Credit: Nick Romanenko

Adam Cutrone, Leighanne Tillman, and Richard Couzzi, left to right, were among the graphic design students at the Mason Gross School who submitted entries to the Bobst Group North America folder contest.

How often do Rutgers students get to practice their art, win award money, and contribute to a major university initiative?

Thanks to the Bobst Group North America, 25 graphic design students from Rutgers’ Mason Gross School of the Arts got to do just that – and Rutgers ended up with 50,000 sustainability themed pocket folders for free.

It all started when Susan Dickison, an employee with Rutgers Environmental Health and Safety (REHS), lent a sympathetic ear to her brother, John Dickison. A technical product specialist for Bobst’s Roseland office, Dickison was dismayed by the amount of waste that occurred at the company’s trade shows and wanted to do something about it.

“This was a perfect match for our sustainability initiative,” said Susan Dickison, a health safety specialist, who passed the idea to REHS Director Mark McLane.

Bobst is the leading supplier of equipment and services for the folding carton, corrugated board, and flexible materials industries worldwide. The company’s trade shows would demonstrate the versatility of company machines in printing and packaging items – but at the end of the shows, most of the demonstration items would be thrown in the trash, John Dickison said.

“I wanted us to make something at the shows that people could use. I thought about making something for Rutgers,” John Dickison said.

Dickison and REHS contacted Carla Yanni, assistant vice president for undergraduate academic affairs, who asked Mason Gross Dean of Students Casey Coakley to get involved. Soon, an idea was born: Bobst would hold a contest for a pocket folder design with sustainability as its theme. Once the winning design was produced at a trade show, the 50,000 folders would be given free of charge to Rutgers.

Bobst was paired with Mason Gross Professor Gerry Beegan’s “Graphic Design III” class during this year’s spring semester. The students submitted 28 entries, with a few producing more than one design.

Beegan said the project offered his students the challenge of both working for a real client and showcasing the university’s sustainability efforts. “The goal was to design something that appealed to the university administration and students alike,’’ Beegan said. “We wanted to get the message out, but at the same time we didn’t want to be preachy about it.”

Mason Gross graphic design student Cassie Siegel, who has since graduated, received the $1,000 first prize for her entry. She designed a pocket folder around the Rutgers “Jersey Roots, Global Reach” tagline, incorporating an image of a deep-rooted tree on the front and a scattering of gold-foil leaves on the back. Inside the folder is a definition of sustainability: “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,” and a link to the university’s sustainability webpage.

Siegel’s design will be produced on 50,000 pocket folders that will be made available throughout the university.

Students Leighanne Tillman and Adam Cutrone came in second and third in the competition, earning $500 and $250 respectively. Tillman’s design depicts a view of the Northern Hemisphere from space – with a pointer to Rutgers’ location – and asks two questions on the back: “What does it mean to be green? What does it take to be green?”

Cutrone designed his folder to be printed with little or no ink. The front is an embossed thumbprint that contains the imprint of a tree; on the back are phrases that play on the definition of sustainability.

Tillman said that although she considered herself to be environmentally aware, the folder project helped her gain knowledge of Rutgers’ sustainability initiatives. She was proud to learn, for example, that Rutgers won first place in the RecycleMania program’s national competition last year. 

Cutrone said the Bobst project gave him the ability learn new skills, such as embossing and foil printing. The project specified that the techniques of die cutting, foil printing, and embossing must be used in the design of the folder.

On October 6, Bobst held an open house for its international clients. The company invited the graphic design students to the event, where it unveiled the winning folder. “It was impressive to see all the steps and all the different people who were involved in making the folder a reality,” said Richard Couzzi, a senior from Branchburg who also submitted designs for the project.

John Dickison and Beegan said they are hopeful that the Bobst sustainability project can be continued at Rutgers. “It was a win-win all around,” Dickison said. “The company cut down on waste, the students had a learning experience and a chance for an award, and the university got $40,000 worth of folders for free.

University employees who would like folders can pick them up in person at the Materials Services Warehouse on the Livingston Campus between the hours of 10-12 p.m., Tuesday and Fridays. Contact Sue Dickison to request quantity and pick-up time at 732-445-2550 or dickison@rehs.rutgers.edu. Delivery also can be arranged through Material Services for a fee. Contact Material Services at 732-445-2255 to arrange delivery.