Westmont Magazine Designing a Course Project

Students in Professor Scott Anderson’s publication design course created the 2008 annual report for the Cancer Center of Santa Barbara.

“I always cover the importance of doing pro-bono work, of using your talents to serve your community,” says Anderson, an award-winning designer and illustrator. “A service-based project like this is a perfect integration of faith and learning and a wonderful opportunity for the students to work on a real-world project.”

The student designers were Christine Acker, Taylor Callan, Jessica Conrad, Hillary Dunks, Danny Grant, Ben Johnson, Kayla Kane, Fern Lim, Niki Ng, Meghan Nowell, Joel Phillips, David Richardson, Bethany Sie, Aaryn Smith, Brandon Waybright, and alumna Lauren Salaun. The Cancer Center chose a design by Bethany Sie, a senior.

Matt Neal, who works in development at the Cancer Center, approached Anderson about making the report a class project. A former college staff member who is married to an alumna, Neal met with the students to inform them about the work of the organization and the goals of the publication.

Anderson realized that almost everyone in the class had been touched by cancer in some way. “There was a real emotional investment for us,” he says.