By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The Fort Hays State University Graphic Design program's annual exhibit is now on display at the Moss-Thorns Gallery on the FHSU campus.
The exhibit titled "Wabi Sabi" is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays until March 19.
The pandemic created some challenges for the students as they were forced to complete projects to create packaging materials via computer using the software Cinema 4D.
Sean Engler, a senior in graphic design from Wichita, used the software to create the packing for the fictional Harmony Wine. The logo was inspired by the the Chinese word for alcohol. Growing out of the symbol is a tree.
"The story is a made-up story," he said. "The producer's parents came over form China, and they used to work at the Temple of Heaven. They would use this berry that made a really good drink, so he created this wine off of it."
Engler said he did not have the physical objects to measure.
"I couldn't get the feel for the actual product in my hands," he said.
However, he said he enjoyed working in the 3-D space.
"With making stuff physically, there are a lot of limitations," he said. "But making stuff on the computer, you can do whatever you want to and whatever you need to without limitations."
Perla Medina, a senior in graphic design, created marketing materials for a gender-neutral personal care line.
"[Cinema 4D] was new to us, but it was honestly kind of fun and interesting," she said, "because you can do things here that you can't do by just printing it out and making it by hand. It is really nice to be able to do both."
Medina also has several posters included in the exhibit from the History of Graphic Design and the American Democracy Poster Series.
Bailey Werner, senior in graphic design from Plainville, created a brand of soaps that were sponsored by TV soap operas. Her work was inspired by her own love of soap operas. She hand drew vintage soap opera characters and included a soap character trading card in each box of soap.
Werner also has several posters in the exhibit from History of Graphic Design and the the Democracy Project Poster Series.
One of her posters depicts a limbo game between the Republican elephant and Democratic donkey with the tag line "How Low Can You Go?" Another has a "Wizard of Oz" theme with the tag line "Vote Like a Kansan." Yet another posters depicts a broken eagle with the tag line "Divided We Fall."
Werner created two book covers for "The Phantom of the Opera." She developed one cover using a ransom note as a theme. The other depicts an illustration using the "P" in phantom as inspiration. The front depicts the phantom heart's strings playing music. The back cover depicts those heart strings broken.
Paige Simpson, a senior in graphic design from Salina, created a fictional artist, Make Cooper, to promote her fictional office product line, Mark's Gestures Art and Office Supplies.
Simpson used mid-century modern shapes and bold colors. Each year Mark commissions an artist to create a limited-edition art print that is included with every purchase. More information on the artist can be accessed through a QR code in the packaging.
Alexis Zubik, junior in graphic design from Overland Park, has her 75 cent project in the exhibit. She repackaged tea light candles into a box that looks like a slice of pizza to inspire college students to purchase the candles for date nights. Behind each candle is cheesy pickup line.
Other students who have projects in the exhibit include Laura Krug, Tessa Simon, Emily Brecht, Tana Herreman, Codi Custer, Abigale Sorenson, Cadyn Dixon and Hanna Brooks.