Student Designer (CONT’D FROM PAGE 14)
solidified packaging as a career. “This is what I want to do, and there is a place for me in this field. RIT provides you with the best in technology and it’s huge going into a career. I had a co-op and they were surprised that I knew how to work equipment. This was something they usually had to teach interns. That’s already a huge advantage.” That advantage paid dividends. One business recently offered her a position, and she starts at Burt Rigid Box Inc., a paperboard packaging company, after graduation this May. Participating in the annual competition for 17 years, student-designers from the two colleges have consistently done well, taking multiple top placements for work devel- oping popular subscription boxes, video gaming consoles, fitness trackers, and hospitality services, said Lorrie Frear, Professor of Graphic Design in RIT’s College of Art and Design. “This interdisciplinary collaboration is a wonderful op- portunity for our students, and it is an honor for us to rep- resent RIT at the professional meeting. This experience represents what RIT does best; providing collaborative and experiential learning using professional scenarios and resources,” said Frear, one of the faculty members leading the Packaging Design course along with Carlos Diaz-Acos- ta, Associate Professor of Packaging in RIT’s College of Engineering Technology, with consultant Bill Wynkoop. Michelle Cometa is a Senior Communication Specialist at the Rochester Institute of Technology.
Boxes included markers, inspirational materials, and blank sheets of homemade “seed” paper to write personal sentiments during difficult times. The paper, consisting of flower seeds, could then be planted as remembrances.
Presenting entries in front of industry professionals is an essential part of the competition. This exposure at past competitions helped Fellner make connections for required co-ops. “I wouldn’t have met them otherwise,” she said. It also Student-designers from RIT’s College of Engineering Technol- ogy and College of Art and Design are finalists in the 2021-22 Paperboard Design Challenge, with a submission for a national nonprofit, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation.
16 January 10, 2022
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