"In the summer of 1980, between my first and second years of Art School, I worked part time for the Yale University Printing Service, housed then at 149 York Street, the current site of the DMCA. 

Akefeh Nurosi, MFA '80, was working there that summer as the full-time summer Rollins Fellow. She was the latest of approximately 30 MFA students who had, two or three at a time, worked with Greer Allen, the University Printer, to produce the day-to-day design work of the University since 1970. This was a win-win initiative: Yale University's administrative publications benefitted from the talents of graduate art students, and those students benefitted from working for Greer and from serving Yale clients with high expectations of the work of the Printing Service.

The Yale University Printing Service merged with Yale RIS in 1998, and the Fellowship slid into dormancy.

In 2002 I began to employ recent Yale graduates to serve as designers in the revamped Office of the University Printer for one or two years following graduation. Among these were Christopher Sleboda, MFA '03, who now serves as design director at Yale University Art Gallery; Yve Ludwig '00, MFA '05, until recently an Art Director at Pentagram; and Iris Shih '07. While these colleagues were not hired as Rollins Fellows, they filled that role—and more—in the Office of the University Printer. Chika Ota '11 was hired following her graduation as the first Rollins Fellow so named in many years.

The Rollins Fellowship, thus restored, provides an opportunity for recent MFA or BA graduates to engage in the work of their alma mater. They bring their own style and up-to-date sensibilities to our office's wide range of institutionally significant projects." —John Gambell, MFA '81, University Printer and Senior Critic in Graphic Design

Our office is pleased to announce the appointment of our next Carl Purington Rollins Fellow in Design Communications: Rachel Needle '13. Rachel was an art major in the graphic design concentration. As a freshman, she joined the Production & Design staff of the Yale Daily News, where she designed the popular Cross Campus blog and Weekend web pages. She has completed internships with The American Academy in Rome, Paper Magazine, and Potion Design. 

We noticed Rachel's aptitude for design when we saw her small book submission to the 2012 Lohmann Prizes for excellence in printing and design. That book, which used clever construction and transparency to great effect, was awarded an honorable mention. Throughout the Rollins Fellow application process, we were impressed by her thoughtful and iterative approach to design, her attention to typographic detail, and the combination of rigor and creativity visible in her work. 

Welcome to our office, Rachel! We're glad to have you with us.

See more of Rachel's work on her website and stay tuned for future posts about Carl Purington Rollins, the man for whom the fellowship is named.

All images courtesy of Rachel Needle.