Graphic design is a hot commodity in the university community and beyond. Prairie View A&M University’s School of Architecture recognizes the need—its DesignView Media Center is open for business.
“We opened the center this spring, and, so far, four Digital Media Arts students have been able to get real-world experience servicing clients who work at PVAMU,” said Tracey Moore, advisor, assistant professor and Digital Media Arts coordinator in the SOA. The students can design a wide variety of things including logos and branding, letterheads, invitations, posters, fliers, catalogs, newsletters, brochures, t-shirts, and signage.
“The center is a great opportunity for students to learn things they cannot learn in the classroom,” said Moore. “They become professionals at understanding time management and having a system in place to get items out to their clients on time.”
The idea for the center came into view for Moore and two PVAMU students, Elizabeth Komen and Samaria Percival, a few years ago because of a Title III HBCU grant.
“According to information provided to our student workers during the phase of writing the business plan for the center, in academic year 2015-2016, PVAMU spent about $250,000 hiring outside and hub vendors for graphic design services,” said Moore. “The cost to run the DesignView Media center is approximately $70,000 a year. It is a no-brainer. We should use our students instead of hiring so many outside vendors. Also, University departments and organizations should not have to rely on their personnel to develop what our students can do. This center is a great way for our University to reinvest in its students.”
To learn more about the center, or to request services, email Tracey Moore at designview@pvamu.edu.
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-This story by Marchita Shilo originally appeared in Academic Insights.