Furman staffers cinch nationwide awards for pictures and design

Furman University has an eye fixed for expertise, and its gifted employees’s nice eyes have earned the college 4 awards from a worldwide higher-education nonprofit for pictures and design work.

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education awarded Furman 4 Best of CASE District III awards.

Christian Anderson ’26 and Max Ferrier ’25, sitting, work with Greg Lewis, professor of biology, left, and Brannon Andersen, professor of Earth, environmental and sustainable sciences testing methane ranges in native streams as a part of a analysis undertaking on July 3, 2024. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.

For one among these accolades, Owen Withycombe, a multimedia content material creator, braved a cold August night time in 2022 for 5 hours to seize a once-in-a-lifetime picture of the northern lights. He walked Furman’s campus that night time watching climate stories and updates on the geomagnetic storm making the arctic phenomenon seen in South Carolina, on the lookout for the proper angle to capture this celestial event.

“I had no idea if this shot would turn out well. It’s a long exposure shot, which means you are stabilizing the camera in some way and opening its shutter for a few seconds,” Withycombe mentioned. A 20-second publicity let simply sufficient mild in to seize what few may spot that night time; Withycombe was stopping strangers on campus “just to make sure they’d take a second and appreciate it.”

He and Nathan Gray, additionally a multimedia content material creator, take greater than 100,000 photographs a 12 months for Furman, and solely a fraction of them make it by means of enhancing and publication on social media, Furman Magazine, Furman News tales and numerous college publications.

One of these images was Gray’s award-winning shot of scholars Christian Anderson ’26 and Max Ferrier ’25 taking water samples from a neighborhood stream throughout a analysis undertaking in 2024 with Brannon Andersen, of earth, environmental and sustainability sciences, and Greg Lewis, professor of biology. The shot focuses on the student-faculty relationships Furman fosters, and analysis that may take college students out of the classroom and into the sector.

Graphic Designer and Illustrator Chris Turner introduced some whimsy into this admissions publication mailed to potential college students visiting campus by including a customized pocket to accommodate a Dining Hall cookie (yum!).

“Photography, for me, is always about adding a little whimsy and being playful,” Gray mentioned. “The reflection on the water, the hanging vines, the symmetry all felt very playful to me and allowed me to balance artistry with the marketing goals of the university.”

Chris Turner received two awards for his work as a graphic designer and illustrator; one a welcome signal at Furman’s entrance to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, the opposite a cookie-carrying mailer despatched to potential college students taking part in a campus tour. Turner labored with admissions to reimagine find out how to share an summary of the college and showcase its values and tradition whereas being enjoyable; hand-drawn components combine with pictures and a customized pocket to carry an official Daniel Dining Hall cookie.

Turner’s designs start with analysis for concepts and inspiration, and he retains tasks on funds whereas juggling a number of different tasks. From there, his creativeness and craft take over to assist spherical out the college’s character, letting guests and potential college students know that Furman “also offers a full and fun all-around college experience.”