WORCESTER ― When Sherry Freyermuth saw an ad on Instagram that Bounty paper towels was accepting design submissions to appear on rolls of “The Quicker Picker Upper,” she thought it was a scam.
“It seemed too good to be true,” said Freyermuth, a professor at Clark University’s Department of Visual and Performing Arts, where she teaches a variety of topics in graphic design.
In the end, it was also too good to pass up and Freyermuth, who is also building her freelance illustration portfolio, submitted two designs in June 2021 a couple days before the deadline.
“I definitely sat on it for a while,” she said. “I almost didn’t submit anything at all.”
Fast forward to this month and her design is now on display on Bounty paper towels at the local Family Dollar store.
Freyermuth was one of eight winners chosen to have their work appear on a special edition of the product line, Bounty Print, which will be sold nationwide in two and six packs. Her design may also appear on the line’s napkins and other paper products.
Bounty is owned by Cincinnati-based P&G (Proctor & Gamble), which teamed up with the online media company Brit + Co to carry out the competition. Brit + Co inspires, educates, entertains and informs women to use creativity and DYI principles to achieve success, according to its website.
Each submission consisted of two separate designs, with the final eight applicants then working directly with Bounty on commission. Freyermuth met with company representatives weekly for six weeks over the summer in 2021 to discuss design parameters and goals.
In the end, the company purchased her final design for $5,000.
A winning design
“It really boosted my confidence,” said Freyermuth. “It was the first illustration that I have ever sold.”
While Freyermuth has taught graphic design for 10 years, the Bounty print represents the beginning of her career in surface design — the creation of artwork that will be applied to products or environments. Her primary medium is currently made up of shapes created from digitized construction paper cut-outs, which is what she used for Bounty.
The end result was a floral design meant to look like it’s growing out of the bottom of the paper towel.
“It feels like a little garden,” said Freyermuth. “It’s bright, cheerful and will match a lot of kitchen decor.
“One of the things that makes you really successful as an illustrator is having a really recognizable style,” she added.
Freyermuth’s previous freelance work has been on projects such as logos and book covers where a client made the stylistic decisions, she said, “so I had to make my own style.”
Freyermuth said her Clark students also benefit from her work with Bounty. She uses her experience with the paper towel giant to teach her students some of the key points of graphic design including how to communicate with a client, work on a brief and the language used in graphic artist contracts relating to how an artist is paid, such as the difference between selling and licensing their work.
“It was a good case study in how artists should be paid,” she said.
