Design Brief and Request for Applicants
Barnes & Noble Back to Campus collection, “Designed by Students, for Students”

Overview

Now in its fifth year working with students from Pratt Graduate Commmunications Design, Industrial Design and Fashion Design, the Barnes & Noble Back to Campus collection is a unique opportunity to design products that will be sold in B&N stores nationwide as well as on-line. This succesful program has expanded, and last year’s class saw a doubling of items produced. Products include (but are not limited to) journals, notebooks, book bags, mugs, pencils, cases, bookends, and more. We are looking for a multi-disciplinary and diverse team of students to work this summer in creating an exciting line for Back to Campus 2013. You will work with other Pratt students in a studio environment under team leader Professor Tom Dolle, and make professional presentations to B&N leading to final product production. There is a stipend for all participants, and chosen products will have additional payments.

Barnes & Noble Statement

This collection of products will be marketed as part of the Barnes & Noble Back to Campus collection that is featured nationwide throughout our stores during July, August, and September. Merchandised in the gift department on signed tables and fixtures, the key selling point of the product is Designed By Students for Students. The overall aesthetic is largely up to the students to determine and the resulting product should reflect what the student would want to buy for themselves and be seen carrying around campus. The designs must appeal to a wide range of students/ student demographics so we encourage students to think beyond their immediate surroundings or classrooms. The design should reach and resonate with students on campuses other than their own. This should be fresh and visually exciting!

Barnes & Noble may request changes to artwork, color, scale in designs in order to integrate individual pieces into the larger collection or to better reflect current market trends. In the spirit of this collaboration, students are asked to be flexible and open to modifications and changes as needed.

Qualifications

> Must have completed your second semester at Pratt
> An interest and skill in surface design (typography, illustration, patterning), construction (cut & sew, modeling), materials and/or forms (3D)
> A sensibility to commercially successful product design, but a quest to reach beyond the obvious
> Be in the New York area throughout the Summer and into Fall and available for regular bi-weekly daytime meetings (June–August)
> Enthusiasm, teamwork, ability to present and explain concepts, and commitment to follow-through to completion

To be considered for inclusion in the team, contact Prof. Tom Dolle with a letter of interest and samples of your work (pdf or link only) to (please keep file size under 8mb). Deadline is May 21, 2012 and the project is scheduled to be started in early June.