Design class works to spread the news about H1N1

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 – Ann Claycombe

The H1N1 virus is all over the news – and all over America – this fall. But just because everyone’s heard of it doesn’t mean they know all the facts.  So Stan Anderson, an associate professor of graphic design at Georgia State University, decided to do something about it.

Anderson assigned the students in his fall-semester typography class to come up with their own public service announcements about the disease.

“They need to be good design citizens,” he said. “They need to give back. And there are so many rumors going around about H1N1.”

The students are all juniors and seniors working on their B.F.A. degrees in graphic design at the Ernest G. Welch School of Art and Design. All of them were chosen for their talent, having applied to get into their program at the end of their sophomore year.

The H1N1 project required them to come up with a message, a color palette, and a design. Every design had to include information about where go to for more information – typically the CDC web site. Finally, every project had to use letters and numbers as a central element of its design.

“They can make images with type, use it in other ways, but everything they do centers around type,” Anderson said.

The finished projects varied widely in message and design. Some students advocated for vaccines, while others asked viewers to wash their hands or stay home if sick.

One student worked the name of the virus into giant letters reading “THINK.” Another took basic information about the virus and re-worked the words into the shape of a giant syringe.

Anderson hopes to take the best posters and post photocopies all around campus. He and his students hope the striking images and helpful information might make an impact on the GSU student population.

“I thought we might make a difference,” Anderson said.