Kristine Kapatos | Staff Reporter
From Print [Sep. 2, 2014] | Legacy

Photo courtesy of IMWDFirm.com

Take a glance at the work of the IMWD Firm and you’ll be shocked to see that it’s not middle-aged professionals sitting behind the computers of the design lab, but Lindenwood’s own Interactive Media & Web Design students. The IMWD Firm is in its third semester of work, not only producing for LU’s campus, but for outside clients such as the St. Charles Art Council. “Since day one it’s been insane,” said Erica Blum, assistant Professor with the IMWD department and Head Instructor of the firm. “I thought I would have to go out and tell people around the University, ‘hey, we have this firm, we can do all of this stuff for you,’ but I’ve pretty much had to do nothing.”

Though a Jersey native and jack of all trades, Blum insists that she is just an overseer. “The firm is run by students,” said Blum. “They’re the ones that do all the work.” Pamphlets, flyers, brochures, banners, catalog covers, display-cases, logos and websites –the bigger picture: portfolio builders for students who wish to pursue a career in the web design industry.
Although you must be of junior status to sign up for the firm, freshmen and sophomores can still volunteer, acquiring up to four years of hands-on experience in a web design firm. “A lot of companies want one to two years of experience before they hire you, but not everybody has that coming out of college” Jen Stahlman, senior, explained. “What we do are real-world projects, so we can get those jobs right away.”

While Stahlman is finishing up her year-long project of producing a brochure for Lindenwood’s School of Communications, Nick Hogue is working on a promotion project to expand the firm to other departments on campus. “We’d like to get some marketing students into the firm so we can expand on what we can do as a whole, rather than just being a group of graphic designers,” said Hogue. From table-toppers you see in the Spellmann cafeteria to Sibley Day t-shirts, chances are the IMWD Firm designed it.

For a better look on the work coming from The IMWD Firm, check out IMWDFirm.com