London study abroad adds global depth to Calvin’s graphic design program
The graphic design program at Calvin is preparing students well. In each of the past two years, national ad agency principals and ad campaign developers confirmed this by awarding Calvin students with more than half the available ADDY awards for West Michigan colleges and universities.
But the program isn’t resting on its laurels. Instead, it’s creating more opportunities for students to hone their craft and expand their worlds.
This past month, 16 junior and senior graphic design majors joined two professors and headed to London for two weeks.
Stepping into a new world
“It was a shared experience, said Lucy Iverson, a senior graphic design major from Naperville, Illinois. “We were all experiencing this culture for the first time.”
The learning experience had many layers, beginning with learning how to settle into a new culture, new environment, and new living quarters.
“We were learning how to fit into a new ecosystem,” said Chris Fox, professor of graphic design.
The students and professors all shared an Airbnb, which took some adjusting.
“It got pretty crowded at times, I’m not going to lie,” said Rodrigo Alipio, a junior graphic design major from Santos, Brazil. “But it’s what made our experience what it was.”
Seeing an opportunity
What could’ve been viewed as a drawback, soon became an opportunity.
“It was almost like a big family. We made a huge table and sat together to talk about the day,” said Alipio.
“Being in a tight house allowed us, forced us to communicate and chat with each other. It created some good discussions. We talked about design, religion, deeper topics, because we felt so comfortable with each other,” said Iverson.
The group soon found its stride.
Finding their way and their place
“We were behaving like we belonged there instead of as tourists. We walked the same route to work, took trains everywhere, came in and out of restaurants or museums. We were observing the things around us, not just taking them in as fast as we could,” said Fox.
And, of course, given the trip was all graphic design majors, that meant keeping a close eye on the various design elements.
Appreciating the new and the old
“England is so interesting because it’s such an old country, such an old place, but they still feel like they are ahead design-wise and technologically,” said Alipio. “Going to London made us see firsthand these new trends and how London, one of the big capitals of the world, is treating design. It’s eye-opening, a new view of life and new way of trying to think about things.”
“I was so impressed by the accessibility of art in London,” said Brynna Morren, a senior graphic design major from Byron Center, Michigan, who was surprised that they had free access to so many museums and spaces. “The culture has placed a high value on art and design, everything from branding in train stations … to the architecture used in beautiful cathedrals.”
And the students witnessed both the design of those cathedrals and the design of the experience within them.
“We could feel the history of the people who had worshipped there before,” said Fox of their experience at a Sunday evening service at Westminster Abbey.
Learning through community
The group was developing an appreciation and understanding of a different culture through a design lens—sharpening their environmental awareness skills. And, each night, they added to their learning.
“We had a lot of discussions in London on nights, and we did a lot of sticky noting, pasted them all over the walls,” said Iverson.
When it was time to checkout of London and head back overseas, the learnings came with them, and so too did the sticky notes.
Unpacking and displaying their learnings
“We brought all of our notes and post its in bags,” said Alipio. “And we remade our house here in the Design Hub on campus, putting them where they were, trying to visualize it.”
The reason? The learning experience isn’t done. The two-credit winter intensive experience in London was part one. The second part: a two-credit class where they will work together to design an exhibition on campus that will run during Spring Arts Festival in April.
“We are aiming to show the Calvin community the design aspects of what we learned intellectually and also behind the scenes through our lived experiences in London,” said Iverson.
Taking much away
For the students, this opportunity to live and learn overseas only added more depth and breadth as they enter their field.
“I came back refreshed after being exposed to so many brands that I haven’t seen before. My camera was now full of all these references, textures, and ways places use signage. This is a field of resources I now have when I’m designing,” said Morren, who is doing an internship at Grey Matter Group, an award-winning ad agency in Grand Rapids. “My curiosity was sparked for what else I can learn. As a senior, this was a wonderful way to wrap up this season of life at Calvin … such a cool memory to go out on.”
