I went back to ohio (state university)

Typography projects on display in the halls of the old stopping grounds looked really familiar

This post is kind of long, and perhaps only of interest to folks that know Ohio State, went to design school, or are interested in either.

Otherwise, you can simply view a few other photos from the day or

I can’t remember the last time I visited OSU’s campus but on a whim I stopped by yesterday, prepared for change.

I didn’t feel lost walking across The Oval to Hopkins Hall where I spent many a day (and night) learning all about design and making lifelong friends.

Wandered the halls and looked in classrooms: still packed with waist high tables and stools, but now there are computers everywhere. If it’s not a laptop, it’s a lab filled with the heat and hum of machinery. I’d find later that all this technology didn’t replace solid “handgraphic” foundations.

Poked my head in the door of Paul Nini‘s office and was lucky to catch him with a few minutes between meetings. The beard threw him off as I was a skinny, slackjawed whippersnapper back in the day— a mere shadow of the hunk I am now.

We eagerly caught up and in our brief chat, I learned a slew of changes that have taken place since my stint over 12 (12?! *gasp*) years ago. For one, getting in to the program is now more competitive, with higher GPAs recommended to go along with the portfolio review and entrance exams.

Classes for each arm of the department (industrial, interior, and visual communication design) are still personable and small. Less than 20 students will make it into each category. Nutty truth: with over 50,000 students enrolled at OSU, you’re still going to get a locker and personal attention if you go for a design degree.

Other adjustments: Engineering graphics has been replaced with more drawing courses (awesome). Internships in the design field are the norm and encouraged (also awesome). Additional foreign study options are available. 3D classes are now offered as well as interface studies.

I can’t help but wonder about all those hours we struggled with rub-on type, cutting chromarama paper, and making guache color charts even in tone. I’m thinking there might be even more time for methodology and research — areas that were already a strong suit of the program.

If this sounds like a sales pitch, it’s actually just rabid nostalgia for my alma mater.

Imagine how crazy Buckeye fans are, then replace the football with fonts.

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With my head still buzzing from all the new info, I wasn’t quite prepared for what was going on just south of campus on High Street.

The dingy gyro shop below street level? Gone. That and the attitude-heavy record store Magnolia Thunderpussy and the buckets of cheap beer that was Mean Mr. Mustards have been replaced by towering retail / entertainment / apartments and office structures. The Drexel even opened up a movie theater in what is now know as the South Campus Gateway.

I’m all for progress but was glad to see some old standards up the street like Buckeye Donuts and the mexican joint (with burritos as big as your head), still kickin’.

Which is all good because frankly, buckets of beer tend to be disgusting (and this, coming from someone with pretty low standards for my brew).

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I went back to ohio (state university)

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