Missouri Journalism Student Design Selected for Juror Appreciation Week Poster
Columbia, Mo. (April 14, 2003) — Posters and lapel buttons designed by Missouri School of Journalism student, Erin McGowan, will be displayed and distributed at courthouses throughout the state during Juror Appreciation Week, April 28 – May 2, as a “thank you” to Missouri jurors for the important public service they perform.
The Missouri Bar Association asked 160 students from a Strategic Design and Visual Communications class at the School to submit designs for the posters and buttons. Chief Justice Stephen Limbaugh of the Supreme Court of Missouri, Dale Doerhoff, the Bar Association’s president, and other members of the Association’s staff reviewed the entries. Doerhoff explained that they were looking for a design that would be both eye-catching on a courthouse wall and convey information in a clear, upbeat way. They settled on McGowan’s design as the best embodiment of these criteria but were impressed by the quality of all the posters they looked at. “I would have been proud to put any of them up,” Doerhoff said.
McGowan, a senior from St. Louis, explained that her goal was to create a simple, classic design. With this in mind she included the traditional image of a woman holding the scales of justice along with a bold typeface. She said that the Strategic Design and Visual Communications class, taught by Mindy Van Eaton, has given her hands-on experience using professional-standard computer programs like QuarkXPress and Photoshop. In the future, McGowan hopes to combine her design skills with her interests in writing and photography to pursue a career in publishing.
Updated: March 2, 2020