To
West Virginia University design students, a t-shirt is much more than just
an article of clothing.
Earlier this semester, students from WVU’s graphic design and
fashion, dress and merchandising programs joined an elite group of designers
from five universities to compete in the Student Design League.
Powered by Robin Ruth, an international casual lifestyle and traveler’s brand, the unique competition was created to empower student designers and give them a chance to showcase their talents.
Students from WVU, Auburn University, Florida State University, University of Alabama, University of Arkansas, and University of Tennessee worked to create a unique shirt or hat design that embodies their perceptions of school spirit and pride.
The top four designs from each university will be made available for public vote Nov. 14-20. Students are competing for the chance to intern at Robin Ruth, to have their designs produced and made available for sale in 2017, and to raise money for their programs.
Finalists from WVU are:
• Michael Brazeau, a graphic design student from Greensboro, North Carolina
• Lindsey McGreevy, a fashion, dress and merchandising student from Keyser, West
Virginia
• Austin Rupp, a graphic design student from Bunker Hill, West Virginia
• Moniesha Wright, a graphic design student from Ranson, West Virginia.
Each student went through his or her own unique, creative process to create a design that truly embodied WVU and what it means to be a Mountaineer.
“When I think of school pride, I think of all the people who love that they get to experience something such as West Virginia University,” Brazeau said. “If you have ever heard of the saying ‘you can feel it in the air’ that’s where I got the saying ‘it resides within the trees.’ It is not just within us, but since the school has been around for so long, pride resides within the nature that surrounds us.”
For McGreevy, being part of the Student Design League is more than showcasing Mountaineer pride. It’s about demonstrating talent.
“I feel incredibly excited,” she said. “It’s unbelievable that there is the potential that I could end up seeing people walking around in something that I designed, and I haven’t even graduated yet. It’s an amazing opportunity and I can’t wait to see which design gets picked!”