CHARLESTON, WV (LOOTPRESS) – Belle Chemical Company announces the launch of the coloring book, The Things We Make: Belle Chemical Company, a coloring book designed in collaboration with the Graphic Design Class of Carver Career and Technical Education Center located in Malden. The simulated workplace project provided the students of Carver Career Center with a valuable opportunity to work with a client and helped them gain a better understanding of the communication and processes involved in creating a finalized project in a graphic design agency environment.
During community engagements in 2022, the strategic engagement and communications team at Belle Chemical saw a need for a learning tool to help connect students with the chemical manufacturing process.
“As we communicated with students about who we are at Belle Chemical, we needed a visualization tool for the younger students to connect with and understand what chemical manufacturing is and what we do as their neighbors,” said Alicha Hunt, operations manager for Belle Chemical Company. “We have worked with Carver before through their manufacturing prep class and felt this would be a perfect fit for their graphic design program.”
The Things We Make: Belle Chemical Company is a 20-page coloring book that compares the chemical manufacturing process to baking a cake for students in elementary school. The project highlights Belle Chemical’s product dimethylacetamide (DMAc). DMAc is a key ingredient in the manufacturing process for synthetic fibers used in clothes like leggings, swimsuits and other products.
“We chose to highlight DMAc in this project because chances are the students have something in their closet since our product is used to manufacture fibers,” said Hunt. “We manufacture intermediate chemicals that are used as raw materials in other manufacturing processes, and sometimes it is hard to create a tangible connection to our products. We hope students can learn from this coloring book and connect our products to things they use and wear every day.”
Belle Chemical is committed to fostering partnerships with educational institutions to support the development of future professionals in the fields of science and design. The collaboration with Carver Career and Technical Education Center’s Graphic Design Program led by Mrs. Denise Dodson began in August 2022.
“Belle Chemical provided the students with the rough copy for the outline of the book and then allowed the students to expand upon their creativity in the process,” said Denise Dodson, Carver Graphic Design Instructor. “This project has allowed the students to understand the many variations a project can take when working with a client. They need to understand how to accept feedback a client can provide and adapt to making the changes. Belle provided the students with collaborative interaction that will be very beneficial for them if they pursue graphic design careers.”
The Things We Make: Belle Chemical Company will also launch the two STEM-learning characters, created by Carver Senior Abigail Brandt. The characters, Abby and Max, are superhero chemists who walk students through the manufacturing process at Belle Chemical in the book.
“These are characters we plan to utilize to help promote STEM education and learning for elementary age students,” said Hunt. “We need students to know the types of jobs and careers that are available in the area in the chemical manufacturing industry. This coloring book and the STEM-learning characters will be vital tools in communicating to our future workforce.”
The project allowed for creative student input and went through many changes before the final product was completed. Each student was assigned a page in the coloring book to develop the design based on the copy provided.
“My students definitely learned patience,” said Dodson. “They realized that just because you have a computer in front of you doesn’t mean something is created quickly. There is a process to follow when creating something that will be printed 500 times or more. The area I noticed them growing most is their self-confidence. As they watched the book come together, they could see they were a part of something bigger — it wasn’t just one page but a 20-page coloring book, and they are proud of themselves for being a part of it.”
The Things We Make: Belle Chemical Company will be available at the Riverside Public Library, and Belle Chemical Company will be distributing them at community and educational events throughout 2023.