Ms. Vega’s graphic design class took a field trip to Design Communications Limited in Avon on November 13th to learn about design and STEAM related careers. 

DCL is a company that collaborates with design partners to engineer, fabricate, and install custom signage, graphics, and innovative technology. DCL has made projects for places such as Legacy Place, TD Garden, Patriots Place, Sofi Stadium, Disney World, and many more. 

One of the workers gave us a tour of the building, pointing out their notable projects and taking us through all the different departments. We got to see the workers in action, cutting materials, using technology, painting, designing, and more. Our tour guide was very informative; I learned a lot about engineering and design. 

Walking through the building, I began to appreciate just how much work goes into the design process. It takes a lot of people and effort just to make one sign. Some of the signs that they make are huge and take so much time and money to create. For example, they showed us the behind-the-scenes construction of the Gillette Stadium sign, which is so much bigger than people realize. It took many people just to transport the sign after it was made. 

One of my favorite products was a model of the Eiffel Tower. It was lit up in purple and looked super cool. This product was made for the popular Netflix series “Emily in Paris” but never made it on the show because it was too tall. Another product that stood out was a prototype of a LED sculpture called “As We Are.” The real one is 14 feet tall and is located in the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio. The sculpture is a gigantic hollow head with a photo booth inside. People can go inside the neck to get their head captured in 3D and then displayed on the sculpture. 

Overall, the field trip was fun and inspiring. It was a great opportunity to see all the different jobs that you can do if you are interested in graphic design or STEAM majors. I really enjoyed getting to see people working on different projects. 

When I asked Ms. Vega about her thoughts on the trip, she responded by saying, “It was exciting for students to see how the programs and ideas we are learning in class are used professionally on an enormous scale, especially with companies and places they recognize and admire.”