FRCC Longmont students honored for work for Mental Health Colorado

A typography class at Front Range Community College took learning to the next level by designing and producing an annual report for a major Colorado nonprofit.

Mental Heath Colorado doesn’t often produce an annual report because of the steep cost, said spokeswoman Aubree Hughes. But a board member knew Blake Welch, Front Range instructor and Multimedia Graphic Design Program director, and approached him with the idea of a partnership.

Welch said while he had no doubts his students were up to the task, the class was a little hesitant to take on such a large project.

“I knew the students and I knew the caliber of students we had, so I knew they could do it. It was just convincing them that they could do it,” he said.

Once the students met with Hughes and got a better idea of what they would be doing, they were on board.

Students handled everything from layout to charts, graphs and illustrations.

The project had an extra layer of meaning for students as they discussed their own encounters with mental health, Hughes said.

“I think a lot of them really connected with the work that we are doing,” she said. “A lot of them said they had mental health experiences themselves and this was something they looked forward to contributing to.”

Welch said he was impressed his students matched work done by professionals in the field.

“It was to the caliber of anything I’ve seen running a design firm,” he said.

The class was set to be honored for its work Tuesday at the Front Range campus in Longmont, but the ceremony was cancelled because of inclement weather.

The project has paved the way for future collaborations and internships, Hughes said.

“We want to continue this work in the future for years to come,” she said.