Matt Ellinger, known to most of the Plymouth State community as Sniper, is an exceptional Graphic Design major who just completed his senior BFA Thesis project. Those interested in seeing more of his work, and that of other talented artists, should attend the Senior BFA Exhibition gallery opening on April 24.
Clock: When did you start doing Graphic Design?
MSE: I didn’t really start design until I got to college. I was into the arts in high school, and chose Plymouth because it had a BFA Design program and lots of close skiing. I didn’t really do any design until I got here, though. I was big into art in high school. It was kind of strange, actually. It was either design or engineering. I almost started applying to schools for mechanical engineering. It was recommended to me by a college counselor who was helping me out with the application process that design would be a really good thing. We did career track searches and whatnot, and found that design was definitely something I was interested in. So I started applying to schools with BFA in Design programs.
Clock: How do you get your ideas for your work?
MSE: Usually I start out with almost a goal, like “I need an ad.” Then it ends up being a lot of sketching. I try and choose a direction to go, like “Do I want it to be a promotional thing, or an informational thing.” From there I do a series of sketches, and I start building on little ideas within the design. From there, I take that and put it into the computer, and do a whole lot of developing within the computer, doing printouts and editing, making sure everything is positioned right. Eventually, after several hours of laboring, I come up with something I hope is nice.
Clock: What would you describe your personal style in Graphic Design as?
MSE: I try to…say this piece right here (showing his self designed business card). There are four main objects on the whole thing, and a lot of empty space that makes for negative space and interesting space within. I like things that aren’t too confusing. It’s all about keeping things clean and simple.
Clock: You recently finished your Senior BFA Thesis. What was that like?
MSE: BFA Senior Thesis is like nothing else, a whole lot of work, late late long nights, long days, long afternoons. Everything is unreal. The amount of work is silly. But I’m hoping it pays off in the long run. They say it’s like having two years field experience as opposed to being a BA. I definitely see that now, after going to the printers and everything. Last week was an interesting week, learning experiences with getting all sorts of stuff printed, like magazine ads and stationary. I’ve got several pairs of skis coming. It’s a huge learning experience.
Clock: Skis?
MSE: My senior thesis project is a corporate identity, a company called Parallel. This is a company that designs, manufactures, and applies graphics to post-production skis. For example, if a ski mountain has a rental shop and they want custom graphics on all their skis, they would get a hold of Parallel. Parallel would design the new graphics and apply them to the existing skis. This could be awesome for promotional stuff, to get your name out. For example, SoBe does a lot of on snow promotions at ski areas. They already have some SoBe snowboards. This is the same concept.
Clock: How did you come up with this idea for your Senior Thesis?
MSE: Like I said, I’m big into skiing. That’s how I wound up at Plymouth, because there’s a lot of skiing close. It’s always been a passion of mine. So when I was thinking up ideas for my Senior Thesis, back in September, I wanted something that I wouldn’t get bored with after a little while. So I chose skiing to base the company around. It was actually part of idea that I had picked up in my internship, over a lunch conversation one day.
Clock: You mentioned an internship. Where did you do that, and what did you do?
MSE: I interned at a place called Howell-Martin Marketing and Advertisement in Brattleboro, Vermont. It’s a little advertising and marketing firm. They have a dozen or so primary clients, like C and S Wholesale Grocers—a billion dollar a year whole sale grocer, the second largest in the country, and Chroma Technologies, which is a custom optics corporation in Bellows Falls, Vermont. They have various colleges. They do annual reports, calendars, really any sort of thing you could want to design. I got a lot of experience, worked on a good chunk of their website and did some photography stuff. It was a fun time.
Clock: What do you think the benefits of going to college for Graphic Design are versus trying to learn while out in the field?
MSE: There’s programs, you see them in the paper from time to time, saying “Be a Graphic Designer in 24 weeks.” That’s a load of crap. You need the experience; you need years of formal training, foundations. There’s so much stuff you can’t get outside a college education. As far as the BFA as opposed to the BA, you have a whole another year of classes that are more than classes. It’s hands on, figuring out for yourself what you need and making things happen on your own, with not as much prodding from professors to go in a certain direction. You really have to ask your classmates, your peers, what they think, and be able to decide for yourself what’s good, what’s not good, and what needs to change. You have to have the education, no question.
Clock: What are your plans for after graduation in May?
MSE: Yeah, graduation in 31 days, which is 22 school days, kind of out of control. I’m a little nervous, haven’t put out any resumes. I hope Irving will be hiring. I don’t know. It’s a big mystery. As soon as the BFA Thesis show goes up on the 24, I’ll have a little time to concentrate on getting the resumes out, finding somewhere. I’m definitely interested in graduate school, but I want to put in a year or two in the field to figure out exactly which direction I want to go in: digital stuff, web, print design, conceptual stuff. There are so many different things I could go in for a Master’s degree. I want to be sure of what I want first.