Motorola Solutions Helps Fashion Institute of Technology Students Flex Their Design Muscles
Competition for Motorola’s booth at National Retail Federation Annual Convention & EXPO provides students with experience, scholarships, opportunity for exposure
SCHAUMBURG, Ill. – Jan. 13, 2014 – A design competition sponsored by Motorola Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: MSI); its charitable arm, the Motorola Solutions Foundation; and the NRF Foundation gives students at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) a chance to flex their design muscles, gain exposure for their work and earn scholarships. This competition represents a unique opportunity for students to work inside a real-world process and learn important design skills from leading designers and executives.
KEY FACTS
Thirty-seven students from the Studio Design classes at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, led by Assistant Professors Mary Constantini and Glenn Sokoli, were invited to join a competition focused on designing the “store windows” for Motorola’s booth at the National Retail Federation Annual Convention and EXPO being held on Jan. 12-15, 2014, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City.
Working in teams, students were challenged to develop retail store-like window displays for the Motorola booth that reflect the numerous ways that consumers can shop – online, in-store or via mobile – and Motorola’s role in enabling retailers to meet the needs of empowered, omni-channel consumers with its communications technology solutions.
The four winning window designs include:
“The Motorola Experience,” which uses a large, interactive touch screen to tell the story of how Motorola works with retailers, was designed by Danielle Pham, Corey Ring and Olga Yarmak.
“Time-Efficient Bar Code,” which uses cardboard boxes to form a giant bar code that illustrates the connection between retail associates and consumers, was designed by Lauren Dawson, Chihiro Fujiwara and Min Kyoung Kim.
“Puzzle,” which uses puzzle pieces to illustrate how Motorola technology brings together the many shopping options in a seamless delivery model for retailers, was designed by Lauren Dumler, Raelynn Hawkins, Mitchell Lai and Marissa Pelley.
“The Path to Omni-Bliss,” which uses a maze of PVC piping surrounding a peaceful customer to demonstrate the improved shopping experience available with the right technology solutions, was designed by Erina Hosono, Elizabeth Kim and Jean Savage.
The Motorola Solutions Foundation provided $9,000 in scholarships for the participants and partnered with the NRF Foundation to judge the competition.
Motorola marketing professionals have been involved with the FIT classes throughout the past semester, sharing their experiences in business-to-business marketing and serving as consultants to the students. Motorola’s face-to-face agency, MC2, provided briefs to help the students with their design, messaging and execution challenges.
The students’ creations will be seen by approximately 30,000 retail industry professionals at the NRF Annual Convention and EXPO.
SUPPORTING QUOTE
Matt Blakely, director, Motorola Solutions Foundation
“The Motorola Solutions Foundation is proud to support the next generation of innovative technology professionals. The NRF competition provided FIT students with a real-life learning environment and exposed them to new technologies and exciting opportunities in business-to-business marketing.”
Craig Berger, chair, Visual Presentation and Exhibition Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology
“We would like to thank Motorola Solutions for supporting the FIT students. The competition provided them with an unprecedented opportunity to work with a corporation and participate in translating the company’s brand identity to a display environment. In addition seeing their ideas translated to an environment on view by thousands of people will give the students an exciting view of how crucial their designs are to the way we view companies and products.”
Ellen Davis, executive director, NRF Foundation
“The NRF Foundation supports tomorrow’s future retail leaders and provides opportunities for them to gain success in the retail industry. Congratulations to the students whose designs were chosen to be featured in front of thousands of retail industry executives.”
SUPPORTING RESOURCES
Motorola NRF Website: Motorola Solutions NRF 2014
Website: Motorola Solutions Retail Solutions
Website: Motorola Solutions Retail Press Kit
Twitter: Motorola Solutions Retail
Facebook: Motorola Solutions
About Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions is a leading provider of mission-critical communication solutions and services for enterprise and government customers. Through leading-edge innovation and communications technology, it is a global leader that enables its customers to be their best in the moments that matter. Motorola Solutions trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “MSI.” To learn more, visit www.motorolasolutions.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom or subscribe to our news feed.
About Motorola Solutions Foundation
The Motorola Solutions Foundation is the charitable and philanthropic arm of Motorola Solutions. With employees located around the globe, Motorola Solutions seeks to benefit the communities where it operates. The company achieves this by making strategic grants, forging strong community partnerships and fostering innovation. The Motorola Solutions Foundation focuses its funding on public safety, disaster relief, employee programs and education, especially science, technology, engineering and math programming. For more information on Motorola Solutions Corporate and Foundation giving, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/msifoundation.
About NRF Foundation
The NRF Foundation shapes retail’s future by building awareness of the industry through statistics and stories; developing talent through education, experiences and scholarships; and fostering career growth among people who work in retail. The NRF Foundation is the 501(c)(3) nonprofit arm of the National Retail Federation and is funded in part by generous donations from retail industry supporters. www.nrffoundation.com
About Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, a college of the State University of New York, has been a leader in career education in art, design, business, and technology for nearly 70 years. With a curriculum that provides a singular blend of hands-on, practical experience, classroom study, and a firm grounding in the liberal arts, FIT offers a wide range of outstanding programs that are affordable and relevant to today’s rapidly changing industries. The college offers more than 45 majors and grants AAS, BFA, BS, MA, MFA, and MPS degrees, preparing students for professional success and leadership in the global marketplace.
