Monday, June 16, 2014
Staff report
warren
Youngstown Design Works, a new agency run by Youngstown State University graphic and interactive design students, will run a Pop-Up Design Shop on June 23 to 27 in Warren to assist businesses with a variety of creative needs, from new logos and websites to advertising and branding materials.
The shop, a collaboration of YDW, the Warren Business Exchange and Warren Redevelopment and Planning, will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 124 N. Park Ave. in downtown Warren. Up to a dozen YSU students will participate, offering design services for Warren area nonprofit organizations, small businesses and startup companies.
R.J. Thompson, YSU assistant professor of graphic and interactive design and director of YDW, said he hopes to replicate the Pop-Up Shop concept in other Mahoning Valley locations.
“This a tremendous example of how the university can provide practical, real-world experience for our talented students while simultaneously engaging with and helping local businesses and organizations with their creative design needs,” he said.
Bryan DePoy, dean of the YSU College of Creative Arts and Communication, added, “Youngstown Design Works is a great example of how the arts at YSU are hard at work to support our business community.”
Launched earlier this spring by the YSU Department of Art, YDW offers for a nominal fee an array of services to the business community throughout the Mahoning Valley, from banners, catalogs, postcards and stickers to websites, QR codes, Google analytics and company branding. Since opening, YDW students have been involved in two major projects — the rebranding of the Salem Public Library and brand development for the Cameroon Football Development Program, a nonprofit organization based in Pittsburgh and Cameroon, Africa.
The Pop-Up Shop is designed to take YDW on location in Warren.
“Participating businesses will gain affordable yet dynamic visual assets that will allow them to either completely redefine their brand identity, revitalize their competitive efforts regionally and online, or allow their startup to gain the recognition it needs to become successful,” Thompson said.
For information or to schedule an appointment at the Shop during the week of June 23, visit www.youngstowndesignworks.com.
In the fall, YDW will move into new offices in Smith Hall on the YSU campus.
“The space is intended to mirror the hip, aesthetic-driven, creative atmosphere one would find if they were visiting an established design firm, but to also be a bit of a war room with the ability to conduct workshops, hold meetings and engage in the creative process,” Thompson said.