Southeastern's Chefs Evening to show new look
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Contact: Rene Abadie
Date: October 15, 2012
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana University's major public fundraising event, Chefs Evening, will be sporting a whole new look for 2013.
While the popular auction and dining event will maintain the concept that brings people back year after year, invitations, posters and other materials will reflect a new logo and identity created by Andre Ladegaillerie, a senior graphic design student from Mandeville.
His design is in black in white with simple, clean lines similar to silver on a white tablecloth. That was the image, he says, that inspired him.
"I chose white as a background because it gives the design a clean, upscale, modern look," he said. "They were looking to reach out to a younger audience, and I wanted to create an identity for Chefs Evening that everyone could relate to."
The new logo and materials resulted from a design contest in faculty member Gary Keown's class in advanced print design. University Advancement, which hosts Chefs Evening, asked Keown to partner with them to help develop a fresh look for the event, while providing a hands-on learning experience for his 15 class members. The students met with university staff to find out what they were looking for, created design ideas based on what they heard, and then presented those ideas back to the clients.
"This was a complex design assignment in which there were multiple parts," said Keown. "The students had to be extremely organized and focused to complete the job. They had to work at an expedient pace with a deadline that was similar to what they will experience in the real world. Presenting their ideas to the client was important for coherent communication skills and professionalism."
Ladegaillerie will graduate in May with a concentration in graphic design. He said this kind of assignment helps students build a portfolio of work and learn to work effectively with clients.
"I can put this design in my portfolio and be very proud about it," he said. "Having your work judged by multiple people really gives great feedback. I feel very fortunate that my design was chosen. I'd like to work with a mid-size to large design firm in New Orleans or another large city, and this was great experience. I love what I do, and I want to try a little bit of everything in graphic design."
The designs of students Naomi Rodger of Mandeville and Michael LeBlanc of Gonzales were chosen second and third in the contest, respectively. Jacki Bellairs, Southeastern's Annual Giving director, said making a final decision was difficult due to the creativity and high quality of the submitted designs.
"We were amazed by the quality of the work and the outstanding professionalism of the students as they presented their designs to the selection committee," she said. "That quality made it very difficult to choose the top three designs. This project was a great way to showcase the outstanding talents of our Southeastern students while promoting philanthropy on our campus and in our community."
1) CHEFS EVENING DESIGN WINNERS – Graphic design students at Southeastern were invited to submit new design proposals
to promote the university's major fundraising event Chefs Evening. Recognized for
their work are, from left, Michael LeBlanc of Gonzales, third place; Naomi Rodger
of Mandeville, second place: and Andre Ladegaillerie of Mandeville, first place.
2) NEW CHEFS EVENING LOGO – A new look for Southeastern Louisiana University's major fundraiser Chefs Evening includes a new logo, designed by graphic design student Andre Ladegaillerie of Mandeville.
