AUK Successfully Concludes its Spring 2013 Senior Capstone Exhibition

The Art & Graphic Design Program (GDES) at AUK has successfully concluded its Spring 2013 Senior Capstone Exhibition on May 23rd. The exhibition, which was one of the largest in AUK history, witnessed a significant visitor turnout and was juried by renowned advertising experts.

Over a course of 3 days, the GDES Capstone Exhibition showcased the creative work of AUK students, reflecting their abilities to design concepts and develop themed campaigns on a wide variety of topics including, social and cultural awareness, corporate identity, health & safety, and national consciousness.

Under the supervision of AUK GDES professors, Maryam Hosseinnia and Rita Merheb Khair, the participating students were able to investigate a topic of their choice, research and analyze it, and come up with interesting communication tools, addressing their target audiences through the medium of Graphic Design. The displayed projects reflected a culmination of semester-long, self-initiated, and largely self-directed ideas implemented through diverse applications. The students were graded based on their creativity and presentation, their ability to conduct and use graphic design research strategy effectively, and their ability to plan and implement a compelling graphic design exhibition.

Held once a year in May, the Capstone exhibition brings together visitors from the field of graphic design, including experts from graphic design studios, publishing houses, film and video production companies, advertising, and multimedia firms. Hosseinnia sees this as an opportunity for Graphic Design majors to showcase their learning, talents and commitment to excellence all at once. "The students have worked hard for four years; this exhibition is their goal and their celebration," Hosseinnia said.

Amongst the projects that attracted visitors during this year's exhibition were project "Constitution Awareness Center" which aims to raise awareness on the constitution of Kuwait; and project "Clinic" that proposed creative ways to facilitate the operation of Kuwait's governmental clinics. Also featured during the exhibition were branding projects for "Failaka" and "The Kuwait Opera House".

As the exhibition concluded, Khair stressed in an interview with Al Watan TV that "the exhibition is an opportunity for students to present themselves, their creative capabilities, and their technical skills through a project in which they have utilized everything they have learned over the past four yours of study at AUK."

As one of the final year courses, the GDES Capstone course is designed to teach graduating students how to visualize the complex intersection between personal voice, conceptual understanding, and the use of research for a graphic design exhibition. According to Sharon Lawrence, Chair of the Department of Art and Graphic Design, "the Capstone is meant to be the culmination of four years of learning for our Graphic Design majors, showcasing their talents, abilities, and learning. I'm very pleased to say I think this is the best one yet. The faculty of Art and Graphic Design is constantly working to improve the learning environment for our students. This Capstone shows the hard work and earned expertise of our students as well."

Released by the Office of Public Affairs on the 28th May 2013