“When people feel alone, sometimes they are drawn to substance abuse, so they need people around them. You can’t get over something that big alone. My design incorporated people holding hands, showing they are not alone, and I used different colors to give it a positive vibe,” Richardson said.
Instructor Howard Norris recently tasked his students with designing a logo for the coalition. Members visited the classroom, selected four designs they liked and took those back to a committee for review. The committee narrowed it down to Richardson’s logo, which they will use on all publications.
“Achieving healthy communities free from alcohol, tobacco and other drug abuse is the vision of the coalition,” said Casey Hippenhammer, a prevention specialist. “We’re a group of community members and professionals who are interested in preventing substance abuse in Warren County through education and promoting healthy decision-making. We know addictions are a preventable disease, and we’d like to be a resource for Warren County residents in preventing the abuse of alcohol and other drugs.”
The group, which reconvened last spring, wanted a logo that conveyed their vision and was developed by someone within the community.
“Since the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Warren County is quite a mouthful, we were interested in a design that incorporated our name to show we’re a community coalition,” Hippenhammer said. “Color, readability, symmetry and a fun design were important to us in selecting a logo to represent the coalition. Makayla’s logo incorporated all of the above. I met with her a few times to look at different ways to arrange the text and characters, but we decided to use her original design.
“Makayla was great to work with, flexible and adaptable to our requests for modifying the design. I think this was a great experience for both the coalition and the graphic design class.”
Along with design and customer service skills, Richardson also learned about different file formats and Adobe design software.
“I enjoyed designing the logo, working with someone else and revising my work,” she said. “I learned that other people think differently and have other perspectives.”
Richardson would like to study graphic design in college and perhaps even go into fashion design.
Projects with a civic component – like the one for the Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition of Warren County – allow Norris to extend lessons beyond his classroom.
“By completing projects for the community, we hope to instill the importance of giving back. Using our Graphic Arts facilities and equipment takes on a new and deeper meaning when we can bring in real customers to describe the parameters of each project,” he said.
Norris said meeting face-to-face with community leaders allows the designs to “reflect an artistic, personal approach.”
“It is sometimes difficult to have our client come in to describe the loss of a family member to drugs or similar subjects. But, the results are truly inspired by meeting the people affected,” he added.
This is the second time this school year Norris’ students have helped to spread awareness about substance abuse. In the fall, they designed and produced shirts for the Triple C Chase Cameron Cummings Walk for Heroin Awareness in Clayton, Ohio.
“When the Career Center is at it’s best, we are educating the whole person,” he said. “We strive everyday to give each student perspectives which will last a lifetime.”
The coalition meets on the first Wednesday of the month from 9 to 10:30 a.m. The meetings are open to anyone who is interested in preventing substance use in Warren County. For information about meetings and efforts to educate the community and reduce substance abuse, email Hippenhammer at Chippenhammer@solutionsccrc.org.
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