A popular Elkins business will soon feature the artwork of two Davis & Elkins College students. Graphic designs by senior Jake Bice of Bridgeport and junior Raven Hedrick of Upper Tract were chosen by Beander’s for inclusion in promotional materials.
The selections came about as D&E Adjunct Instructor in Art Desire Watson was looking to freshen up the branding presence at her family’s business and asked Instructor of Digital Media Macy Jackson for assistance. In turn, Jackson set up a competition among students in her Digital Media class.
“Desire came to our class and talked about Beander’s – the business and its history – and brought some items with the logo to show the students,” Jackson explained. “She gave them some ideas for the look and feel she wanted for the new logo. Then, it was the students’ job to take the abstract concept and put it into a concrete design.”
Bice incorporated a mountain range based on one of his photographs of the local area for one of his designs and included elements from Beander’s current logo for another. Hedrick’s design features the shape of West Virginia with a tie-dyed effect to represent a carefree, relaxed feel.
The process took several weeks to complete and included idea exchanges with Watson.
“Macy always does a great job of providing students with real world experiences that help you learn what it’s like to work with a client, and this was a great example of that,” said Bice, who is a computer science major with minors in marketing and digital media. “The real reward was the experience.”
The Davis & Elkins College Digital Media minor merges print design and interactive media to provide hands-on courses that allow students to consistently nurture and grow skills in graphic design, visual communication, branding, interactive digital environments, video and animation production, and 3D design through professional grade design programs and online tools.
Davis & Elkins College Senior Jake Bice displays one of his winning logo designs that was selected by Beander’s.
Raven Hedrick applied a tie-dyed effect to the shape of West Virginia and gained recognition for her artwork from Beander’s.
