Kean Alumnus Creates Branding for Roselle Park Arts Festival

Kean University alumnus William Weaver ‘17 was recently recognized by Roselle Park for designing the logo for the township’s annual Arts in the Street Festival. Roselle Park Mayor Carl Hokanson presented Weaver with a certificate of appreciation for his work. The juried arts festival features local, statewide and professional artists working in a variety of media, and offers film screenings, and live musical and dance performances, including one this year by Kean University Dance Theater.

Roselle Park launched the arts festival three years ago with the intention of uniting the local community and celebrating art in all its forms. In search of a collaborator for its rebranding initiative, the township turned to Kean University. At the suggestion of Robert Busch School of Design Associate Dean Rose Gonnella, Roselle Park enlisted Weaver, then a Kean student, to help communicate the vision for the arts festival. He developed a logo for the festival and banners that were hung on both sides of Roselle Park’s Chestnut Street.

Weaver drew inspiration for his design – a whimsical presentation of the name of the festival in shades of blue – from the Roselle Park community, and he sought to give the festival a visual identity that matched the spirit of the place he is proud to call home. 

“The people of Roselle Park are some of the nicest, most enthusiastic people I know,” he said.

Weaver came to Kean as an undecided student. He was drawn to the University by the variety and quality of programs and the close proximity to home. Eventually, he found his way to the Robert Busch School of Design (RBSD) where he studied graphic design and marketing.

“I was grateful to be placed on the Roselle Park Arts Festival branding project through my involvement in RSBD’s Design Studio Practicum course,” said Weaver. “Kean professors Rose Gonnella, Chris Navetta and Dawnmarie McDermid, allowed me to lead the design. This experience helped me to transition pretty seamlessly into full-time art direction just a week after graduation.”

"In the 1990s, I was on the opposite side of the desk, sitting in Design Studio and working on jobs for real clients,” said McDermid. “It was a wonderful experience then, and I am fortunate all these years later to lead this course and honor its legacy.”

Design Studio Practicum is a faculty-led atelier program and internship within the Michael Graves College that creates viable solutions for the Kean community and other regional clients. Design Studio Practicum works like an agency to deliver creative and practical design for branding, web, informational, spatial and environmental challenges. With faculty direction and mentoring, students are able to deliver professional caliber results and gain experience and confidence.