Students in the Introduction to Visual Rhetoric and Graphic Design course carried on the yearly stair riser design project this Fall. Rather than a traditional final exam, students create designs inspired by important works of literature. Those designs are then printed on vinyl and installed onto stairs in the E.W. King Library.
This year’s contributing students were Tiffany Bowers, Bri Carder, Fausto Crapiz, Che’ Davis, Tani Houston, and Kayla McCracken. Each student researches their chosen books to build understanding of the symbols and themes within them. From there, the design process involves direct feedback from King librarians. This ensures that students have the experience of an artist-client relationship before graduating. Students work from their source material, but the librarians’ needs also drive the design process.
Students designed stair risers for eleven classic works, including Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, and To Kill a Mockingbird. A donation from King alumna Nancy Clark allowed for printing the vinyl applied to the stair risers this year. The final designs were showcased in a reception event at the end of January, and are now displayed on the stairs by the west wall of the library.
