(Photos/Charlie Luttrell)

Southern Miss graphic design seniors took what they learned in practice and classes to display in USM’s Art and Design’s Senior Show.

The showcase featuring the work of 19 seniors in the program lasted from April 21 through April 29 as a free-to-visit exhibit.

For the seniors, it marked the climax of the months-long process and one of the final steps in reaching graduation.

“The seniors have been working hard all semester,” associate professor and Graphic Design Area Coordinator John Mark Lawler said. “I am amazed year after year with the level of talent and dedication to the craft of design that our students displayed.”

The student’s work featured a variety of topics of business concepts, with their work entailing creating logos, posters, menus and the overall brand of their envisioned company.

One of the group’s seniors, Anna Denette, created a ‘60s-inspired cannabis-infused bakery, a concept incorporating the iconic psychedelic fonts and colors of the era into her branding.

Denette transitioned to graphic design early into her college career at USM, having to learn the intricacies of the software and tools needed to succeed.

Her work led her to this project, which stood as a comprehensive test for all she learned.

Denette said she feels relieved to have finished the project, which was challenging but a labor of love.

“It was really stressful,” Denette said. “There were a lot of late nights in the studios, a lot of all-nighters, but overall, I think it went really well. I’m just really proud of the work that I was able to accomplish.”

 Denette and the other students took on a project of a scale they had never done before. She said it stalled at times, especially at the beginning of the process and when it took her nearly a month to create the logo and pattern.

But that experience taught Denette valuable lessons and was worthwhile as she said she received a satisfactory grade better than her expectations.

“Making a production schedule and then also just being able to handle multiple things at the same time [was important],” Denette said. “I’ve never had a project really to this scale, and I also think just the idea of just creating it being perfect, like just getting stuff on paper just to try it out, was really important during this project because you needed to move at such a fast pace.”

Senior Sydney Beech also expressed similar sentiments about the project.

“While at USM, one of the most important skills I’ve learned is perseverance. Keep working hard even when things get tough, and you will be able to look back on those times or that project and be proud of yourself,” Beech said. “Moving on into the workforce is pretty scary, but I believe that USM and the graphic design program have eloquently prepared me for this next step.”

The seniors were able to take a step back and let people visit their work on display. Students and faculty from across the campus enjoyed the students’ work.

“I’m here because I’m very curious about graphic design in the sense that I’ve always known that communication is a power, but being able to communicate visually today is a superpower, and there clearly are some students here with some superpowers because they’ve done a great job of communicating some really great concepts in clear ways,” Director of Research Development and Scientific Entrepreneurship Henry Jones said.

Watch SM2 reporter Nathan Lee’s package on the graphic design showcase: