High School Students Deliver Environmentally Responsible Design for Project BLUE

(SANEPR.com) July 16, 2008 -- Over 100 high school students from across the country got their first taste of what it’s like to work in the creative arts at The Art Institute of California – Orange County 2008 Summer Studio Workshop. Students created posters, produced public service announcements and a promotional video, designed tee shirts on organic cotton, built store displays made of recycled materials and more to increase awareness of the Surfrider Foundation’s project BLUE initiative.

Project BLUE is a collective effort between iconic surf brands to raise funds for the Surfrider Foundation. The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches.

“We were excited to see the students’ unleash their creativity for project BLUE,” said project BLUE founder Vipe Desai. “The Art Institute curriculum allowed students to blend creativity with environmental responsibility.”

From June 24-27, students worked alongside industry professionals in an intense four-day workshop. Depending on their area of interest, students chose from the following specialized programs: Advertising, Culinary Arts, Fashion, Game Art & Design/Visual & Game Programming, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation and Web Design & Interactive Media.

The workshop concluded with an awards ceremony where students were recognized for their work by not only their friends and family but also representatives from the Surfrider Foundation. The stage was set by the Interior Design students with the store displays made of recycled materials that the Industrial Design students created and the organic cotton tee shirts designed by the Fashion Design students. The Culinary Arts students provided lunch that was made of locally produced ingredients with plates and utensils that were biodegradable.

Each student went home with a DVD that chronicled their week at The Art Institute and included the work done by the students that participated in the Advertising, Game Art & Design/Visual & Game Programming, Graphic Design, Media Arts & Animation and Web Design & Interactive Media workshops.

“The students did a stellar job in addressing a serious topic in a creative and informative manner,” said Ty Smith, creative director for project BLUE. “The final presentation provided a look at the future of responsible design.”

The Art Institute has been hosting Summer Studio Workshops for juniors, seniors and recent high school graduates since 2001. The workshop is designed to help students discover where a creative education can lead them.

“The workshop has been extremely successful since its inception,” said Melinda Lester, Dean of Academic Affairs. “It is a life-changing, eye-opening week for most of these students and many attendees later make the decision to study applied arts in college.”

For photographs from the awards ceremony or for more information about The Art Institute, contact Tricia Cook at 714.338.1303 or tacook@aii.edu or Veronica Orozco at 714.830.0221 or vorozco@aii.edu.


The Art Institute of California – Orange County is a design, media and culinary arts school providing bachelor’s and associate’s degree programs in Advertising, Culinary Arts, Culinary Management, Fashion Design, Fashion Marketing & Management, Game Art & Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Visual & Game Programming and Web Design & Interactive Media. Located in the heart of Orange County’s South Coast Metro region, The Art Institute is ideally situated in close proximity to Orange County’s thriving business community, cultural attractions, shopping, entertainment and its famous beaches. The school is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

Project BLUE
Project BLUE is a surf industry initiative dedicated to keeping oceans, waves and beaches thriving. Six of the top global surf brands came together to develop a program aimed at raising funds to support the Surfrider Foundation. A portion of the proceeds from every purchase of exclusive project BLUE gear is used to fund coastline protection initiatives worldwide. It’s not a charity. It’s a plan of action.

The Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a nonprofit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.