Texas Tech University

The pitch is hurled, as the batter draws his bat back, ready to send the ball into the stands. The crowd roars-a big crowd of true baseball fans. This Alpine, Texas, scene could be taking place today at the Kokernot Baseball field (named for famed owner of the 06 Ranch, Herbert Kokernot who built it sparing no expense in 1947). Now the Big Bend Cowboys add a homerun to their scoreboard!

Or it could be a scene from DJ Stout’s, BFA Design Communication 1981, latest project, a visual history of the 1940′s semi-pro baseball team, the Alpine Cowboys. Alpine is Stout’s birthplace and he has another connection to this project. His father, a left-handed pitcher, played on the Alpine Cowboys back in 1952-54 before joining the marines. Mr. Doyle  Stout, now living in the Philippines, has been assisting his son by emailing and contacting teammates. “The University of Texas Press is going to publish it. I have a year – it will be out in the fall of 2010,” explains Stout.

As a child growing up, Stout’s family was a typical military one-on the move. He began publishing a cartoon newspaper delivering it from house to house to help overcome that “new kid” syndrome. “My dad even bought me an older printing machine – a mimeograph – the ones with the purple print and the good smell,” he jokes.

Through the years, he expanded his “Weekly Laf” by creating a staff – someone to do news; a fashion reporter and a sports reporter.  Moves took him to the Virginia area where he attended James Madison University for two years in graphic art. A move back to Texas, found him at Texas Tech because “I had heard that it had a good graphic design program.”

“Frank Cheatham (former Professor of Communication Design, now deceased) was definitely a mentor for me. In fact, I was pleased to present the Dallas Society of Visual Communication (DSVC) Lifetime  Achievement Award, the ‘Golden Egg,’ to his son and daughter, in his honor posthumously,” said Stout.

A Distinguished TTU Alumni, Stout said that he had made several trips back to Tech where he spoke to the design classes of Carla Tedeschi, Associate Professor in Art, Program Coordinator of Communication Design and Dirk Fowler, Associate Professor in Art, Communication Design. He’s pleased to see more interest in magazine design.

Stout is now a partner in the well-known international design firm, Pentagram, in the Austin location. His illustrious career includes 61/2 years in Dallas at the Robert A. Wilson Associates (father of famous stars Luke and Owen), then to Austin, for Texas Monthly as Art Director from 1987 until 1999 handing the reigns over to Texas Tech alum, Scott Dadich. Stout advises students to “learn the technology first and keep up with it; then use your ability for conceptual thinking.”

Recently Stout was asked to hypothetically design a cigarette package including all the new warnings that must be posted on them. He chose to embrace the warnings as opposed to minimizing or ignoring them. See cigarettes

I think that is what makes Stout the amazing designer that he is -his brand of conceptual thinking -just like he did as a child with his “Weekly Laf.”