Farmingdale State College (FSC) Visual Communications’ students shared new ways of finding restaurants, accessing music, locating humanitarian organizations, and other tools for everyday life at the 2023 Senior Project Expo in the Memorial Art Gallery this spring.
Projects by 22 members of the Class of 2023, who majored in Graphic Design and Interaction Design, showcased the design, construction, and description of products or applications related to their major. Students spent their senior year planning and executing the projects. Not only did students get to display their talents to the campus, but the projects also served as three-dimensional portfolios for potential employers.
“It’s like an expo meets a trade show,” said Memorial Gallery Director Beth Giacummo, who curates the placement of displays in the Gallery. Over the years numerous students have landed jobs from employers who toured the displays.
Among this year’s projects were a food subscription service for children that helps them create well-balanced meals; a platform to help people chart their career paths; another one to help potential donors find humanitarian organizations around the globe; and a means to access live music from virtual reality.
Expectations are high. “We’re looking at the quality of work; it has to be the best thing they have ever done,” said Jack Harris, Chair and Associate Professor of Visual Communications. “We’re looking for something significant that encompasses the work they’ve done throughout their academic career, which includes branding, advertising, and three-dimensional design.”
As part of the assignment, students produce hard-cover books, which describe their plan, preliminary work, and outline the process over two semesters. They also create branded merchandise as well as posters. “We try to impress upon them the need to pick something they are passionate about, that they can connect with, or they will not want to work on it for a full year,” explained Kimberly Wild, Assistant Professor of Visual Communications.
Some students focused on solutions to real problems. Carol Sung, Class of 2023 Valedictorian and an Interaction Design major, created “Let's Eat,” a connected mobile round table display that brings visitors to New York City’s Chinatown restaurant community. It was developed to help revitalize the community following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Others addressed more personal needs. Aasin A. Thomas, an Art and Graphic Design major who is now a lead designer for Golden Label Collection, created a proposal for Focus, an interior design company that transforms traditional classrooms into more inspirational spaces. He was motivated by his “struggles in an environment that failed to nurture my creative growth as a designer and artist,” said Thomas. His father’s belief in the effect of surroundings on creativity inspired his work. “His words somehow urged me to create a modern sanctuary that fosters concentration and sparks inspiration for all student creativity,” he said. The most exciting aspect of the senior project was developing the classroom space, he added.
There was no shortage of praise from department members. “I absolutely love the senior project class,” said Wild. “I’m so proud of how hard they work.”
“I’m always impressed with what they come up with; you get to see them shine,” said Giacummo.
Enjoy all the senior projects Senior Project Virtual Expo presented by the students from FSC Visual Communications Department (farmingdale.edu)
View more photos from the event on our Flickr Gallery.
