Students in the Advanced Creative: Media I class received real-world experience this past spring by designing graphics for the GET Longboards company in Grand Rapids, Mich.
MSU engineering senior Tyler Finses, whose family owns GET Longboards, came up with the idea for the project when he saw how advertising students had created designs for Burton Snowboards to celebrate the 2014 Winter Olympics.
In March, Finses contacted assistant professor Paula Storrer, who teaches ADV 326, to ask if her students could work on graphics for his family's business.
"The students were so excited to find out they were going to design graphics that would actually be used on longboards," Storrer said.
The 20 students who participated each created two designs over a two-week period for the company's Outlaw series, which includes The Revolver, The Spur and The Gunslinger style longboards.
The class presented a total of 40 designs, all of which GET Longboards plans to use.
"It is always a wonderful opportunity for students to work on client-based projects," Storrer said. "Students get real work experience and often fabulous projects for their portfolio."
GET Longboards already has released a few student designs on their longboards and plans to release all of them after the artist biography portion of the company's website is complete, which will feature the students who helped with the artwork.
The longboard graphics currently are on display in the first floor hallway of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences Building. A photo gallery of the designs also can be seen on the CAS website's Student Hub.
Meanwhile, the partnership between Storrer's advertising class and GET Longboards continues.
This summer, 17 students in the class are creating designs for three boards in GET Longboards' Road Rider series and plans are being made for this project to continue in the fall and future semesters as well.