SMITH & JONES ART DIRECTOR BRINGS REAL WORLD DESIGN EXPERIENCE TO RPI STUDENTS

Troy, NY – Students in RPI’s Graphic Design For Corporate Identity class are getting a taste of what they can expect from the working world with an assignment from their professor, Sara Tack. Tack, who is also the Principal Artist for Smith & Jones, has arranged for her students to work with The Arts Center Of The Capital Region to create a new brand identity for the organization, which is based on River Street in Troy. Presentations will be made during the week of April 16, 2007.

“What’s great about this project is that it gives students a real world understanding of the challenges associated with creating a brand identity that is memorable and enduring,” said Sara Tack, Art Director for Smith & Jones. “They are learning how to develop a brand identity from both a design and marketing perspective and how it needs to function across all touch points.”

Under Tack’s tutelage, students are given a creative brief, which describes the requirements of the project. In the case of The Arts Center, the brief, asked for a complete overhaul and update of The Arts Center’s visual identity. This included a new logo, stationery, business card, interior and exterior signage, a new website skin, a brochure and templates for power point presentations, print ads, email newsletter, program guide/class catalog, postcard designs for exhibitions and special events and several other pieces of collateral. As students move through the design process, specific notes are made about the style of fonts used, colors, images and a range of other details related to what will eventually be a defined visual language for the brand identity. Students were encouraged to research similar organizations around the world to help develop their personal perspective on what they felt would be beneficial to their creative process.

“When my students finish their projects, each one will have also developed a graphic standards manual,” continued Tack. “This manual details how to use the logo, colors, typography and images as they relate to this particular identity. This is one of the most important tools in the Smith & Jones toolbox and helps our clients communicate a consistent brand message across all audience touch points.”

Students will have the opportunity to present their work to The Arts Center, and if one is chosen, Smith & Jones will offer that student an internship where they will have their work produced and learn how to bring an identity to market.

The Arts Center of the Capital Region is a state-of-the-art multi-arts center located in downtown Troy, in New York's Capital Region.

Dedicated to engaging people from every walk of life and corner of the region in making and experiencing the arts, The Arts Center offers exhibitions of high-quality contemporary and folk (traditional) art, dozens of classes for adults and children each month, grant programs for artists and organizations, arts-in-education initiatives in regional schools, performances in the Joseph L. Bruno Theatre and a host of other programs.
###