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Design Students Donate Their Time and Talents to Help Morris Plains Museum

Art Directors Club of NJ Presents Real-Life Challenge to Students

South Orange, New Jersey: Each year the Art Directors Club of New Jersey Design (ADCNJ) organizes a statewide competition that is open to all design students enrolled at New Jersey colleges and universities.

Hosted by Seton Hall University on Saturday, November 1, the 2008 Design Derby welcomed a total of 14 teams for an intensive competition of creative minds. Student teams participated from The College of New Jersey, County College of Morris, Kean University, Montclair State University, New Jersey City University, Ramapo College, and Seton Hall University.

The challenge for these student teams this year was to design a logo, poster, and brochure concepts for the Morris Plains Museum, a nonprofit organization that preserves the history of Morris Plains with a collection of artifacts, records, and documents, as well as showcasing various exhibits. Located at 51 Jim Fear Drive in Morris Plains, New Jersey, this Museum is open on Saturdays from 10 AM to 2 PM. For more information, call 973-683-1089.

Following a three-hour work session, each team presented their designs for peer review and judging by the leadership of the Morris Plains Museum. The team from Ramapo College of New Jersey was selected as creating the top designs for the Morris Plains Museum.

“The students gain real-world experience while propelling a nonprofit organization forward,” said Christine Krus, Assistant Professor of Graphic

“It’s unbelievable how hard these students worked in this Design Derby],” stated ADCNJ Education Council Member Nikki Pedersen, who created the ADCNJ Design Derby and has served a leadership role for all 14 ADCNJ Design Derby competitions to date.

“For many of these design students, this Design Derby is the beginning of the competition they will face in their careers,” said James Smith, who serves a leadership role on the ADCNJ Board of Trustees. “Team work is the key. The ADCNJ Design Derby introduces design students to the Art Directors Club of New Jersey, which provides opportunities for creative professionals to network and learn what others are doing.”

“This is a big accomplishment for our team,” said Jessica Feldman, who is a member of the winning team from Ramapo College.

“We were confident in our concept,” added Samantha DeAngelis, also a design student on the winning team from Ramapo College. “We had a long discussion about our ideas first. We did not argue about it. Then we were able to put it together.”

“This recognition is very exciting for these students,” said Bonnie Blake, Associate Professor of Design and Interactive Media at Ramapo College of New Jersey’s School of Contemporary Arts. “These students have worked hard all year long.”

“We appreciate all of the ideas that were generated by these students today,” said Daniel Myers, who along with Michelle Schulz and Veronica Kelly from the leadership of the Morris Plains Museum served as judges of the competition. “We want the community to know about the Morris Plains Museum and all it has to offer. These students worked hard to come up with a wide range of ideas that can draw people into our museum.”

The Art Directors Club of New Jersey is a statewide, nonprofit organization of art directors, graphic designers, illustrators, photographers, art educators, and other creative professionals dedicated to excellence in the communications arts. Its mission is to promote outstanding work in visual communications.

TOP DESIGN: DESIGN STUDENTS FROM RAMAPO COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY WIN THE 2008 ADCNJ DESIGN DERBY! (from left to right): Bonnie Blake, Associate Professor of Design and Interactive Media, with design students Glen Rosenthal, Courtney Lang, Mollie Stern, Jessica Feldman, Melissa Feldman, Samantha DeAngelis, Jacob Stephens, and James Howell pose with their winning designs. [Photo by Susan Pedersen] click for larger image