On June 23rd, the Niswonger Foundation brought their CareerConnect students to the computer lab in Create Appalachia’s Center for Art & Technology, where they worked on personal logos, resume templates, and other projects related to their individual personal brands. Create Appalachia and the CareerConnect program share a mutual goal of introducing young people to career options that they may not otherwise have considered, and this session was all about visual branding. One of the points made during the class, which was made up of sophomores, juniors, and seniors from five counties across East Tennessee, was that even if they don’t plan to go into a creative career themselves, understanding how to present and promote themselves will be important no matter what career they choose. This workshop was designed to give the students insight into what a brand is, and hands-on experience developing their own brand kits and promotional assets.
The workshop began with a pre-meeting assignment. Students viewed a prerecorded video of the instructor, Kelly Porter, and answered a couple of questionnaires to get them primed for the in-person meeting. Each student arrived with drafts, ready for peer critiques and one-on-one instruction from Kelly. The morning included another brief design lesson from Kelly, then the students opened up their drafts and got to work. After lunch, they hit Downtown Kingsport for a branding scavenger hunt, then returned to the computer lab to continue working on their projects. The afternoon ended with a presentation of each student’s project and feedback from the group.
It was a very satisfying day for all involved. Kelly was very impressed with both the work the students produced and with the students themselves. “They took it very seriously,” she said, “and I am really impressed with their work. Their creativity and their work ethic were both quite impressive.” She also noted that at least one student had joined us for this program last year, returning this year to hone their work further, saying, “Now, that’s initiative!”
Speaking of work ethic and initiative, we consider ourselves lucky to have Kelly on our roster of instructors. She is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at ETSU, and a gifted teacher from their Department of Art & Design. Kelly worked closely with the CA and CareerConnect staff to customize this experience for the students, which is a hallmark of CA’s work with all of its members and clients.
*The students in attendance came from Carter, Greene, Johnson, Sullivan, and Washington Counties.
