Students in Red River College’s Advanced Graphic Design class have harnessed their considerable technical skills to create a new iPad app that showcases the best the College has to offer.

Fifteen students collaborated on the fall project, which saw them develop an iPad version of RRC’s 2013-14 Viewbook, an annual recruitment publication featuring info on the College’s programs and support services.

Now available in the App Store, the 2013-14 Viewbook app is enhanced by additional photos, videos and slide shows, and was inspired by a similar project a few years ago in which program coordinator Diane Livingston beta tested the Adobe software used to create the app. This software is now part of the Adobe Creative Suite software used by all Graphic Design students.

Livingston says the work provides Graphic Design students with valuable experience learning to use the technology to adapt existing print material. After finishing work on the Viewbook project, each student then designed and created his or her own individual iPad apps.

“Graphic designers are no longer designing just for print,” says Livingston. “We are a design school, so our students are designing user interfaces and web pages too. We know this is the way industry is going, because it allows them to save on printing costs.”

Students appreciated the chance to push the boundaries of their skill sets by using technologies they’ll encounter in the workforce, says Livingston, noting the Viewbook app has been especially well-received by RRC’s student recruiters.

“They love it because they can just take it on the road — plug their iPad into a projector, and all their program information is there,” she says.

Click here to check out the iPad Viewbook app yourself, and here for more information on RRC’s Advanced Graphic Design program.