Graphic design students showcase their work at GRDS Fest
Written by Anna Porter. Photo by Anna Porter.
The third annual Graphic Design Fest (GRDS Fest) took place on Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. The graphic design department gathered to network and participate in hands-on activities such as screenprinting, block printing and lettering design.
The Graphic Design Fest takes place in the Adler basement, where students and professors can wander through stations set up in each room.
At the block printing station, students learned how to transfer paint onto a postcard with a pre-made selection of prints. There’s nothing a graphic design student loves more than a good graphic design joke, so some of the favorite messages included “Graphic Design Slays,” “We Kern Because We Care,” and “Helvetica” written in a typeface that is definitely not Helvetica.
Professor Jorge Montero led his own workshop on lettering design. He loves teaching students about his favorite shortcuts and techniques to manipulate shapes and typefaces. In this workshop, students learned how to create their own unique lettering with the brush and shape-builder tools.
One of the most popular stations at the Graphic Design Fest is screen printing. Students were able to print their own tote bags from a selection of print styles and colors. These totes are a great piece to collect over the years at SCAD!
Artist, designer and self-proclaimed tinkerer Kelli Anderson was this year’s special guest. Known for her intricate origami-inspired paper masterpieces, she taught students how to create a four-frame manual animation with just one sheet of paper.
Graphic design students are encouraged to display their own work at the festival every year. The variety of work is a great source of inspiration for other students, and students displaying their work can share their business cards to make connections.
The SCAD Zine club (@unprocessedzine) set up a station to promote and sell their first issue. This issue is themed around Maximalism/Minimalism, and they are using the funds they raise to produce the next one. Students can join the zine club to design and produce their own spreads to be published.
The newest addition to the Graphic Design Fest is food trucks including Chazito’s and Little Diddle’s Sweetery.
Despite it only being in its third year, the Graphic Design Fest is one of the best opportunities for graphic design students to become involved in the department. The activities are also appealing to people of all majors to bring more light to the amazing things the graphic design community is a part of. The graphic design department thanks all of the hard-working professors and staff who were able to make this possible!
A full-time Graphic Design major/ Advertising & Branding minor and part-time music enthusiast, Anna Porter brings her love of art and design to SCAD District as the Creative Director. Anna leads the creative team in all things visual, from website design to publication design. Her writings can be found in the “Audio File,” District’s weekly music review column where Anna provides music updates and recommendations. If Anna is not designing or listening to music (rare,) you will probably find her in the other room making a cup of tea.
