Student-designed advertising is now on display across Penn State University and central Pennsylvania, thanks to a new immersive graphic design program brought to the university’s curriculum by PepsiCo’s premium bottled water brand, LIFEWTR.
Upon news that the pandemic had upended plans for in-person summer internships in 2020, Penn State University’s Department of Graphic Design quickly sprang into action. A semester-long course saw PepsiCo executives and agency partners collaborating with faculty to provide real-time feedback on student concepts for vending machines, animated murals, TV monitors, posters and more, emulating the brand’s latest bottle designs.
Participating students competed for a chance to see their work featured in LIFEWTR advertising and promotional material across campus and select retail locations including McLanahan’s, Snappy’s and The Minit Mart. Winning concepts are now on display through spring 2021.
“It was really exciting to get the opportunity to work with such a large company and have that hands-on experience that bridged the gap from those lost experiences over the summer that we missed out on,” said Emily Parker, senior at Penn State and member of the winning team’s design, Clarity within Chaos.
“The quality of work and the dedication that the students put into the project was absolutely amazing; we were blown away,” said Umi Patel, chief marketing officer with PepsiCo Beverages North America, North Division. “We are looking forward to continuing our relationship with Penn State as we move forward.”
LIFEWTR’s goal was to design a program that had the potential to grow and evolve as an annual staple for the Department of Graphic Design’s curriculum. Discussions to activate again in 2021 are currently underway.
For More Information:
http://lifewtr.com