design Show, I am always pleased at the QUALITY of the submissions. I am also quietly observant of the trends in the submissions each year.

In the early 2000’s (when the analytics were not as easily processed) there was a preponderance of Layout and Illustration student work.

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.

Once again, there is a slight change in the distribution of the categories of work submitted.
Future analysis will show us potential reasons for the trends.

A few facts about this year’s show:

• About 170 pieces were submitted
• Qualifying student work was to have been created between Spring of 2021 (post show)
  through April 20, 2022.
• We had more Alumni Judges this year in the rank of our professional Jury.
• This year’s categorical submissions
  (from MOST submissions per category, to the least per category) were:  

1. LAYOUT (~21.1%)
2. DIGITAL ILLUSTRATION (~16.3%)
3. LOGOS and IDENTITY (~10.8%)
4. PHOTOGRAPHY WITH POST TO ENHANCE (~9.6%)
5. PACKAGING and 3D (~7.8%)
6. PHOTOGRAPHY (Straight Out Of The Camera) (~7.2%)
7. TRADITIONAL MEDIA (~6.6%)
8. COMPREHENSIVE CAMPAIGNS (~ 5.4%)
9. PHOTO MANIPULATION, MULTIMEDIA, and POSTERS combined accounted for approximately 15%