Ryan Cook-
If you’re extraordinarily well-connected on the UW–Stout campus, then you likely know someone in just about every program. For the rest of us, there’s a lot about this university that we just don’t know about. From majors offered to exactly what goes on in them, there’s almost too much for the average student to wrap their heads around.
So let’s try to look at as much as we can, one by one. For many, Stout’s art programs were the reason they came here. Creative and talented student work is a mainstay at this university, and in no other program is that more prevalent than in Graphic Design. To learn more, I met with Anna Haggerty, who is a senior in the program.
The Graphic Design major at UW–Stout is incredibly flexible, and can be utilized in practically any field. “Web design, coding, package design, posters—everything you look at was graphically designed,” Haggerty said. “It had to be laid out in a certain way to get its message across.” There’s always a demand for someone who can design a website or a logo, and with our lives becoming more and more digital, Graphic Designers are becoming more important than ever.
Any students interested in pursuing a degree in Graphic Design should try and get involved on campus doing something related to their interests. Getting a job that incorporates elements of your major will be a huge help down the road, as that’s real-world experience that can’t be emulated in a classroom. There’s a lot to learn before getting into high-level projects like the one Anna is working on, but it’s definitely worth it. Varied courses and dedicated professors make Graphic Design a highly sought-after major.
For her Advertising Design class this semester, Anna has been working with actual clothing labels. I was deeply impressed with what I was shown: she has taken the Vans and Calvin Klein brands and created a fusion of high fashion and streetwear that has, in her words, “California and New York battling against each other.” It’s a semester-long endeavor to create examples of advertisements for existing or original brands that culminates in a presentation to an actual advertising company in the Twin Cities.
Throughout the semester, Anna will shift her focus from print media to digital media to outdoor applications and more. Her inspiration was a hometown mindset of “owning your street.” In order to get just the right grunge, limited-edition quality to her photography, Anna has opted to use disposable cameras as opposed to more high-end equipment. Along with the exact appearance of the photography, a lot of effort has been taken to make the models be as inclusive and diverse as possible.
If you’re interested in seeing Anna Haggerty’s work, you should definitely check out her website (annahaggerty.com) and attend the Senior Show later this spring! Anna is a very promising artist who definitely gives credit to Stout’s art programs.