Selfie Station Artwork at LAX: Woodbury Graphic Design Students Start the Trip Right
If traveling and selfies are made for each other, airports are where the romance begins.
And just ahead of peak flying season, select terminals at LAX are now adorned with arty backdrops created with selfies in mind, thanks in part to Woodbury Graphic Design juniors Tuan Le, and Amanda Way, along with student designers from Otis College of Art.
For its annual summer campaign “100percentLA,” Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) recently issued an open call for Selfie Station Artwork – art that serves as a façade on blank walls in the public spaces around terminals 5, 6 and 7 at LAX. The campaign uses art and design to engage visitors while highlighting L.A. as an iconic, culturally diverse city with a unique aesthetic. Guests can pose in front of the designs for selfies that can be posted on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or any other social media platform.
Watch Graphic Design student Amanda Way talk about her project:
Video courtesy of Los Angeles World Airports
“We’re honored that LAWA selected work by Amanda and Tuan for display at LAX to enrich the guest experience and evoke the excitement of travel generally and Los Angeles specifically,” says Professor Cate Roman, MFA, who chose to run this as a project in her Graphic Design 2 class along with a few invited senior students. Students set about researching the city, the airport experience and the mystique of world travel. The assignment: create visual stories and meaningful imagery to meet LAWA’s goals.
“Given that civic engagement and community involvement are cornerstones of Woodbury’s mission, the opportunity with LAWA has enabled our students to embrace these concepts while demonstrating their extraordinary talents,” Professor Roman says. “This process of engaging in work that enhances the public experience is an ideal example of how design can touch so many.”
A native of Burbank, Amanda possesses an interest in art one might call eclectic: she loves making her own hand lettering, designing in a mid-century modern aesthetic, and, most recently, creating stop-motion animation, which has led her to pursue a minor in Animation. Originally from Vietnam, Tuan Le draws on a rich Asian culture, which he has blended with Western influences. He describes himself as “very passionate about experiencing, learning and sharing innovative, creative thoughts with everyone, to make the world more exciting.”
According to Keith Wilschetz, Deputy Executive Director for Emergency Management and Operations, LAWA, “Our partnership with Woodbury and Otis College highlights the beauty, creativity and excitement that exists in Los Angeles and is depicted by budding local artists. We are excited that our global guests will be able to take memorable photos with these designs and then carry a piece of Los Angeles with them, as they share their stories and experiences in the City of Angels.”