Jase Hueser
University of Nebraska at Kearney
AAF Omaha Student Member
Awarded 2018 Nebraska ADDYs Student Best of Show
My name is Jase Hueser. I am originally from Papillion, Nebraska. I have always found art compelling and invested much of my early years into music and drawing. I was pulled in by the duality of art, as it contains both an intellectual rationality and dense emotion. In my junior high years, I discovered the wonders of branding and typography.
Understanding what makes a clever logo and more importantly, a successful implementation of an identity had become an obsession of mine. I was thrilled to discover that design was a vocation that I could potentially pursue. Thus began years of experimentation as I studied designers and relentlessly tried my hand at it.
At the recommendation of a few people, I chose to attend University of Nebraska at Kearney. The design program at UNK has attained a great reputation in the region as a program that produces not only technically proficient students, but designers who are adept thinkers. Design is nothing if not a solution to a communication problem and if a designer cannot think through such a problem and deliver the solution, then they haven’t designed. Additionally, I think that designers are charged with a heavy responsibility to not only efficiently communicate, but ethically as well. My professors have a rich background in academia as well as within the field of design. I am constantly challenged and my preconceived notions are usually met with defiance, then deconstructed and reassembled in a more mature way. It’s amazing to have faculty who provide resources in the form of their network of connections, endless knowledge, and a good push when I grow complacent.
Aside from design, I am passionate about politics. I currently serve as senator with the UNK Student Government. I also work with our campus chapter of International Justice Mission, an organization that deters modern forms of slavery. Raising awareness on campus and in the community is a constant reminder that design is not just a profitable scheme. It is fundamentally a deeper and more human endeavor.
Last summer I had the opportunity to spend a couple of months in New York, simply immersing myself in the culture. With the trip came a fresh perspective and a new excitement towards design. But it also revealed that what was happening in New York was also happening in Nebraska. Nebraska is home to a thriving design community. No longer are the coasts the sole purveyors of ground-breaking design, and I am excited to be apart of it all. AAF Omaha has given me great opportunities to connect with those people who are revolutionizing Midwest design. Through Meet the Pros I met members of large agencies, smaller studios and individual freelancers; the whole gamut. Everyone involved seems wholly invested in the students and truly wish to see us grow in our craft. The ADDY Awards was a reminder of the cohesive bond that unites this community of advertisers. I would like to thank everyone involved with AAF Omaha and Meet the Pro’s for giving me this honor. There was a ton a stunning student work submitted this year and it is extremely exciting, (and I might add intimidating), to be among such an elite group of up and coming students.
