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Students’ Mural Project Brightens Up Jefferson Abington Hospital’s Pediatric Unit
As part of a new course, visual communication design and architecture students learn skills for the jobs of the future.
When Jefferson Abington Hospital wanted to refresh its hallway walls, it turned to a uniquely trained class of visual communication design and architecture students to get the job done.
The hospital administration sought a new calming and welcoming environment in their pediatric unit, which offered Renee Walker a rare opportunity in the classroom.
“We used our design studio as a lab, where our students explored these really big ideas,” says the visual communication design professor. “The students experimented and learned what’s possible in an environment like a hospital. It’s amazing to see the project finally implemented.”
The students’ three peaceful nature-themed murals debuted in late summer following a lengthy pandemic-related delay. Their work began back in 2020 when the School of Design and Engineering was asked to collaborate after Jefferson Health received funding to update the space from the Starlight Children’s Foundation and Joy in Childhood Foundation. The timing worked perfectly as Walker planned to revamp her environmental design studio elective.
She felt this mural project could be the centerpiece for a new interdisciplinary experiential graphic design course that explores the intersection of graphic design, architecture and experience design. In the process, students would gain valuable, marketable skills and play a small role in improving patient care.
“We ran it as close as possible to a real-life design studio,” Walker says. “We had a contract and money to work with. Students went through this immersive research process to understand the design problem and the needs of the client and audience before they even started designing.”
The group of 15 students kicked off with an Abington site visit, breaking into teams, taking photos and measurements, and speaking to the unit nurses and administrators. For example, the material had to allow for cleaning and sanitization, and the theme should appeal to children of all ages, not just younger kids.
Over the semester, the students met three times with the client to pitch, show progress and receive feedback, Walker says. “Students heard directly from the people working in the hospital, which was super valuable for this type of learning experience.”
Participating in the project allowed visual communication student alumnus Dawson Skipper to understand better how to deliver on a client’s design wants and needs.
“The user always comes first,” says Skipper, who attributes this project to giving him an edge in the job search. “Today, I work for Vanguard as a UX designer. Much of what I do involves understanding our clients and communicating to them in the most efficient way possible.”
Plus, the project strengthened his team-building skills when partnering with fellow creatives. “We worked together with the same goal in mind,” Skipper says. “It was a great experience learning how to communicate ideas with one another and understanding our roles within the project.”
Classmate Daniel Modestine, now a content designer at Merck, also gained several key skills from the project, including effectively prioritizing timelines to meet multiple benchmarks and deadlines.
“Another important skill was the concept of ‘measure twice, cut once,’” he shares. “When working on the walls, every detail mattered—whether it was the height of the baseboards, the placement of a light switch or a clock’s location. We had to double-check everything to make sure our measurements were accurate. It also taught me the importance of having clear, easy-to-read notes for all those measurements.”
The involvement from Jefferson’s Center for Excellence in Surface Imaging also provided an additional perspective for the students, Walker notes. They joined the project from the start, coming to crits to understand the ask, provide feedback and suggest the best materials.
“This doesn’t happen in design studios frequently,” Walker says. “We’re usually prototyping with paper, but now students could take their designs to surface imaging and print them on their desired materials.”
The final murals have quickly become a welcome addition to the unit for staff, families and patients, says Jefferson Abington Hospital’s Michele Walker. Many have commented on the beautiful undersea, polar and nature scenes and stopped by to take them in.
“They really brightened up the unit and brought to life the gray walls,” says the special care nursery and pediatrics nurse manager. “It’s a wonderful distraction for the children admitted. They love the colors and shapes that make up the beautiful animals in the murals.”
Despite the pandemic-related delay, Skipper and Modestine share the excitement about the project’s installation. “If this makes even one patient’s time easier or more enjoyable, I’d consider it a huge win,” Skipper says.
Modestine adds, “I’ve had the chance to work on some amazing projects both in and out of college but playing a part in making children’s hospital visits a little less stressful and more calming is one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.”
Based on overwhelmingly positive experiences through the course, Walker plans to teach experiential graphic design again, ideally with another real-world client, and continue to prepare students for the jobs of the future.
“Work in this interdisciplinary way in the classroom is special,” she says. “It’s part of Jefferson’s ecosystem, and with rapid changes in the design discipline, it allows us to experiment and make our studios more contemporary with the industry and world.”
