February 28, 2018 (Jackson, Miss.) - Belhaven's Graphic Design Departmentwill host MERGE 2018, the American Advertising Federation of Jackson (AAFJ) idea-exchange event. Graphic design students from Belhaven, Mississippi State University, University of Southern Mississippi and others will interact with graphic design, advertising, communication and marketing professionals at this annual conference March 3, 2018.
Gigi Turner, graphic design chair at Belhaven, said, “MERGE is one of a few regional creative student conferences. It is an incredible opportunity for students to get a feel of the changing current in the graphic design industry from the designers themselves.”
Representatives from various creative agencies and studios will answer questions on a professional panel and give portfolio reviews for each student. The conference will also include breakout lectures that touch on topics such as social media design, branding, concepting, and marketing. “As we know, this is a huge benefit to students because they get to see early on where their work needs improvement and how to accurately prepare for graduation,” added Turner.
The MERGE conference gives students a chance to practice what they had been hearing over the weekend. During a creative challenge, students are given a creative brief and then given time to work in groups to create and concept logos, product packaging and branding ideas.