By Randall Mah
A new showcase of posters giving the Cougareat a splash of Olympic Spirit is finally complete.
The posters honor twelve Olympic athletes who are BYU alumni.
The poster campaign was conceived last October when the Student Auxiliary Services Creative Marketing department was asked to design new posters for the Cougareat.
'The purpose of the posters are to provide recognition and motivation,' said Marie Withers, a graphic designer, in the SASCM. So far, there are 70 Olympians who are BYU alumni, Withers said.
'We wanted to show pride in our BYU Olympians and share in the Olympic spirit,' Withers said.
'There is soul in this project,' said Withers. The posters were created to add to the ambience. Fraser Buck, SASCM manager said the posters will bring an appreciation of the quality of students that attend this university.
'We want to show off and play up the history and heritage of BYU students,' said Kelly Dyches, 24, a senior from Provo, Utah majoring in graphic design. Other schools play off the history of their students to build an atmosphere of motivation, Dyches said.
The twelve athletes featured in the posters were chosen to provide a variety of sports, countries and gender, said, Dyches.
Withers said it was difficult to choose between the athletes.
'It was hard to find pictures of women, and athletes from different countries,' Withers said. There were only a few Winter Olympians, she said.
'Over 160 hours of design work and research on the athletes has been done,' Withers said.
Each poster contains a short biography on the athletes, Withers said.
'It is inspiring to learn and meet with athletes,' Withers said.
'I have gained an appreciation for what BYU students have done since the beginning of the university,' said Kimberley Bushman, 24, a senior from Gau-Bicklehiem, Germany, majoring in English.
Bushman is responsible for research and writing for the posters. Research and writing the biographies for each athlete is a way of being involved in the Olympics, Bushman said.
The collection of posters will total sixteen. And four additional posters will be designed, Withers said. One or two posters will be connected with the Paralympics.
The posters have replaced displays that are three years old, Withers said. The posters and biographical information will be displayed in the Cougareat until spring 2002.