未来的创意
Whenever she designs a logo or advertisement, Samantha “Sam” Kolodziej ’22 aims to evoke an emotional response in her audience through clean lines, 大胆的配色, 自然运动. For her, the perfect design is one that transforms an idea into reality.
“My designs tend to be simple and lighthearted,” says the 平面设计 毕业于马萨诸塞州欧文分校. “I love seeing people’s reactions. They tell me that I’m on the right path in life.”
Sam was drawn to the digital arts because they offer creative freedom. She finds inspiration in Art Deco, known for its striking colors and clean geometric patterns. The work of Saul Bass, the renowned designer and filmmaker, also shapes her thought process.
“I didn’t think 平面设计 was my passion until I got angry at the font choice on a professional poster,山姆说.
Camaraderie, Not Competition
Sam chose Elms because it “checked all the boxes,” including being close to home and offering small class sizes. But it was the people in the 平面设计 program itself that emboldened her to find her artistic voice.
“I feel like at other schools, peers are constantly pitted against each other in competition,”她说。. “At Elms, there’s none of that feeling. The positive environment created by all of these designers is one of the biggest appeals of the program.”
The same goes for life outside of the classroom, too. “You meet and become friends with people across the board. I think that’s something Elms really has to offer.”
校园创新
Sam is a two-time participant in the 榆树创新挑战赛, an annual competition that invites students from all majors to collaborate and find solutions to pressing social, 政治, 经济问题. 作为一个平面设计专业的学生, Sam volunteered her talents to create slide decks and visual prototypes that communicated her teams’ ideas. The experience was invaluable, she said, since it mirrors real world client-vendor relationships.
“I had maybe a day to take an idea that my group came up with, and find an efficient way to convey it visually,”她说。. “I would design, and then get real time feedback on what I should change or add.”
“I was also designing something for someone else, rather than working in class, where the thought process is all mine,她补充道。. “I gained experience similar to real life.”
把它们放在一起
Much like college students across the nation, Sam’s experience at Elms went through a radical shift due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the fall 2020 semester, she chose to complete her coursework entirely online, regularly Zooming into class discussions with her peers. Despite being physically distant from campus, she says that she is grateful for the extra time with her family.
With a year and a half ahead of her before graduation, Sam acknowledges that she has a lot of ground to cover before deciding on her career path. 目前来看, 然而, she intends to work in the marketing industry, with aspirations of becoming a senior 平面设计er one day.
Despite the uncertainty characterizing the world for the time being, one thing remains constant for Sam: her love of 平面设计.
“我高三了, and I feel more confident than ever that I made the right decision about my future.”