Sputnik is CCA’s in-house undergraduate design studio. It is a wonderful opportunity for Graphic Design students to extend their training beyond the traditional classroom environment and deal with real projects, real deadlines, and real limitations (of time, money, and resources). You can view the professional publications produced by the studio at the Sputnik online gallery.

Sputnik produces 80 to 100 print and multimedia projects for the college each year—everything from CCA’s 48-page magazine, Glance, to websites, multimedia presentations, and the annual holiday card. Under the direction of staff and faculty advisors, the students design each piece from concept to production, meeting with clients, presenting ideas, and press checking. The experience is a terrific example of the college’s motto: theory and practice.

Every semester, the Graphic Design faculty nominates third- and fourth-year students to interview for Sputnik. Eight to 10 are selected. Sputnik may be taken as an upper-level elective or for internship credit.

Benefits of Sputnik

• Experience actual projects from beginning to end: concept to design, prepress, and press check
• Work directly with clients, both individually and in teams
• Acquire skills in software and print production
• Gain an understanding of the impact of paper selection, print costs, and mailing costs
• Acquire actual print and multimedia pieces for your portfolio, many of which are produced in quantities ranging from 1,000 to 30,000 and mailed to students, alumni, donors, and the greater CCA community
• Enjoy personal instruction from a faculty member, two full-time staff, and a full-time editor in a small class of just eight to 12 students
• Hear guest speakers talk about print buying, prepress, and the design of mailed pieces

Sputnik Studio Objectives

• Make work under actual deadline within limitations of time, money, and resources
• Design for audiences other than college-age graphic design students
• Present your work to clients who will not be swayed by buzzwords
• Prepare mechanical files that will output correctly
• Get the most out of a press check