Inspire, Spring 2010

prepared they are to meet the challenges of the real-world marketplace. For example, in addition to his design responsibilities, Mike travels to print facilities to make sure that the final printed products meet all of the company’s technical and creative standards. He credits the thorough nature of the Cedarville design program for his ability to do this part of his job. He was surprised to learn that a number of his colleagues had never set foot in a print facility prior to graduation. “Each assignment that we were given at Cedarville we had to take from beginning to end,” said Mike. “We had to output it, have it printed, and submit it as a finished product.” Tim Frame, instructor of graphic design, explained that Cedarville students regularly receive “real project work for actual clients.” As a result, they have a realistic idea of what they will be up against when they enter the marketplace. Because of all the practice he’d had presenting projects to his fellow design students, John said he felt ready for his interview at Abbott. “In class, we spent a lot of time doing reviews where we would bring in our work, put it up on the wall, and then give a short presentation justifying what we had made and why,” John noted. In explaining how Cedarville’s design program prepared them for their jobs at Abbott, Mike, John, and Suzanne were each quick to mention not only their class requirements but also the quality of their design professors. Rather than just teaching from textbooks, the faculty offered up-to-date business advice. “The professors are what made the program so great for me,” Suzanne said. “They’re actually in the business, and they know what works. You don’t get that everywhere.” In fact, Tim Frame, who is also a freelance graphic designer, helped both John and Suzanne in their job searches even after they graduated. “For the first nine months out of school,” said John, “freelance jobs were my only source of income, and every single one of those came through a connection I had because of Tim.” Aided by professors and equipped by challenging coursework, the three new Abbott employees were prepared to beat the marketplace competition in a tough economy. Now they are building on the foundation they received at Cedarville, thankful to have work in their chosen field. And they aren’t the only ones who are thankful. Teri Shell, associate director of labeling services at Abbott, is quite pleased to have the three Cedarville graduates as her employees. She described them as “highly skilled” and “highly professional” and enthusiastically shared, “I wish I had more of them!” Apparently, life in the professional world is off to a great start for Mike, John, and Suzanne. Just by landing their jobs, they have already tasted success — and that’s news worth reporting. Mike Steiner ’08, John Rice ’08, and Suzanne Wilson ’08 all live in the Columbus, Ohio, area. You may contact Mike at design@mike-steiner.com , John at john.rice.design@gmail.com , and Suzanne at swilson1211@gmail.com. Hohna Hartley is a freelance writer living in Richmond Hill, Georgia. You may contact her at hohnahartley@yahoo.com. “ It’s realy exciting as a designer to walk into stores like Walmart and Targe t and see products that I’ve worked on.” Left to right: Hired as labeling specialists, John Rice ’08, Suzanne Wilson ’08, and Mike Steiner ’08 filled three of Abbott Nutrition’s six open positions, proving the excellence of Cedarville’s graphic design program. i CEDARVILLE UNIVERSITY 23