The Kent State University Chapter of the American Institute for Graphic Artists (AIGA Kent) will host its first CreateAthon onCampus event Friday, Nov. 7, 2014.
Around 20 Kent State visual communication design, journalism and communication students will work together in small teams to develop pro bono design and marketing materials for local nonprofits in a "creative blitz." Students have 24 hours, from 9 a.m. Nov. 7 to 9 a.m. Nov. 8, to create and present their products to their clients in the Kent State library.
"I decided to get involved with the CreateAthon because it gave me the chance to benefit the Kent community while also doing something I'm passionate about," Rachel Kozy, junior VCD major and CreateAthon team lead said. "It's a great opportunity for students to get together, collaborate and create something beautiful and beneficial in the end."
CreateAthon is a nonprofit organization created to encourage communications students and professionals to aid other nonprofit organizations in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. In the 16 years since its founding, CreateAthon events have produced more than 3,500 projects, a $16.7 million market value.
Senior VCD major Jamie Lefevre discovered CreateAthon when she was browsing the web in 2013, and she sent a note to AIGA Faculty Adviser Jillian Coorey to ask if Kent State might be able to host an onCampus event.
"At the time, there were very few colleges that had hosted one, and I really liked the idea of Kent State being one of these pioneers," Lefevre said. "I have also noticed that there are very few short-term commitments available for design students, which becomes tricky due to the heavy workload of our major. I thought CreateAthon could be a nice fix for this."
Members of the Kent community are invited to visit the students in the library as they work, especially for the presentations at 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8.