The-Laker-Issue-Spring-2022

8 | the LAKER The fall semester was already going well for graphic design student Emer O’Brien. She and her volleyball teammates captured the regional championship on Halloween with a win over Fulton Montgomery Community College, earning a trip to the national competition in Minnesota. A few weeks later, the viticulture and wine technology students selected her proposed design for the next label of the College’s 2021 vintages. “It’s a huge honor,” Emer said of knowing 1,700 bottles will be wrapped with her Synthesis No. 10 label. She offered a simple design with the name bisecting a circle on a solid color background, a deep green for the whites and a burgundy for the reds. Emer was among 11 students who took part in the annual competition, which gives students the experience of designing for clients. The designers begin by meeting with their counterparts in the viticulture and wine technology program, then selecting words, fonts, colors and images to capture the students’ feelings about their product. On Nov. 30, the student winemakers gathered at the FLCC Viticulture and Wine Center in Geneva to view mockups and hear from each designer. “I wanted to create a sense of unity,” she said. “That was one of the biggest suggestions from the students in the viticulture class: unity, togetherness. I know there is a lot of science they have to learn before making the actual wine. So, I tried to combine unity and science, which was synthesis, bringing a whole bunch of elements into one.” Emer added the No. 10 because 2021 marks the 10th year of bottling for the program. Gina Lee, coordinator of the viticulture and wine technology degree and certificate programs, said her students look forward to the annual presentations. “The student winemakers take this decision process very seriously and passionately. It is how their year-long work will be displayed for eternity,” she said. “They enjoy the opportunity of turning their Emer O’Brien presents her label design to viticulture and wine technology students. Viticulture students watched 11 presentations, some in-person and some via web conference, to select a label for the 2021 vintages they will bottle in May. photo by rikki van camp campus happenings WINE LABEL WIN CAPS FAST-PACED SEMESTER