A Creative Collaboration on Wheels
How two MSU advertising creative students teamed up to bring a food truck vision to life
By: Kayla Riley
For MSU senior, Jamie Arvidson, being an advertising creative student is about more than the relationships you build inside the classroom. It’s also about the creative friendships you make outside of them. That’s how she met Ismail Jaber, a fellow ad creative student with entrepreneurial dreams and a passion for food.
What started as casual conversations about classes and projects quickly evolved into something bigger: a real-world collaboration that challenged and expanded both of their skills.
“Ismail mentioned he was working on launching a food truck called Get Loaded,” Arvidson said. “He already had a logo, but his designer had dropped off the project. I just said, ‘I’ll help you out.’ It felt like a fun challenge and a chance to try something new.”
As one of the first large-scale projects Arvidson had ever undertaken, the design process involved a lot of trial and error.
“I knew absolutely nothing about creating something at that scale,” she said. “I restarted three times because the files weren’t printing right. Every time I sent it in, they’d say it was blurry. I had to learn everything, vector design, scaling, printing formats, as I went.”
The final design was bold, bright and bursting with personality, perfectly capturing the Get Loaded spirit. Arvidson wanted the look to reflect the food truck’s inclusive vibe and fun, welcoming energy. Serving up delicious comfort food at farmers’ markets around Lansing and Okemos, Get Loaded offers something for everyone. Customers start with a base of mac and cheese, fries or nacho chips, then pile on their favorite toppings from buffalo chicken to Cajun shrimp.
“He wanted his food to be something everyone could enjoy, and that inclusivity was something I wanted the design to capture, too,” she said.
Arvidson took on the project free of charge as one of her first real-world design experiences. She said it taught her how to collaborate creatively and trust her instincts, even while she was still learning.
“It definitely wasn’t perfect,” she said. “But I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Arvidson said Jabar was one of the first people to trust her vision completely, and that confidence pushed her to keep growing as a designer.
“As a designer, you always look back and think, ‘I could do it better now,’” Arvidson said. “But that project reminds me of where I started and how far I’ve come.”
For both students, Get Loaded turned out to be more than just a food truck. It became a symbol of what happens when creativity meets collaboration. It’s a reminder that some of the best ideas in advertising begin with a simple connection and the courage to collaborate.
To see more of Arvidson’s work online at https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamiearvidson/ and check out the Get Loaded Food Truck online at https://linktr.ee/GetLoadedFoodTruck19.
