Department of Design programs collaborate on semester project

This semester, upper-level students in the Graphic Design and Interior Design programs have teamed up on retail design projects to experience real world professional collaboration.

Through a partnership with Dallas design firm CallisonRKTL, students were given hypothetical retail industries and charged with creating the brand and the design of a store. This year, the assigned categories were a cosmetics store, a tattoo parlor and a donut shop.

Eight students in instructor Jan Ballard’s Professional Recognition for Graphic Designers course worked with the interior design students to create the brand look and feel for the retail concepts. Representatives from CallisonRKTL chose a first, second and third place winner for the brands through a juried process.

• First place: Liberated Ink (Junior Liz Ireland, BFA Graphic Design)
• Second place: Vous Cosmetics (Senior Hannah Chalfant, BFA Graphic Design)
• Third place: Iris Ink (Senior Chelsea Chase, BFA Graphic Design)

“I really enjoyed this experience and interaction because it felt like true client work,” said Ireland. “We spent time discussing what energy and vibe [my interior design peers] wanted the direction to be, which led to rebellion. I found this to be a great link to self-expression, thus the name Liberated Ink came to life.”

This is the sixth year that CallisonRKTL has worked with the interior design program on this project and the second year that the graphic design program has participated. Interior design students will use the branding to help inform their interior design work through the end of the semester.

“Creating a partnership between CRTKL and TCU is beneficial to both parties,” said Josh Petty, senior associate vice president at CallisonRKTL. “One, it benefits the students by having real life professional critiques and to understand the process. It also benefits us as an employer to see perspective candidates that will be in the work force soon. It is exciting to see such a talented group of people producing great work!”