Ferris State University Graphic Design senior students will be lighting up urban spaces
in Big Rapids with building projections on Tuesday, Oct. 4 beginning at 8:30 p.m.
The projections will reflect a message about a specific unused building in order for the community to learn about the facility’s history and purpose. The projections will take place at four Big Rapids locations, including the former El Burrito Restaurant, located at 804 North State Street from 9:30 to 10 p.m.; the former Ford car dealership property, located on 1400 Northland Drive from 8:30 to 9:15 p.m.; an empty building at 720 North State Street next to Pennzoil, from 9:30 to 10 p.m.; and Hillcrest Elementary School, at 501 Bridge Street from 8:30 to 9:15 p.m.
William Culpepper, assistant professor in Ferris’ Graphic Design program and advisor for AIGA Photo Collective said, “The goal is to garner interest … these projections are visually interesting and stimulating.”
Each student participating in this project selected a building and researched the history of the current urban space. The students had the freedom to plan the creative message they wanted to display as part of their project.
Culpepper said that the students will hand out questionnaire cards to people who pass by in hopes to discover how many times bystanders have seen the building. They will also be looking for future recommendations of how to use “graphic design for the greater good” of the buildings.
Graphic Design senior Lynn Overmyer said that those who view the “Emotionally Resonant and Graphik Intervention” exhibit in the Rankin Art Gallery, which runs Sept. 29 to Oct. 1, can see how Big Rapids has evolved over the years.
“Big Rapids is more than a college town. Its community is full of rich history and has continually evolved to meet the residents’ needs,” Overmyer said.
She noted that AIGA focuses on skills students need to stay on top of current trends in technology and design.