Students create illustrations for Georgia Ports Authority

Shiho Hoshino created a pen-and-ink and Photoshop illustration to show the community atmosphere of the Georgia Ports Authority.

By: Amanda Tower

Published: Friday, March 7, 2008

Think of a word to describe the Georgia Ports Authority. Now create an illustration to convey that word association. It’s not as easy as a game of Pictionary, is it?

Nine Savannah College of Art and Design senior illustration students in the Getting Published class, taught by Durwin Talon in Fall 2007, were tasked with just that — to select a word that best described the GPA, then illustrate that word. After touring the Garden City Terminal, perusing an array of company brochures and photos, and speaking with GPA employees, the students brainstormed various words to describe the port.

“The intent of the class is to give students a feel for applied illustration,” said Talon. “We met with GPA officials to determine what types of problems illustrators could solve for GPA, and were looking for things that couldn’t be done photographically.”

Tom Swinson, GPA manager of sales support and marketing, coordinated the project with Talon, a longtime friend. He said he foresees using the illustrations for a variety of publicity materials, including postcards, ads, calendars, screen savers, the GPA Web site and more.

“With SCAD, we have an unparalleled design resource right in our backyard, and it’s to our benefit to take full advantage of that,” he explained. “The students have the opportunity to take their work from theoretical and practical, bringing enhanced credibility to their individual portfolios.”

Illustration students Shiho Hoshino, Sam Jagoda, Marie Cain, Kristin Naff, Jason Joseph, Tom Schmuck and Alexandra Nikulina, and alumni Brian Gilson (B.F.A., illustration, 2007) and Ben Walker (B.F.A., illustration, 2007) contributed to the project.

“Professor Talon played half art director, half agent in getting us in contact with the representatives from GPA and guiding us through the process of creating an image with our word,” said Jagoda.

“We had to think of a single word to sum up what the GPA meant to us, and it was hard to get the word ‘big’ out of my head,” said Schmuck. “The port is so incredibly massive, and being so close to everything there is quite awe-inspiring.”

Hoshino said he chose “people/family” based on what he observed during the tour of the GPA facilities. His pen-and-ink and Photoshop illustration depicts all the people involved in delivering goods through the port (international and local workers, family members, etc.) placing containers onto a cargo ship.

“The Ports Authority seemed to really value people, including workers’ families,” said Hoshino. “The images represent the value of people and the connection they have, as well as how important people are to GPA.”

Jagoda’s illustration represents the strength of the Georgia Ports Authority, with a bodybuilder flexing a bicep of storage containers with the aid of a crane. The illustration represents the company’s strength in how it operates with the collaboration of many people, he explained.

“I was able to deal with a large company face to face and discuss my illustrations in a professional way,” said Jagoda. “I got a genuine career experience from this class, and feel more prepared to go out and successfully complete a job now.”

He compared the class to training wheels on a bicycle. “The training guided us along, making sure we didn’t lose balance and fall off. I think I can take the training wheels off now,” he said.

Naff said the professional-type projects she has completed in other SCAD courses prepared her for this assignment. “This was not much different, save that there was a real client on the other end,” she said.

Because the typical marketing and public relations imagery used by GPA has been photographic, illustration is a new venture for the company. Representatives from GPA visited the class throughout the quarter to view sketches, offer feedback and see the finished work.

Swinson said the students were treated as an extended part of the GPA marketing team, and were tasked with a project and given the same deadlines and accountability as if they were in a corporate environment.

“The students gained a strong perspective of the complexities of international trade, as well as the dos and don’ts of communicating across cultures,” he said. “Each student rose to the challenge and passed with flying colors.”

The GPA has committed to continue the Getting Published class project with Talon each fall, providing a real-world client experience for the students.

“It’s always nice to step back into the classroom to feed on the energy and the fresh perspective that SCAD students consistently bring to a project,” said Swinson. “I can’t say enough with regard to how pleased GPA is with our relationship with SCAD and the students we’ve had the honor of working with.”



Tower is a publications editor.

Illustration professor Durwin Talon (kneeling, left) collaborated with Georgia Ports Authority administrators to create a real-world assignment for his students.
Photo courtesy of Durwin Talon