Design

Students in Professor Housefield’s Fall 2015 DES 001 “Intro. to Design” course began the quarter with a multi-step project that required them to work through the design process and submit one or more entries to a design competition sponsored by Capital Public Radio. For the “Print Radio” competition, designers responded to any of three words:

1. passione (passion)

2. avanti (innovation)

3. fresco (fresh)

Four Design students are contributing to the creation of a new cafe that will be staffed by differently-abled adults. Named “Mosaic Coffee & Tea,” this nonprofit venture is being spearheaded by the Davis Community Church, which will provide a space for the cafe on its downtown Davis campus. Mosaic will not charge its patrons a fixed amount for food and drinks, but simply, will ask them to “gift” what they can.

Last week, students from the department of Design visited six San Francisco design firms. The field trip was arranged by SEGD (Society for Experiential Graphic Design), and included visits to:

Media Objectives at VDTA
Gensler
Kate Keating Associates
Volume, Inc.
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP
Rapt Studio

On April 23, 2015, graduating design students had the opportunity to visit two well-respected design companies in San Francisco. The first stop was SY Partners, a consulting firm that works with CEOs of other companies to set “vision and strategy.” Students were welcomed with a presentation of a current project at SY Partners by Managing Creative Director Thomas Winkelmann and UC Davis design alumna Liz Sutton. 

UC Davis Design student Marissa Meier won the poster design competition this year for the UC Davis Farmers Market. Her fun, bright poster was chosen to notify people of the on-campus farmers market that’s happening on the North Quad on Wednesdays of spring quarter. Although you may see an altered version of Marissa’s work on the day of the farmers market, her original design is displayed here online.

Design alumna Charlotte Semmes is working toward her teaching credential to teach Art and Design at the high school level. At the moment she is completing her student teaching at George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences, a Waldorf-themed charter high school with an environmental and social justice pathway. Charlotte adds, “When I’m not at the high school or Sac State (which is 80% of my time) I’m at my sewing machine working on projects.”

Images from the 2018 Red Collection at the State Capitol in Sacramento. 

Anel Zarate, Design ‘15, received the 2014 SDA Creative Promise Award. The Creative Promise Award for Student Excellence is given once a year by the Surface Design Association to recognize excellence in a body of work by two outstanding students, one undergraduate and one graduate. Each student is awarded $750, which may be applied to tuition, materials, equipment, educational travel, or any other expenses related to professional development. In addition, the winner’s work is featured in an issue of the Surface Design Journal.

The Museum of Wonder & Delight, featuring the collections of Dolph Gotelli, will be opening soon in Historic Folsom. Gotelli, Design Professor Emeritus, is widely known for his collections of vintage Christmas objects, toys, dolls, and ephemera. Gotelli has designed many holiday exhibitions using his collections of dolls and toys in elaborately detailed tableaux that allow each viewer to imagine a personal story or memory. 

Leah Huntsinger, Design ’04, visited the White House on October 8th, 2014 with her employer, Christy Rilling Studio, a high profile tailoring and custom design Atelier/Agency. As part of her job, Leah works with celebrities, fashion magazines and production companies, fitting and tailoring clothes for events, advertisements and editorials. According to Leah, “we work with Vogue a lot, and I’ve done shoots with Glamour and WSJ magazine. I travelled in July with Tonne Goodman, of Vogue, to shoot October’s cover and photo spread of Reese Witherspoon in Nashville.