Indiana Wesleyan University is pleased to announce that Marion Design Co. (MDCO), a community-based creative studio and former branch of IWU, has become its own entity as of April 30.
MDCO was co-founded in 2016 by Wendy Puffer, Luke Anspach and Herb Peterson, IWU professors in the Division of Art + Design. Its mission is to “revive, empower, and propel community forward by creating sustainable design solutions developed through education and collaboration with local students and community.”
“Marion Design Co. has been a vital part of the University for years,” said Dr. Aly Williams, vice president of academic affairs. “Now IWU, is excited to launch Marion Design Co. into the local community, where they will be able to continue their mission serving residents and businesses of Marion and Grant County for many years to come.”
While IWU and MDCO are now independent bodies, the two organizations will remain strong and committed partners. One of the main ways the two will collaborate is through student interns, with IWU offering classroom training and MDCO providing a creative space to gain hands-on experience while positively impacting the community.
“IWU trains students in such a way that empowers them to step into the Marion community to do good work as a student,” said Puffer. “Their education is creating a professional foundation that allows us to engage them with local clients before they graduate.”
Interns specialize in a variety of areas, including graphic design, placemaking design, copywriting and marketing.
“Marion Design Co. was one of the reasons I chose to attend IWU because the collaboration between faculty, students, and community members synthesized how social impact design can impact a community,” said Jenna Beemer, an MDCO intern and IWU senior studying Design for Social Impact and Graphic Design. “Through Marion Design Co. I have been empowered to help lead design projects and work as a team to generate events that spark community creativity and design thinking.”
Over the last five years, MCDCO has made significant contributions to the local community, from events such as the Marion Made Fashion Show and Market to an entire rebrand and website redesign for the City of Marion.
“Marion Design Co. has been an integral part of the City of Marion image,” said Marion Mayor Jess Alumbaugh. “Marion Design Co.'s social impact shines through design, and their passion is evident through the many collaborations with other businesses and organizations throughout our community.”
Through this transition, MDCO remains committed to pursuing its mission, building relationships and empowering the local community. The current MDCO team working with Wendy Puffer are Peter Troutner (Chief Creative Officer), Brittany Long (Chief Operations Officer), and six undergraduate interns.
“I’m really looking forward to new opportunities that will result from this transition,” said Puffer. “And I’m also very excited about our future with Indiana Wesleyan because I believe we are better working together.”
For more information on Marion Design Co., visit www.mariondesign.co. For more information on IWU’s Division of Art + Design, visit www.indwes.edu/undergraduate/division-of-art-and-design.