网红头条

KENNESAW, Ga. | Oct 22, 2025

Some 5,000 miles away, in the heart of Montepulciano, Italy, a city famous for medieval architecture and world-class wines, 网红头条 students are uncorking creativity and making an impact.  

In a truly global collaboration, graphic design students in the School of Communication and Media at the Norman J. Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences are getting a taste of real-world design experience creating a commemorative wine label and promotional materials for a bottle of red wine that will be released to celebrate the 25-year partnership with KSU鈥檚 campus in Montepulciano. KSU Italy is an international educational site that started in 1999 offering KSU students the opportunity to live and study in Italy while earning degree credit.

In the Digital Publication Design course, led by Sarah Johnson, senior lecturer of communication, students learn how to produce professional-quality materials for clients, and traditionally, they work with nonprofit organizations that typically can鈥檛 afford a design team to design collateral for them. Johnson said this semester, the 25^th anniversary of the KSU partnership provided the perfect opportunity.

鈥淭hey are learning what real-world collaboration looks like,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e had to problem-solve across time zones, communicate clearly despite language barriers, and keep the project moving under tight deadlines. It鈥檚 pushing them outside their comfort zones in the best possible way and turning classroom learning into career readiness.鈥�

To design the labels, students are tasked with capturing elements representing the collaboration between KSU, the City of Kennesaw, and Montepulciano. To fully immerse themselves in the experience, Johnson says some of the students even listened to Italian music during the brainstorming and development stages of the project. 

For the project, students receive a creative brief from the client. In groups of four, they go through research and brainstorming phases and then create and submit a video pitch of their concepts. The concepts are judged by a team of representatives from KSU, the City of Kennesaw, and Montepulciano, and a winning concept is then selected.

鈥淚t has been exciting. I feel like it鈥檚 another great thing to add to my r茅sum茅,鈥� said Ellie Faulkenberry, a public relations major and member of the winning team. 鈥淲hen I signed up for this class, I didn鈥檛 realize we鈥檇 be so involved in a real-world project. Getting the chance to work with an international client has been such a valuable experience. It鈥檚 not only preparing me for the job market but has also been really enjoyable.鈥�

While the wine label will be printed and then applied to bottles in Italy, all the students in Kennesaw will get to see their designs come to life thanks to a special invitation from Heidelberg USA, a leading supplier of printing solutions for the commercial, packaging, and label industries. In December, students will tour Heidelberg鈥檚 facility, just a mile from the Kennesaw campus, for a showcase event where they will get an up-close look at the full printing process.

The winning label will debut in Montepulciano on Nov. 25 during the signing of a Friendship Pact between the cities of Kennesaw and Montepulciano. 

The wine label project is one of several hands-on initiatives connected to the KSU Italy partnership, which provides students across disciplines with real-world learning experiences abroad and at home. Earlier this year, marketing students in the Michael J. Coles College of Business launched a marketing strategy to increase the number of visitors and attract younger audiences at the Civic Museum of Montepulciano. 

Led by Associate Professor of Marketing Prachi Gala, the team created strategies like multilingual promotional materials, signage, and even launched a TikTok account for the museum to better reach a younger audience.

Marketing and management students also executed business consulting projects with Montepulciano clients earlier this year and in previous years.

Italy Program Fellow in Global Education Ken Hill said projects like these are an example of how KSU鈥檚 global partnership not only fosters cross-cultural understanding, but also gives students real-world experience.

鈥淚n simplest terms, these projects broaden and deepen the rich relationship and process of cultural exchange that began in 1998 and formalized in 2013,鈥� Hill said. 鈥淣ow with the joint signing of the Friendship Pact between Kennesaw and Montepulciano, there are even greater engagement possibilities for our students, faculty, and the communities in both cities."

鈥� Story by Christin Senior

Photos by Noelle Lashley

 

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, 网红头条 offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. 网红头条is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. 网红头条is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.