Character designs, typography art and more will be displayed at the end of the month online and on the walls of Taylor Hall in a space organized and designed by VCD students. 

Seniors in the School of Visual Communication Design are preparing to put the work of their design careers at Kent State on display at the annual VCD Senior Show. The show will run from April 28 until April 30, and it will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“We will follow the Kent State University safety precautions and have all attendees keep their distance, wear a mask and select from spaced out viewing times,” said Jillian Coorey, the VCD professor instructing the professional portfolio course.

The in-person event is free, and 14 students are participating in the in-person showing.

The gallery is also free to view online. Work from 32 students who are graduating either this semester or in the fall will be displayed on a website, update2021.show, that won’t be available until April 28, Coorey said.

A large portion of the leg work behind the show is done by the students participating. 

The students are creating all the branding and marketing for the show, as well as designing the logo and website and are continuously updating the Instagram page for the show to include profiles and work from this year’s seniors, Coorey said.

The work the VCD BA and BFA seniors are doing to make this show provides a capstone on the work they have done.

“I think the most important thing is to build the opportunity for students to celebrate their graduation,” said Daniel Alenquer, the VCD director. “Especially in such a challenging year, having the chance and the choice to do it in-person together with the combination of a website and the buildup of the show is more important now than ever.”

Holding the show this year after it had to go fully online last spring meant a lot to the participating seniors.

“My parents are going to be coming up the first day, and that is a cool thing because they’ve never seen my work professionally displayed, so it is cool that I get to show them my work as well as my siblings and friends, who will be coming later in the week,” said Amanda Lopez, a senior VCD major.

The senior show is somewhat of a full circle moment, because the seniors will have their work displayed on their own wall, which holds eight to 12 design pieces to observe, Lopez said.  

She will be showing her pieces that have precise linework, typography, contrast and other design principles to engage the eyes of the show’s viewers.

“When I was a freshman, I remember walking through the senior show, and it was crazy to me how everyone was so talented, and I couldn’t wait for that to be me and my friends displaying our work,” Lopez said. “It is like a finale of both the VCD program and college itself and it has been so amazing to see the growth and progress we have all made over the four years.”

Austin Monigold covers CCI. Contact him at [email protected].