Special to The Randolph Guide
CNHI
ASHEBORO —
Just as it happens in the real world of work, when the Randolph Community College Advertising & Graphic Design students presented their logo designs (a fall semester class project) to the Randolph County Historic Landmark Preservation Commission last November, none of the designs were quite what the Commission was looking for.
So three of the second-year students – DeAna Ramirez, Jamie Kellis and Bryan Kennedy – decided to continue working with the commission on a volunteer basis to rework the designs and come up with some new ideas.
The students decided to meet with the commission members in groups of four or five to get a better idea of what the group was looking for in a logo. One of the earlier proposed logos had been developed based on the exterior of the historic 1909 Randolph County Courthouse.
“One commission member suggested we look at features inside the courthouse as inspiration for the logo instead of the outside,” said Ramirez. “There was a unique ceiling tin used in that courthouse. I started developing a new logo design based on that ceiling tin.”
The students also revised several of the logos that had been presented earlier, but when they presented the designs to the group in April, “the Commission members immediately went toward the new one,” said Ramirez. “They wanted to know if I could use blue on it. I had made it more monochromatic.”
Since the students were getting ready to graduate by then, Ramirez decided to continue the work on her own.
“I did three different versions with a blue background,” she continued. “I presented them on my own (at the May meeting) and they chose one, voted on it, and passed it. I was so excited. I’ve been waiting on this moment since last year.”
“Our Commission members were very impressed with the students from RCC,” said Hal Johnson, chairman of the Historic Landmark Preservation Commission. “They worked with us as a group as well as individually. It was a great learning process for them.”
Ramirez, 31, who graduated on May 12 with an associate in applied science degree in advertising and graphic design, is currently looking for a job near Asheboro.
Originally from Texas, she decided to enroll in college a few years ago when her mother was in the process of moving to Virginia.
“I was researching affordable schools along the East Coast when I saw the Web site for Randolph Community College,” said Ramirez. After reading more about the advertising and graphic design program, she said, “I was impressed.”
Not wanting to leave anything to chance, she researched the Asheboro area, too.
“I wanted to feel comfortable and safe moving here by myself,” she said. Since becoming an Asheboro citizen, “I have felt very accepted and very welcome,” she said. “If I can find a job close, I want to stay in Asheboro.”
In addition to her work for the Historic Landmark Commission, Ramirez completed a six-month internship with King’s English in Greensboro. “That’s longer than a regular internship because I wanted more experience,” she said. Ramirez has developed her own Web site, www.graphicninja.net, which includes her portfolio developed through her studies and internship work.
