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The Flint Courier Teams With Students From GCI To Create New Masthead

Visual Digital Communications students at Genesee Career Institute (GCI), along with instructor Michael Crawford, created a new masthead for the Flint Courier News. Use the QR reader on your smartphone to be directed to our website. 

Visual Digital Communications students at Genesee Career Institute (GCI), along with instructor and design expert Michael Crawford, created a new masthead for the Flint Courier News.

“Working directly with The Courier as a client is exactly what I want my creative CTE students at GCI to experience.  Working with a real client, with a real need, within a real schedule. This professional workflow experience can best prepare them for additional post secondary training that can eventually lead to a great

career in any creative field,” said Crawford who has been teaching Visual Communications and Marketing at Genesee Career Institute (GCI) since 2002.

Crawford has continued over the years to create links with regional entrepreneurs, boot strap start-ups and non-profits who need professional-level identity and collateral pieces completed.

“Many non-profit clients we work with often do not have large budgets for good design. Our LinkLAB meets that need,” Crawford explained.

LinkLAB connects small teams of visual communication students with a business client in need of good design. The first meeting is for students to better understand the clients’ business and its target markets. The making of a design brief soon follows to document the exact work to be completed for the client. Then from thumbnail sketches students develop original comprehensives. Finally, digital designs are developed with client input and instructor critiques in between. Over the years, Crawford’s LinkLAB has served a variety of clients with logos, advertising, character development, brand support collateral, photography, illustration and packaging design.

Creation Corner is also part of the visual communications students’ experience at GCI. This is where final designs can be printed on large posters, shirts, banners, mugs, etc. In that space students learn about different print processes including vinyl, screen printing, digital printing and dye sublimation. Creation Corner printing and finishing services are also open to the public and PDF digital files are strongly encouraged to be sent to create@geneseeisd.org to receive additional information on hours, production capability and current pricing.

New clients are currently being vetted for the next LinkLAB.  If you, or a small business you know may benefit from good design, please contact Mr. Crawford directly to be considered for the 2019-20 school year at mcrawford@geneseeisd.org

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