The St. Charles Satellite Center’s Interactive Media and Digital Media team members participated in a field experience at Design The Planet and Garrity Print Solutions recently. For their current project, the team members have been tasked with updating the marketing and branding materials for the Satellite Center. The purpose of this field experience was for the team members to learn from experts about the work that is needed to complete such a project and the role that printing plays in marketing to a mass audience.

Design The Planet is a design studio located on the west bank of New Orleans that specializes in revolutionizing company’s branding solutions. Their solutions stretch across multiple platforms and are created to function in print, web, TV and on mobile devices.

At Design The Planet the team members were given a brief overview of the company and then walked through the process that the company went through when they began their rebranding campaign. They were then taken through the process that the company went through to revise their logo and saw examples of the logo in different phases of the process. After that they toured the studio and had a chance to meet with all of the employees at Design The Planet. Team members learned about the different job titles and responsibilities that come with each job and what training and education it takes to get each job. The visit concluded with the team members taking part in a brainstorming session led by some of Design The Planet’s employees. The focus of the brainstorm session was to get the team members thinking about their current project and teach them a brainstorming technique that they could use in class to spark ideas.

Next stop on the tour was Garrity Print Solutions. Garrity Print Solutions, located in Harahan, is one of the largest full service print shops in Louisiana and is responsible for printing brochures, business cards, folders, direct mail pieces, newsletters, magazines, fine art prints and a myriad of other printed products.

The team members were given a tour of the print shop by Brian David, who explained the step-by-step process of how the company operates. Team members were shown how print jobs get from conception to different types of printing presses, binding machines (if necessary) and cutting machines to produce the final products. Every process was seen in action, and through that the team members gained a better understanding of how the business of printing, which frequently coincides with that of graphic design, functions.