Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--After noticing the national awards, number of published submissions and originality of work being generated by Mississippi State students, one of the nation's top graphic design magazines took a closer look at what's happening at the Starkville university.
In a major feature in its July/August issue, HOW, a Cincinnati, Ohio-based international publication, profiles MSU as a "hidden gem" and one of three top-tier "off-the-radar" design programs bringing students into the national spotlight.
Temple and Portland State universities also are featured institutions at which the students and faculty "are every bit as talented as their rivals at bigger-name programs," according to the publication.
As a newcomer to the department and community, incoming art department head Lydia Thompson said she is "very impressed with the talent of our graphic design students and the faculty who teach them."
She added: "HOW is a premier magazine in the field of graphic design, and it was only a matter of time until MSU received recognition for its accomplishments. The program is growing steadily, and our faculty members are role models highly respected by their students."
In her introduction of the special themed issue, HOW editor Megan Lane Patrick recalls that a poster by former MSU student William W. "Will" Bryant, winner of one of the magazine's design competitions, prompted her interest.
"It turns out Bryant is a graduate of Mississippi State University, a school that's produced several student winners over the years," she writes.
Patrick not only praised Bryant--she dedicated the entire issue to the 2008 graduate who now is a freelance artist in Austin, Texas. He also is among 17 "rising stars" profiled in the issue.
Professor Jamie Mixon, who leads MSU's highly competitive, limited-enrollment graphic design program, said 69 students applied last year for the 42 available slots.
"We accept students based on a third-semester portfolio review," she explained, adding that students entering the program must first be grounded in the foundations of drawing, painting, photography, and printmaking.
A veteran faculty member and John Grisham Master Teacher, Mixon expressed particular pride that students in the program quickly are introduced to a global design perspective. "Many of our students are from Mississippi, and most are from the South," she observed. "Many have an interest in art, but may never have been exposed to thinking in a national way."
Graphic design majors are encouraged to enter national competitions, often through linkages in their individual classes. They also must subscribe to national design magazines that help bring "good graphic design directly to their mailboxes," she said. As HOW extensively noted, the results belie the program's small size and geographic location.
In addition to seven awards of merit in HOW competition since 2001, students received impressive placement in 2008 and 2009 collegiate competition sponsored by the Art Directors Club of Washington, D.C. Most recently, they brought a home a gold, two silvers, and six merit awards, with winning entries exhibited at the Corcoran Museum of Art.
Their work has been accepted in highly competitive exhibitions from among thousands of entries, and students regularly earn top awards in regional competitions such as the American Advertising Federation.
Also, two MSU students have their portfolios featured in a 2009 sourcebook released this year by New Jersey-based Prentice Hall, the world's leading education publisher. "Portfolio Laboratory for Graphic Design" provides strategies in design principles, illustrated with successful student portfolios and tips from professionals, Mixon explained.
"Our students have shown they can compete and win on the national stage, and the exposure they've received in a publication as respected as HOW will be invaluable in continuing to motivate them and other students in our program," she said.
Not only is an MSU degree a good value for the money when compared to more prominent urban-based schools, but its graduates are proving their worth in the highly competitive world of corporate design.
"Our graduates are working at the Wall Street Journal and helping design Wal-Mart's new branding identity, just to name two," Mixon said. "They're in virtually every major city in the country."
Back in Starkville, the six professors in MSU's graphic design program continue to prompt students to learn the basics, use their imaginations and strive to be among the best. And, as HOW observes, their work "has been . . .wowing us for years."
In addition to Bryant--the the son of Stephen and Dorene Bryant of Texarkana, Texas--other MSU graphic design majors and graduates featured in the magazine include [by hometown]:
BRANDON--Kristen M. Brady, a May graduate also in sculpture and the daughter of Linda Call.
CARRIERE--Senior Andrew V. Le, the son of The and Phung Le.
MADISON--Senior Claire A. Gipson, the daughter of Denise Gipson of Madison and Lee Gipson of Atlanta, Ga.
VANCLEAVE--Beverly A. Hayman, a 2008 graduate and the daughter of Julian and Diedra Hayman.
BOYLE--Senior Kanika A. Dean, the son of Rhonda Woods of Cleveland.
NEWS EDITORS/DIRECTORS: For additional information, contact Professor Mixon at 662-325-1904 or jmixon@caad.msstate.edu.
Artwork and a PDF reprint of the published piece are available at http://www.msstate.edu/web/temp/howmagazine.php.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.