Johansson Pursues Soccer and Graphic Design at BC

Axel Johansson’s love for soccer and graphic design has brought him from his beloved home of Sweden all the way to the small town of Bluefield, Virginia. Johansson is a sophomore and a graphic communication major who plays center back for the BC Rams men’s soccer team.

Johansson chose to come to BC after admiring the college’s website. He said the site looked “professional,” and he liked how Bluefield had his chosen major. Seems fitting that the graphic design of the college drew Johansson to Bluefield.

When asked what he likes best about Bluefield, he said he likes the people, the “beautiful” mountains, his coach, and all of his teammates. Johansson said he picked graphic communication as his major due to the direction he chose to take back in high school.

“In my high school, we get to choose a direction in which you take your courses,” he said. “I chose a technology direction. There was a lot of math, physics, and stuff like that… Then you can choose another direction during your second or third year. I chose design where we did a lot of Illustrator, Photoshop, and stuff like that.”

Johansson said he really enjoys creating logos when it comes to design. He once made one of his friends into a cartoon on Illustrator. He also designed a sunset just using the letter “A,” which he said he really liked. He would not say he necessarily has a particular style to his work, but instead he depends more on what is appealing to the eye.

Johansson’s favorite thing to do back home is to hang out with his friends. During the summer, he likes to swim in the ocean since he lives right by the coast. Johansson mentioned how in the winter months the ocean freezes where people can go ice skating literally on the frozen water. What a completely different world.

Johansson said what he misses most about home are his friends and family and speaking Swedish. He also mentioned how much he misses Swedish candy.

“It (candy) is much better in Sweden,” he said. “We have a system where it’s like a lot of different pockets with candy, and you can pick your bag.”

Not only does Johansson excel in graphic design and on the soccer field, he also is an academic scholar. During his freshman year, he received a Certificate of Academic Excellence for a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 and higher. He has been rewarded countless times by being placed on the college’s President’s List. Johansson was also rewarded the Valena May Parsons Communication Award this past spring by his professor and advisor Allen Roberts, assistant professor and chair of the Department of Graphic Communication.

“Axel is a talented artist and a pleasure to have in the classroom,” Roberts said. “He’s a quick learner who consistently produces eye-catching work that often exceeds expectations. In his first year here at BC, his exemplary performance across all his classes helped him earn the communication scholarship that is awarded each spring.”

Johansson will graduate from BC in May of 2022. He is still deciding on what exactly he wants to do for a career. He said his dream job would be a graphic designer. He hopes to someday settle back down in his home of Sweden, but says he would not mind getting to know more places here in the states.