Examples of Excellence

Art Major, Graphic Design emphasis

Karin Peterson

"I selected Karin Peterson for the Example of Excellence Award in the Graphic Design Emphasis for the Fall 2009 semester. Karin has impressed me time and again with her persistence and commitment to all aspects of her life as a student at Concordia. In the graphic design classes she has shown a continual dedication to work on each project until all options have been tested, and this might mean going through hundreds of versions. She always goes through a multitude of color, layout and font options for each project. Her attention to detail makes her a wonderful layout designer. Her attention to typography makes her designs stand out, and they are consistently at a professional level.

"She has demonstrated this attention to detail outside of class as well, in her positions as Yearbook Editor-in-Chief, and Residential Education and Services: Housing Services: Student Assistant. This year she began working as the Aerie art editor and graphic designer, and has already shown her highly productive and creative abilities in the publicity and planning for the process of creating the Aerie Magazine publication.

"Another area that I have seen Karin's skills and problem solving is in her position as a Mac Lab monitor and assistant. She is continuously eager to help students with a wide range of software questions, and has a gift for troubleshooting computer and printer problems. Her patience enables her to work through a variety of tests in order to come to a working solution to a variety of issues in the Mac Lab.

"Karin was awarded the Gerald Brommer Art Scholarship for the 2009-2010 academic year by the Art Department Faculty. We have each seen her persistence and hard work throughout her time here at Concordia. I believe her commitment to excellence in art and graphic design has been a tremendous asset to Concordia's Art Department and the Graphic Design Emphasis. I am very proud of her development of a personal creative process and production method, and I am certain that she will be successful in whatever she pursues after graduation."

-Prof. Rachel Soo, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

Karin Peterson, Aerie Magazine Poster, Art 499: Art Honors, Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.	Karin Peterson, BLU Designs Identity Mark, Art 461: Graphic Design 3, Adobe Illustrator.
Karin Peterson, You Can't Make Me Talk, Art 499: Art Honors, Adobe Photoshop.	Karin Peterson, My Adeline Street: Men's, Art 272: Digital Illustration, Adobe Illustrator.

Jordan Kimura

I selected Jordan Kimura for the Example of Excellence Award for the Fall 2009 semester in the graphic design emphasis. During Jordan's time at Concordia, she has been a very reliable student. She faithfully attends class, consistently has her homework completed, and successfully meets project deadlines. Her creative output shows a high level of creative thinking and artistic achievement. She does all of this while being very active on the tennis team. Various semesters Jordan has had to make special arrangements to work in the lab to make up for times she's had to leave class early for a tennis practice or a competition. She always follows through on this, and continuously puts in extra time outside of class into her work.

I'm very impressed with her ability to perform successfully in a variety of aspects of her creative life. Jordan regularly researches and looks for current and past trends in art and design, and this is reflected in her homework and projects. It is evident that Jordan spends a good deal of time brainstorming and developing the concepts behind her projects. I've noticed that she typically has her final idea for a project fairly detailed and laid out in her sketchbook. As with many artists, the creative process of designing a work may entail the combination of one or more design concepts, and she continues to move through a series of changes and revisions until the completion of the project. Her enthusiasm is quite contagious, both to me as a professor, and to fellow students, and that has a wonderful impact on the graphic design emphasis classes.

I have great confidence that Jordan will continue to develop her creative process and will continue her efforts as an outstanding artist and graphic designer.

-Prof. Rachel Soo, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design

Jordan Kimura, Sense of Place, Art 272: Digital Illustration, Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.	Jordan Kimura, Love Christmas Card Cover, Art 272: Digital Illustration, Adobe Illustrator and silver marker.
Jordan Kimura, Magazine Ad, Jamba Juice, Art 271: Digital Image Manipulation, Adobe Photoshop.	Jordan Kimura, Ancient Classic Elements: Fire, Air, Water, and Earth, Art 271: Digital Image Manipulation, Adobe Photoshop.

Jovanne Coria (Junior, Intern at PM Group, Lake Forest, CA.)