Six billboards dealing with issues of tolerance created through the mentoring program, Create! Don’t Hate., will be on view July 6th – 31st on the Clear Channel Spectacolor billboard in Times Square.

NEW YORK, Jun 29, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Six students from New York City’s High School of Art and Design are being given an opportunity that many designers only dream of — their designs will be featured on Clear Channel’s “Spectacolor HD” digital billboard in Times Square. The billboards were created as part of Create! Don’t Hate., a Design Ignites Change mentoring initiative. Professional designers from the New York chapter of AIGA mentored students from the High School of Art and Design to create billboard designs addressing the theme of tolerance.

The final student designs address a wide variety of issues such as gay rights, racism and body image. Over the course of two months, the mentors led students through the design process — from brainstorming and sketching to producing the final designs on the computer. Twenty-two students participated, with six of the designs ultimately chosen for display in Times Square on prime advertising space donated by Clear Channel Spectacolor.

The winning billboard designs will be unveiled on Spectacolor HD during a launch event at the corner of Broadway and 47th Street on July 6th starting at 12:15 pm. The mentors, project coordinators and representatives from Worldstudio and Clear Channel Spectacolor, along with the general public, are invited to celebrate with the students and their families. Additionally, all twenty-two designs will be displayed in an exhibition at the AIGA National Design Center Gallery (164 Fifth Avenue, between 21st and 22nd Streets) beginning June 25th through July 22nd.

The chance to have their billboards in Times Square was a key incentive for the students. Karin Satrom, a program mentor, worked with high school junior, Deanita Redwood, on a billboard about gay marriage that was selected for display. Karin says “Deanita was very excited from the beginning. She came in and drew out her concept. We worked together to refine it, but I am amazed by the maturity of her design. She is really looking forward to taking her family to Times Square and showing them her billboard.” Deanita agreed saying, “I think that having my design displayed in Times Square is the most incredible opportunity I could have hoped for. Hopefully the message will catch someone’s eye and change their mind. If only one person’s mind is changed about gay marriage then that’s enough for me, because that means Karin’s efforts and my efforts were truly worthwhile.”

As part of the mentoring process, the students were taken on a fieldtrip to Clear Channel Spectacolor’s Time Square office to see where their billboards would be displayed and get an inside look into the business of outdoor advertising. Mike McGraw, Vice President of Creative and Marketing for Clear Channel Spectacolor, talked to the high school students about what makes a successful billboard and took questions from the students to help guide them in their design process.

The AIGA/NY mentoring program, has a powerful mission to provide youth with every opportunity and tool to achieve their dreams. As a part of creating valuable programs to help young people succeed, the mentoring program helps to build meaningful relationships that have the potential to positively influence both the students and the mentors. Rachel Einsidler, co-coordinator of the AIGA/NY mentoring program, explains, “For students that face challenges in adjusting socially, whether it is at home or school, they really benefit from the mentoring relationships.” The mentors definitely benefit from the relationship as well. Melanie Carnsew, who mentored Sara Ott, said, “I learned just as much from Sara as she could have learned from me. The students are very smart, hard working and always make me laugh; they offer a fresh perspective on the world. The project was also a great networking opportunity with other professionals in my field.”

The program was conceived and implemented by Worldstudio, a unique New York City based firm that specializes in creating programs for the public good. Andrea Pellegrino, a partner in the firm said, “The Times Square project is a perfect example of Worldstudio’s core mission as an organization — to bring together seemingly disparate groups around common goals that serve the greater good.”

Additional media material can be found at: www.designigniteschange.org

ABOUT DESIGN IGNITES CHANGE

Design Ignites Change, a collaboration between Adobe Youth Voices and Worldstudio, engages high school and college students in multidisciplinary design and architecture projects that address pressing social issues. Participants are encouraged to apply design thinking — the combination of unleashed creativity and executable actions — to problems that exist in their own communities. Create! Don’t Hate. is a mentoring initiative of Design Ignites Change that pairs college students and professional designers with underserved high school students to execute projects around a compelling social theme. More information may be found by visiting www.designigniteschange.org.

ABOUT AIGA/NY MENTORING PROGRAM

The AIGA New York’s Mentoring Program is made up of volunteer mentors that are paired with high school students based on their shared interests. Mentors introduce their students to the world of work and help them participate in the many cultural events that the city has to offer. AIGA/NY works with the New York City Department of Education’s Mentoring Program and their partner school, the High School of Art and Design, to effectively coordinate and run the mentoring program. The AIGA/NY Mentoring Program was founded in 1993 and currently has 40 teams of mentors and mentees working together. More information may be found by visiting www.aiganymentoring.org.

SOURCE: MarketWatch