Grant will allow Lakeland creatives to show their skills
51ĀŅĀ× has received a grant from The West Foundation to help entrepreneurs and small businesses gain access to a wide array of website and graphic design services.
Lakelandās Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (LUCIE) will use the $35,000 grant to open a Community Design Studio at Jakeās, A Lakeland Community in downtown Sheboygan.
The Community Design Studio (CDS) is a platform for Lakeland students to get real world experience to fill their portfolios, learn how to work with clients and build professional relationships that set them up for post-graduation success.
Businesses can engage the studio and work with Lakeland students and freelance designers from the community for numerous design services including websites, social media, branding, event planning and package design.
āA common barrier for entrepreneurs in startup mode is money to pay for a website, design marketing and branding pieces or launch social media platforms,ā said Stephanie Hoskins, Lakelandās Herbert Kohler & Frank Jacobson Chair in Business and Entrepreneurship.
Lakeland Assistant Professor of Graphic Design Kate Prange said the CDS idea benefits students by connecting them with clients in need of their services and the larger business community.
āSome of these clients might not have had the means to work with a designer in an advertising firm or professional design studio,ā Prange said. āWe wanted to bridge that gap for the community and for our students. The CDS works just like an advertising firm or design studio, without the large financial overhead.ā
Additionally, the CDS will offer established design professionals to work with clients and Lakelandās students, providing an extension of Lakelandās classrooms.
āStudents are mentored to manage client projects start to finish, work within budget parameters, learn about estimating and project proposals,ā Prange said. āGiving the community direct access to this service is key to the idea.ā
The CDS concept came out of a discussion between Prange and Hoskins about ways to get more Lakeland students working and collaborating with Jakeās clients.
āAnd that's when I thought, āWe should make it a design studio, or studio where we can connect students with the community in some way,āā said Prange, who previously worked as an art director at Jacobson Rost, which for many years called the space that is now Jakeās home.
āJake's is the perfect venue because it used to be a working advertising studio. It's all set up to be used in the same way by our Lakeland students.ā
Hoskins said Lakeland has spoken to several businesses as part of the grant process who are prepared to engage the studioās services.
āWe are excited to get to work,ā Hoskins said.
To learn more about the studio and its services, email cds@lakeland.edu.
