Collaborations with 88Nine, Petfest offer real-world experiences to students

What do 88Nine Radio Milwaukee and Fromm Family Foods have in common?

Both organizations collaborated with MIAD Communication Design and Illustration classes on design projects this year.

“We look for ways to have students interact with the professional world, partnering with companies and nonprofit organizations to provide real-world experience,” says Dale Shidler, Chair of 2D/4D Design.

“Noodlebrain” wows 88Nine Radio Milwaukee

This past semester, both sections of Advertising Design, a junior Communication Design course taught by Professors Phil Belair and Tony Seaman, collaborated with 88Nine on campaigns using poster, print ad, social media, web and ambient advertising techniques.

The students presented their campaigns to the station’s marketing staff at 88Nine’s Walker’s Point studios.

88Nine staff crowned the campaign by “Noodlebrain,” a team comprised of students Kasey Hurst, Julien Wilks and Tony Holz, as the class winner. Aspects of the campaign will move forward in the fall, such as their stickers, poster designs and animated videos.

“It’s a new approach to how we express our brand, which is exciting for us. It’s colorful, it’s vibrant,” said 88Nine Marketing Director Alyssa Feuerer of Noodlebrain’s work.

Student Kasey Hurst appreciated receiving feedback and critiques from 88Nine. “Working with Radio Milwaukee has been such a positive opportunity and has allowed my peers and I insight on the type of teamwork and collaboration common throughout the professional design sphere,” she said.

Fromm Petfest to feature student designs

For Illustration students, a design competition sponsored by Fromm Family Foods offered a similar opportunity to gain real-world client and design experience.

Junior students taught by Professors John Matson and Ric Stultz created designs to produce Fromm’s fifth annual limited edition Petfest poster. They worked closely with Petfest staff to move their creative visions forward.

Brigid Malloy’s poster design was chosen as the winner, and will be promoted and sold at Fromm Petfest on September 22, 2018 on the Summerfest grounds.

Designs by Jessica Kuczynski and Sennessa Soukkaserm were chosen as honorable mentions. All student designs will be on view at Petfest.

Each year, MIAD collaborates with corporate and nonprofit partners on a variety of curricular projects to enhance students’ real-world experiences while providing invaluable intellectual property and products to our partners. Projects span all majors. IN addition to 88Nine and Petfest, recent partners have included Boelter, Colectivo Coffee, Delta Faucet, Kimberly Clark, Master Lock and the Petit National Ice Center.