TCU graphic designers dare to grow

A series of posters ranging from contemporary to eclectic compositions lined the walls in the Moudy Gallery in December, each stamped with the creative mark of their designer.

An onlooker admired the aesthetics of each piece, noticing the details of the works under the showroom lights.

But what many gallery patrons didn't realize was the hours of research and years of work that went into creating the compositions.

“They [designers] aren’t picking colors just because they like them or it's pretty. They pick colors because they're actually trying to communicate a particular idea or message or feeling. Before they ever sit down and start choosing imagery and color and typography, they actually create the brand story first. Based on that, they move forward into executing the design to communicate the brand story in the best possible way,” said Dusty Crocker, a professor of professional practice in the TCU Department of Design.

This group of 11 all-female, graphic design Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students spent an entire semester editing and polishing the work they amassed since beginning the four-year program.

The senior showcase — a design program tradition — is a chance for designers to display a collection of their work that stands to represent who they are as a designer and highlights their talents.

It's also a celebration, as the students prepared for their graduation in December.

The coalescence is one that BFA students also recognize as evidence of instructors once again challenging their students to reach new heights in the competitive program.

“If you would've seen the stuff I did in my intro classes and all of my classmates - you wouldn't think that we could be where we are now, but they [the staff] saw the potential in us and gave us a chance and worked us really hard to get that designer out that they knew was in us,” said Caroline Broadus, a BFA graphic design major who graduated in December 2021.

Students are individually chosen to get accepted into the BFA program, which focuses more on career preparation in the graphic design field compared to the BS in design studies offered at TCU.

The BFA in graphic design “prepares graduates to enter the workforce as designers and/or art directors upon graduation,” according to TCU’s Department of Design.

It's also both notorious and renowned for its rigor.

Students must take courses in typography, advertising, packaging, corporate identity, editorial, web and interactive media and two capstone classes: Portfolio & Marketing and Senior Thesis.

“We were chosen to be in this program, not everyone was. People didn't get accepted. The teachers see something in us and have hope in us and are encouraging us to get to this point that they believe that we can get to,” said Broadus.

_{(All photos courtesy of TCU graphic design department)}

Teamwork: The seniors worked closely throughout the semester to build a campaign to promote the show in December. (Photo courtesy of TCU's graphic design BFA's website https://graphicdesignseniorshow.tcu.edu/)
Teamwork: The seniors worked closely throughout the semester to build a campaign to promote the show in December. (Photo courtesy of TCU's graphic design BFA's website https://graphicdesignseniorshow.tcu.edu/)

Preparing for the senior showcase begins with design professor Jan Ballard.

Each senior takes Portfolio & Marketing, a capstone class taught by Ballard.

Ballard's been at TCU since 1986 and has witnessed it grow into one of the top-ranking design schools in the country, landing in the top 10% at 31 out of 562 schools according to College Factual.

The semester-long Portfolio & Marketing class is dedicated to combing the collection of work of students and deciding what to display in the showcase.

“It is supposed to showcase their breadth of work that they do at the university," said Ballard.

Ballard consults with students on their portfolio of work, helping them choose their strongest pieces and what to expand and reimagine.

A "delicate balance," described Ballard, goes into the process of choosing one digestible collection from four years of work.

Ballard doesn't make decisions lightly. BFA graduates have had a 100% placement rate over the past four years.

Her goal is to analyze each student and help them emphasize their skills to employers.

“If they're not great [at] advertising, I may not show that. I want to show a little bit of that, but that's not going to be their strength. If they're an excellent illustrator, I want to highlight that to employers. So we start out doing that and then work through the semester, knocking off each case study in terms of what their strengths are and at the same time, they're working on their thesis project,” said Ballard.

Bachelor of Fine Arts: The degree plan is esteemed within the Department of Design and accepts a select number of students each year into the program. In 2021, there are 11 graduating seniors. (Photo courtesy of the @tcugraphicdesignshow Instagram)
Bachelor of Fine Arts: The degree plan is esteemed within the Department of Design and accepts a select number of students each year into the program. In 2021, there are 11 graduating seniors. (Photo courtesy of the @tcugraphicdesignshow Instagram)

Senior Thesis is a capstone class that seniors take in conjunction with Portfolio & Marketing. The final product of the work done in both classes is hung in the Moudy Gallery for the senior showcase.

Ballard leaves a spot for each student’s finished work, completed under the guidance of Crocker.

The students think of an idea for a company or project and develop it over the semester, conducting design research that involves analyzing case studies of projects or companies that are similar to the ones they've picked.

After laying the foundation for their company, students create everything from the business model to colors, imagery, advertising, social media and a thesis booklet to detail their research and decision-making process.

Like Ballard, Crocker is focused on preparing his students for the world beyond TCU’s campus. He requires the seniors to present their project in front of a panel of industry professionals who give a grade that he averages into the students’ final grade.

“It's quite a bit of pressure for them, but it's a way to both showcase the work that they do to the industry and to also sort of polish the diamond a little bit,” said Crocker.

“I think that a lot of times people think graphic design is just making things pretty and it's really not. More and more in the professional world, designers are called into the beginning concept meetings because they are - if they're in a program like ours, they are skilled in doing the background research that they need to do in order to make good decisions, good business decisions, not just design decisions, but good business decisions,” said Crocker.

Photo courtesy of TCU graphic design department

Developing designers

The TCU BFA graphic design program prides itself on developing designers who leave with a comprehensive knowledge of all avenues in design and can also confidently defend their design decisions through research.

“They really enforce a well-rounded education. I don't necessarily want to do publication design or web design, but I have experience in that so if I had to, I could. I didn't know what I wanted to do coming in so it was really important for me to kind of have a taste of everything, and now I know I want to do branding,” said Michaela Bollinger, who graduated with a BFA in graphic design in December.

Becoming a designer who's competent in all fields and secure in their choices does not come without challenges: competition, long hours and sacrifices are all a part of the path to a successful career in design.

“The entire BFA graphic design program is about preparing you for a career because it is so cutthroat. Even compared to when we started, it has gotten that much more competitive because people are hearing about us and they want to be part of the program,” said Alexia Montana, a BFA graphic design fall graduate.

The competitive nature of the program stems from the early stages of the graphic design students’ college career where the students vie with each other for the coveted BFA spots. However, as their time at TCU came to an end, the group of 11 acted more as a team than as competitors.

“We don't need to compete anymore. We've made our statement and we know we are here for a reason,” said Broadus.

The select group of students functioned like a design agency throughout the semester as they worked on the senior showcase. Each designer took on a different role, one they might like to pursue after graduating, to promote the showcase as a unit.

The students were in charge of everything from copywriting to making websites, posters, graphics and social media content for the event, which opened Dec. 6, 2021. Opening night of the showcase was reserved for agency executives and leaders who had helped fund the program’s gallery exhibition.

“A lot of this work we haven't even seen in print yet because of COVID, so not only being able to just put everything up on the walls but seeing the work printed on paper and hung up on a gallery — it was so fulfilling,” said Montana.

“We had that moment where we all looked at each other and we were like, 'Oh my God, we did it. We got here, we completed the program.' It was really rewarding considering the past few semesters, especially,” said Montana.

The BFA degree track is not for the faint of heart. Succeeding in the program requires unwavering dedication, self-motivation and thick skin that is built through years of honest feedback that holds no punches.

“In the Neeley School of Business, say you take a test and you get an A, that's not negotiable. You got an A. But with design, it's subjective, so not everyone is going to like it,” said Montana.

“My skin is so thick now. If someone looked at my work and said ‘I don't think it works,’ I'm able to be like, 'Okay, let me tell you why it does work,' rather than being like, 'Well if you don't think it works then I don't want to deal with you' or taking it personally,” said Montana.

The presentation to the panel in Crocker’s Senior Thesis class is one of the final trials the seniors must face as they prepare to enter the real world.

“After they offered us the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree plan, the presentation was something that we were thinking about," said Broadus. "We've known from day one, that idea has always been, you know, kind of intimidating,” said Broadus.

Ballard and her Portfolio & Marketing course play a large role in equipping the seniors with the tools to stand in front of industry professionals and answer tough, detail-oriented questions.

During the semester Ballard brought three professionals who ran through 10-minute speed interviews with each senior to analyze the portfolio they have been editing through the semester.

“I think it calms the nerves when they get out and they're talking about their portfolio. We're pretty well known for our students being able to verbally present their work and having thick skin. If someone doesn't like your work, it's not a personal attack. It's creative, but it's not creative personal expression so they're used to being questioned from day one in the program. It's not what you like. It's how it works,” said Ballard.

Senior Thesis: Caroline Broadus created a business called 'Heirloom' which is a new take on Bed and Breakfasts. (Madyson Buchanan/Staff Writer)

Portfolio & Marketing: Alexia Montana displayed her work "Cocktail Guru," which she created earlier in her career at TCU. She worked on it through the semester with the help of Jan Ballard and industry professionals to prepare it for the showcase. (Madyson Buchanan/Staff Writer)

Opening night: Michaela Bollinger poses with her display at the senior show on Dec. 6, 2021. Her passion for movies inspired her to include films like Harry Potter and The Rocky Horror Picture Show in her work. (Madyson Buchanan/Staff Writer)

Prairie Land: Madison Jones, a BFA graphic design fall 2021 alumna, featured her Senior Thesis project and booklet at the showcase. The booklet displayed her research and design decisions. (Madyson Buchanan/Staff Writer)

Kirsten McFarlan, a BFA graphic design fall 2021 alumna, is considered the research queen among her peers. Much of the work McFarlan featured in the show was inspired by Western culture. (Photo by Madyson Buchanan)

Dinosaur Highlighter: Bollinger created a dinosaur highlighter for a class called Package Design. She, along with other students, chose to feature their work from the class in the show. (Madyson Buchanan/Staff Writer)

Tough love

While seniors are open about the intense workload and tough love shown by professors and instructors in the graphic design department, they also sing the praises of the educators who saw their potential from day one.

"BFA Graphic Design seniors are hard at work on their exhibition announcement poster and website. The exhibition will showcase the portfolio work of 11 graduating BFA seniors. Stay tuned. #noweekendsoff #portfoliogrind @tcugraphicdesignshow.' (Photo courtesy of @tcudesign on instagram)
"BFA Graphic Design seniors are hard at work on their exhibition announcement poster and website. The exhibition will showcase the portfolio work of 11 graduating BFA seniors. Stay tuned. #noweekendsoff #portfoliogrind @tcugraphicdesignshow.' (Photo courtesy of @tcudesign on instagram)

“They (the instructors) really push us hard. There were times where I'm like, 'I hate how hard they're pushing me and how much work they're giving me',” said Broadus.

Meanwhile, Broadus also credited her teachers with motivating her and her classmates at times when they felt like they might not belong in the program. Remembering that the department saw something special in them gave them hope.

“The whole faculty pick who's in the program and they believed in us from an early age when we hadn't really proven ourselves yet. They saw the potential in us to get somewhere and they saw our work ethic and they saw our drive and they saw our dedication to design, even though we still didn't really know we were doing,” said Broadus.

Bollinger regarded the faculty in the design department as caring and thoughtful. As a first-year student, she came in intimidated and unsure of her skills, but as a senior, she exudes gratitude to her teachers for giving her and her peers equal opportunities and the tools to make beautiful things.

“They're amazing. I love them. They really want to see us succeed, especially in this class with Jan. She asked at the very beginning what we want to do and where we want to work and where we want to go. Throughout the semester, she's sending each of us as individuals job application positions on LinkedIn and Instagram that are tailored to what we want to do. They care about us so much,” said Bollinger.

For Montana, the reason she joined the design program is that a professor in an intro class noticed her talent and encouraged her to pursue the degree. When she was invited to the BFA program, she dropped her marketing major and focused solely on a graphic design major.

“The professors are one of my favorite parts of the entire program to be completely honest,” said Montana.

“I definitely think I've always been creative, but I didn't know where to fit. I'm not the best at drawing. I'm not the best at anything, but I feel like I've been able to kind of hone in on what I love, which is I love being creative and fun and bright and vibrant. But the TCU program showed me that I can do that in a way that is going to apply to a very used and niche skill. I can have a career and do what I love, which is just being creative however that may show,” said Montana.