Graphics of the Americas Trip 2017

March 15, 2017

ClemsonGC at the Graphics of the America Conference. From left to right; Kendra Murphy, Dr. Charles Weiss, Christine Phillips, Marcus Wilson, Devan Book, Sara Martinez, Ryan Wilson, and Anne-Davis Shaw.

During the wee hours of Wednesday, February 15, 2017, seven students, led by Dr. Charles Weiss departed for Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to represent Clemson University’s Graphic Communications program at Graphics of the Americas, a three-day conference designed for printers, publishers, buyers, and creative minds to interact and showcase their products and skills. A brand new experience for nearly all seven students in attendance, this exposition opened doors to a plethora of networking skills and industry knowledge we, otherwise, would not have been able to gain. Not only were students able to participate as spectators in awe of the advanced technology surrounding them, but they were also given the opportunity to educate industry representatives by discussing the Clemson Graphic Communications’ internship program and by talking directly to companies about the Graphic Communications program at Clemson. With Clemson Football’s recent national title, a myriad of people were immediately drawn to our orange-clad booth, assuaging any attempt to invite reluctant bystanders to hear about our program. “I was amazed by the amount of companies and industry leaders that were genuinely interested in what we did as a program and wanted to be involved with us in some way,” said student Devan Book.

In addition to the communication skills gained through explaining our program, students were also able to sit in on a few informative presentations relevant to topics in our industry. Student Anne-Davis Shaw spent time listening to a presentation about mailing promotions titled “Irresistible Technology Integrated with Mailing Solutions” and said, “It was interesting to hear statistics and facts connecting Millennials with direct mail—for example, 74% of Millennials still scan mail, making their demographic the largest to do so. This came as a shock to me, especially since Millennials are typically defined by their digital ethos. As someone interested in pursuing a position amongst paper products after graduation, this knowledge came as a relief to me. I also heard details about many topics that have been covered in my GC classes, such as AR, QR codes, and dual video, so it was interesting to connect these ideas outside of the classroom.” Another presentation that a few of the students sat in on was presented by one of Clemson’s very own Marketing graduates, Sara Shumpert. She works for The Packaging School now and gave a presentation on the psychology and perception of package design. “Sara delivered a very interesting presentation that was very relevant to the Graphic Communications industry. She described how our brains work and where our eyes are directed when we look at packages; this is a study that is done by eye tracking. I thoroughly enjoyed listening because humans don’t always realize why they are attracted to certain designs and this helps package designers understand how they can create packages that will appeal to people,” says student Kendra Murphy.

This was a real opportunity for students to exercise their networking muscles. All seven students have are glad they had the opportunity to go on this trip to learn more about the printing industry and be able to network. As a group of seven graduating seniors Clemson GC was really representing the future of the industry. Many companies are seeking fresh minds and voices, and Clemson University’s Graphic Communications is a great resource for those companies. People approached our booth not knowing exactly what to expect from a group of students at a trade expo, but quickly learned how a partnership with the Clemson GC community could be advantageous for all involved. “In addition to making a great professional connection that I am hoping will lead to a job, I had the great opportunity of speaking with Patricia of BPO who expressed interest in using Clemson GC students and recent alumni as a resource for her Millennial Mashup blog,” reflects Christine Phillips. “The biggest take away for me was talking to all of the industry professionals and getting the inside scoop on what new is happening. Direct to garment printing is something that I had never heard of and the useful possibilities for this technology are endless and I hope to see more of it out in the industry.” said Ryan Hinson.

All in all it was a very successful trip for all of the students involved.