The annual Senior Graphic Design Showcase, presented digitally this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, went live on April 11 and features some of the best selected works from the portfolios of 17 graduating graphic designers from the TCNJ’s BFA program in Graphic Design.
The 2021 edition of the largely student-organized and fundraised showcase, titled The Odds, represents a collaborative effort between the seniors to organize and present their work in a professional setting. Normally presented in prior years at the TCNJ Art Gallery, this year’s showcase is presented on a user-friendly website, serving as home to the biographies and portfolios of each member of the graduating class.
The title and theme of the showcase was developed and chosen by the students themselves, and the website offers details on the conversations that led to those decisions.
“When thinking about a theme that encapsulates our class, we knew it had to be as unique as our connections,” according to the statement on website. “The word ‘odd’ became a recurring theme as we discussed the identity of our class. Not only is our graduation occurring under the most unusual circumstances, but the actual year itself is an odd number, as is the number of students. Between the 17 of us we’ve all developed such unique bodies of work.”
The collection of works represents a unified passion for graphic design among the graduating class and a broad array of disciplines that range from solving complex design problems to smart branding solutions for real and conceptual businesses alike. Students like Jamie Carducci and Cecelia George set out to modernize classic and popular books and album covers in their own styles, while others like Zachary Bard took aim at a holistic redesign of the iPhone Notification Center. Each project represents another step taken towards better, more efficient, and more beautiful design as led by TCNJ’s graphic design program.
Aside from assembling impressive portfolios, the graduating seniors find value in the relationships built and the opportunities to work closely with other driven designers during their time at the college. “We’ve been lucky to form meaningful friendships that make our design processes that much more fulfilling,” according to the showcase statement on the website. “We’ve had the chance to collaborate with such a diverse group of designers with differing perspectives and styles. We truly believe this has made for even stronger designs.”
The showcase can be found at theoddsseniorshow.com.
— Gregory Leddy ’21