Student Work in Animation, Graphic Design and Photography Fills Gallery 1313 With Inventive Techniques and Award-Winning Projects
The Department of Design’s annual student show, “Chroma,” once again brought together work from across the disciplines as students exhibited pieces in Gallery 1313 at West Campus. The show gives students the opportunity to display their work publicly, an important step in developing a professional practice and preparing for careers in creative industries. This year’s exhibition featured award-winning pieces by animation senior Skye Wei, graphic design junior McCray McClellan and photography junior Eva Lauritzen.
Wei’s animated short, titled “Thinner Thinner Thinner,” explores serious topics through carefully developed visual storytelling. She said she felt flattered by the recognition, especially after spending significant time refining the storyboard and settling on an art style that matched the tone of the piece. “The topic, the storyboard and the art style were hard to balance together,” she said. “I learned a lot by making the short and gained a deeper understanding of the topic.” Wei invited viewers to watch the completed animation to experience the full impact of the project.
McClellan’s winning work grew out of his interest in typography and 3D modeling. He said the recognition was exciting and that he looked forward to seeing the other student submissions in the gallery. His piece required him to experiment with new tools. “I had to learn a couple of new techniques in Cinema4D,” he said. “Once you have those pieces, the challenge is making sure the branding system can scale across more applications.” He said the project taught him the value of strong visual inspiration, especially within a quick turnaround.
Lauritzen’s three-part series, “Fresh,” “DVD” and “Birthday,” showcased a paint-based UV light process that allows for distinct color layering. She said she was shocked and grateful to see her work recognized after spending so much time refining it. “I am proud of the color corrections,” she said. “It is all about negatives and lining them up. Even the slightest misalignment would make the whole image look off, especially when working with people.” The process helped her discover a technique she hopes to use in future work.
For all three students, having their work displayed in “Chroma” marked an important milestone in their education. The show highlighted the range of media within the department and gave students the chance to share their creative growth with a wider audience.
