Marquee at 134th spring commencement

Nearly 250 Columbus College of Art & Design students graced the stage of the historic Ohio Theatre to receive their diplomas on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

The 134^th annual commencement in downtown Columbus included an address by nationally renowned artist Mel Chin, who was also awarded an honorary degree by the college.

James E. Kunk, vice chair of CCAD’s board of trustees; Dennison W. Griffith, CCAD president; Kevin J. Conlon, vice president for academic affairs; and director of graduate studies and professor Ric Petry conferred the nine master of fine arts degrees and the bachelor of fine arts.

Student government president and Advertising & Graphic Design major Cailyn Driscoll addressed the audience of peers and family, followed by recognition of the nine outstanding seniors:

• Lillie Templeton, Advertising & Graphic Design
• Tyler Crowley, Animation
• Patrick Kain, Cinematic Arts
• Katharine Hire, Fashion Design
• Stefanie Cook, Fine Arts
• Wesley Talbott, Illustration
• Justin Brown, Industrial Design
• Katelyn Venia, Interior Design
• Kayla Holdgreve, Photography

President Griffith introduced the 2013 class valedictorian, Advertising & Graphic Design major Lillie Templeton.

Following the valedictorian’s address, Griffith spoke to the graduating class. He offered them a heartfelt farewell and encouraged them to spread their talent and the message of love across the world.

Class of 2013 valedictorian Lillie Templeton

Columbus College of Art & Design is proud to present the valedictorian for the class of 2013, Lillie Templeton. The Advertising & Graphic Design major will be honored during the commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 11, at the Ohio Theatre.

Templeton was also honored as an outstanding senior for Advertising & Graphic Design. Each year faculty select one outstanding senior to represent each undergraduate major.

In addition to Templeton’s exemplary grades, she has distinguished herself outside the classroom. Templeton was president of CCAD’s honors council for two years and helped lead their group project, a one-day pop-up store on campus in December, which had a second life at Easton Town Center this spring.

Templeton’s work received recognition at this year’s ADDY’s, where she took home a Best of Show and a Gold award.

She has already secured a job as a graphic designer at SBC Advertising in Columbus, OH. She is currently part of their Bed Bath & Beyond team and will begin working full time upon graduation.

Check out our CCAD news blog for more highlights from Templeton’s time here.

Templeton is from Wadesboro, NC, and was home schooled.

2013 Outstanding Senior Lillie Templeton

At the end of the academic year, CCAD presents the faculty selected outstanding seniors for each undergraduate major.  Today, in part one of our nine-part series, meet Advertising & Graphic Design outstanding senior Lillie Templeton.

Q: What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

Being a part of the team that kick-started the pop-up store effort here at CCAD. I was part of the honors class project’s One and now I am working on FORTHMADE, which will go up at Easton.

Q: What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

Probably being so far away from my family in North Carolina—it was a really big transition from a small town to a big city.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

I currently have a job as a designer at SBC Advertising; I was hired in January, and I am really happy to be a part of the team. I am primarily working with the Bed Bath & Beyond team, and I have worked on their email, their campus and beyond campaigns, their bridal campaigns, and just a little bit of everything.

Q: What’s your ultimate dream job or goal?

Ultimately I want to be a creative director. I like doing a little bit of everything, and I love seeing a project through from the strategy and research to the final visual project.

Q: Why is it important as an alumnus to give back to CCAD?

It is very important. I was part of the phonathon team my sophomore year, so I got to speak to a lot of alumni firsthand. Most of the alumni were eager to talk to students, and they would keep us on the phone sharing tips, knowledge, and wisdom. It was wonderful and made such an impression on me. Alumni donations, involvement, or even willingness to look at your portfolio really does make a difference in a student’s education.

Q: Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

Yes, absolutely. Normally it is when you finish a big project at the end of the year, and you step back a bit and get a phone call from your mom and she says she loves the project and you get messages from outside people saying how much they love your work. Those moments make the all-nighters worth it.

But the big moment for me was sophomore year when I was an illustration major (I’ve changed my major four times), and I was taking the advertising classes that were required and I realized I was the only person in the class that was enjoying myself. I liked it and wanted to do it the rest of my life.

Q: What smell, word, or whatever will always remind you of your time here as a student?

All-nighters.

Q: What will you miss the most?

I am going to miss the community here; I think that is the scariest thing about leaving here. I have so many friends, and there are faces that you are familiar with seeing every day—walking away from that and starting over is just terrifying, I am going to miss saying hi to Denny [Griffith, CCAD president] and seeing Jim [Lutz, chair of Advertising & Graphic Design] walk around outside, everything.

Q: If you can describe what graduation feels like in one word or sentence what would it be?

Victory.

Q: What was your favorite class at CCAD?

Biotechnology Inspires Artistry. I enjoyed it so much because it was unrelated to anything else I have done in my career. It was with Julie Posey; she taught the biology side and Kristine Schramer taught the art side. It was entirely new curriculum. Julie spent the first half of the semester talking about human anatomy and biology, and then Kristine helped us create gallery pieces and we had in a show at the end. It was fun because it got me away from the computer and I learned so much.

Q: What did you like to do during your free time?

If I did have free time, I probably just cleaned, since it was long overdue by the time I got to it.

Q: What is your fondest memory at CCAD?

Freshman year, those were the days. Hanging out in the dorms and late-night walks.

Q: What would you change about your undergraduate career?

I would have taken more credits my first semester. I only took 12 and I knew you could take up 18; that way I would have had less of a workload my last year.

Q: What is your advice to future CCAD students?

It is never too late to start your LinkedIn profile. You can start building your professional presence online, and LinkedIn can help back up your reputation. It also is helpful if you don’t have your website built yet. It’s so easy to neglect the business and networking side when you are in the arts, and this helps you get connected to those networks.

Templeton is from Wadesboro, NC, and was home schooled.

Photo from 2012 commencement

May is quickly on its way, accompanied by rain, flowers, and, very soon, graduation caps and gowns. On May 11 Columbus College of Art & Design will celebrate nearly 250 graduating CCAD students as they cross the stage of the historic Ohio Theatre and receive their hard-earned diplomas.

As the countdown to commencement begins, CCAD honors this year’s outstanding seniors. Each year department heads choose an outstanding senior for each undergraduate major. This year’s awardees include Justin Brown, Industrial Design; Stefanie Cook, Fine Arts; Tyler Crowley, Animation; Katharine Hire, Fashion Design; Kayla Holdgreve, Photography; Patrick Kain, Cinematic Arts; Wesley Talbot, Illustration; Lille Templeton, Advertising & Graphic Design; and Katelyn Venia, Interior Design.

We sat down to interview each of these stellar students, and we’ll publish a profile a day (on school days) starting on April 29 and culminating on May 10 when we announce the class valedictorian(s).

The outstanding seniors and valedictorian(s) will be honored at commencement, which will also feature an address by nationally renowned artist Mel Chin.

FORTHMADE is a pop-up store created by CCAD students; click above to watch the video.

Last semester, CCAD honors students created One, a one-day pop-up store on campus. This semester the students are at it again with FORTHMADE and they are partnering with Easton Town Center to bring the one-day store to the outdoor shopping center located in Columbus, OH.

The honors Developing Retail class is a project-based class led by adjunct faculty Marcia Tabler.

“It has been really interesting to watch the creative juices flow,” Tabler said. “There is so much satisfaction in seeing these students create something of their own from the ground up, and watching the natural ebb and flow of designers as they work as part of a team.”

The nine students handled everything from the marketing strategy, including the promotional photography and video, to the store design. Details such as branding the shopping bags, price tags, and even hangers were not overlooked.

Students involved in the execution of FORTHMADE are Advertising & Graphic Design seniors Alex Laniosz and Lillie Templeton, junior Haley Fischer, and sophomore Qisha Kendy; Cinematic Arts juniors Amanda Hess and Richard Smith; Fashion Design senior Ryun Harrison and junior Lauren Colbert; Illustration sophomore Phong Nguyen; and Industrial Design senior Meara Swiler.

The class sent a request campuswide for students to submit their work to be judged and possibly sold in the store. The response was overwhelming, which wasn’t surprising considering last semester’s store sold more than 70 percent of its inventory. Submissions ranged from clothing to jewelry to prints and everything in between. One thing that is certain is that the products available will all be CCAD-designed, handcrafted, and one-of-a-kind.

“Our ultimate goal is to have this project be self-funded,” Tabler said. “All the profits from this store will go to the next class’s retail store project, and hopefully this can become an ongoing tradition here at CCAD.”

Easton Town Center generously donated space for the store. The class will take advantage of the large theater that once housed Shadowbox Live.

“At Easton, we’re always looking to present new ideas,” said Beau Anderson, the executive vice president for asset performance of Steiner + Associates. “We’ve enjoyed a wonderful relationship with CCAD, and the pop-up shop seemed like a logical way to extend our partnership while offering our customers unique, locally designed apparel and accessories. This will be a shop of discovery, and we cannot wait to see what the students offer in this space and how they will approach the visual merchandising.”

FORTHMADE will be in business May 4, 1–9 p.m., at 160 Easton Town Center, Columbus, OH.

Colbert is from Westerville, OH, and attended Saint Francis De Sales High School; Fischer is from Lawrence, KS, and attended Lawrence High School; Harrison is from Alpharetta, GA, and attended Alpharetta High School; Hess is from Columbus, OH, and attended American School of Technology; Kendy is from Jakarta, Indonesia, and attended Jakarta International School; Laniosz is from Willowbrook, IL, and attended Hinsdale South High School; Nguyen is from Germantown, MD, and attended Mansfield High School; Smith is from Blacklick, OH, and attended Licking Heights High School; Swiler is from Maumee, OH, and attended Trinity High School; and Templeton is from Wadesboro, NC, and was home schooled.

Screenshot from the Justin Timberlake countdown video

Coming off his recent music video work with the band One Direction, Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus John Urbano (CCAD 1996) has just finished a project with singer and actor Justin Timberlake.

Urbano directed the countdown video to the the highly anticipated release of Timberlake’s newest album, The 20/20 Experience.

The short clip shows Timberlake walking through a recording studio talking about his artistic process for the new album.

Urbano is a native of Rensselaer, IN, and attended Rensselaer Central High School

At the Teaching Excellence ceremony, from left to right, Kevin Conlon, James Lutz, Mark Hazlerig, Stewart McKissick, and Denny Griffith

Professors Mark Hazlerig and James Lutz received CCAD’s Teaching Excellence Award and Professor Ronald Tardino, who is retiring this year, was honored in an event on April 18 in the Canzani Center atrium.

Each year CCAD recognizes an outstanding faculty member for excellence in teaching—and this year the college gave the honor to two faculty members. The award celebrates the exemplary efforts faculty members contribute to the college as a whole, using the classroom setting to engage and enhance students’ experiences.

The recipients were selected after receiving 57 nominations, which were solicited from students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Hazlerig, a CCAD alumnus, graduated with a degree  in Advertising & Graphic Design in 1974 and received his degree in Illustration in 1977. Lutz is also an Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus, graduating in 1978.

Hazlerig has taught at CCAD for 39 years teaching classes ranging from lettering and packaging to illustration and welding. He also is a freelance illustrator with clients including the state of Ohio, General Electric, and Hallmark Cards.

Student nominators said that Hazlerig “makes you answer your own questions as you work and go through the design process” and “encourages experimentation and independence.”

Ronald Tardino speaks during the April 18 ceremony

Lutz has served as a faculty member at CCAD for 19 years and is the current chair of the Advertising & Graphic Design department. He also is the senior designer and owner of Lutz Design Group LLC that has clients including Ohio Health Group, South-Western City Schools, and the Ohio Department of Mental Health.

Student nominators touched on his ability to provide opportunities for students to get them on the right career path. One student commented that he is “always trying to get students involved with each other, and really pushing us to network and advance ourselves.”

After Hazlerig and Lutz received their awards, Stewart McKissick, professor and chair of Illustration, honored Tardino talking about his years of service to the CCAD community. Tardino, an Illustration alumnus, has taught at CCAD since 1971.  He helped establish the Directions Career Fair, a reverse career fair where potential employers come to check out the work of CCAD students. He is also a liaison for Walt Disney Studios and has served as an instructor and adviser to CCAD’s Art Explorer Post 407 program, guiding high school students interested in art careers.

Ohio Governor John Kasich with winning design Aaron Roberts

CCAD-Designed Licenses and Plates Hit the Road

It was a pretty big deal when Gov. John Kasich asked CCAD to help design new driver’s licenses and license plates for the Ohio BMV. And ever since the selected designs were unveiled in November 2011, we’ve been itching to see them out in the real world.

Well, that time has come. The new driver’s license went into circulation in January, and the new plates are due to come into use as this magazine hits the mail. So watch the wallets, purses, and bumpers near you for clean, elegant new designs by CCAD’s very own Aaron Roberts (Advertising & Graphic Design 2012)!

Informal Critique Blooms on Campus

Want to get unvarnished opinions about your art? Ask your peers.

That’s the approach Fine Arts alum Erin McKenna (CCAD 2012) adopted for a student-driven critique program she started at CCAD.

During her junior year, she participated in the semester-long New York Studio Residency Program. “There were kids from all over the United States,” McKenna says. “Nobody knows anybody when you get there. We decided that on Wednesday nights we’d make dinner together and walk around the studios, giving critiques. It was at night, much more relaxing; there were no professors there. We listened to each other. I learned a lot; it was nice to have the perspective of a peer.”

McKenna liked the idea so much she brought it back to campus, organizing evening critique sessions for students during her senior year. Up to 30 participants, mainly Fine Arts majors with some from Illustration and Advertising & Graphic Design, visited studios. “I had a lot of people come up to me after they had their critique and say it was very helpful.”

“It’s still going on Wednesday nights and has even more people,” she says.

Animation students during Skype conversation

Animation Students Skype for Advice

For members of the Animation Student Collective at CCAD, professional advice is only a Skype away.

Skype, an Internet voice and video service, links the student animators to professionals, including CCAD alumni. Animation senior Rico Jackson, president and founder of the Animation Student Collective, explains: “Most of the professionals are in California because that’s where the animation industry is, the bulk of it. We can’t bring them to Ohio because that would cost entirely too much money.

“Instead, we Skype them.”

The group meets in Kinney Hall. Using a computer linked to a video projector, Jackson asks the guest animator questions; other students also can come up to the computer’s camera and pose questions as well.

Chris Oatley (CCAD 2001), a former Disney character designer who now runs an online art academy, held a session with students last semester. “Chris is a phenomenal speaker,” Jackson says.

Jackson hopes to have Skype sessions with three guests during spring semester. He says the sessions have an impact. “With Chris, a lot of people sent us messages or talked with us afterward. They said it was really inspirational. Students made some artwork right away because they were inspired.”

Students work in the MindMarket

Students Embark on Two-Year Project with Electronics Company

The CCAD MindMarket’s DesignLab is giving students the chance to dig into an extended design project with the advanced electronics company InPower.

“InPower reached out to CCAD after learning about some of the offerings CCAD has for Industrial Design,” says Cynthia Gravino, CCAD MindMarket director.  “We determined that a DesignLab partnership would best serve their needs and would provide a great hands-on opportunity for our students in a client-based project setting.”

Tom Gattis, dean of the School of Design Arts and chair of Industrial Design, stepped in to lead the project.

For the first semester (fall 2012) students conducted a comprehensive market, product, and competitive landscape analysis.

This spring, they’ll incorporate that research into a redesign of InPower’s product packaging.

InPower will continue to tap into CCAD talent throughout 2013­–2014, focusing on work to find new avenues for their products.

“As an engineering-based organization, InPower provided an opportunity to expand the types of companies we serve,” Gravino says.

“The only difference [from the real world] is we are doing it within the safe confines of the college,” Gattis says. “Students have expert guidance from faculty and can try a lot of things and really explore concepts that in a corporate setting would be a bit too risky.”

Science Chair’s Research Presented

CCAD Chair of Science Julie Posey has worked with Ohio State University’s Division of Infectious Diseases since 2010 to create a tracking profile for a specific strain of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Posey’s research studied nearly 500 positive cases of MRSA.

The resulting paper, Development of Bio-informatics Research Network for Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Blood Stream Infections (BSI): A Multicenter Regional MRSA Surveillance Collaborative for Genotyping, Geocoding, and Data Collection for Outbreak Investigation, was presented by OSU researchers at the Infectious Disease Society of America conference last fall.

Alexa Carson’s holiday card design

’Twas the Season — for a Holiday Card Contest Winner

CCAD teamed up with the Columbus Partnership last year to create a new tradition — a holiday card design contest.

The Columbus Partnership is a nonprofit, membership-based organization of 49 CEOs from Columbus’ leading businesses and institutions. Its primary mission is to improve the economic vitality of the Columbus region.

“Partnering with CCAD was a great opportunity to support an incredible educational asset in our community and work with the creative student innovators of Columbus who help drive our economic growth,” said Stephen Lyons, vice president of member services and community engagement at the Partnership.

A jury reviewed 38 entries and selected Illustration senior Alexa Carson’s design.

Carson received a $1,000 cash prize, and the card, which included her name and contact info, was distributed to more than 3,000 Columbus Partnership clients and friends.

Fine Arts Faculty Member Keeps Active Practice

Danielle Julian Norton’s approach to artmaking? Two words: keep moving.

Norton, a 1999 Fine Arts alum and now an assistant professor of fine arts and graduate studies, is keeping up an almost dizzying itinerary of residencies and exhibitions in the United States and Europe.

This includes stints last fall at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, CO, and last summer at I-Park in East Haddam, CT.

A year earlier, she did residencies at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, NE, and in Dresden, Germany, under the sponsorship of the Greater Columbus Arts Council.

Her exhibition schedule last year ranged from the Decorative Arts Center of Ohio in Lancaster to the Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, CO, to the Cynthia-Reeves Gallery at Art Miami. A show at Ohio Dominican University will have just closed as this magazine mails.

“To grow as an artist I feel it’s important to meet other artists and go outside my comfort zone.” Norton says. “Each time I go and meet a new art community and group of artists, it’s like a mini-graduate school; you learn new approaches to art-making.”

“I think it works well in the classroom,” she says. “I can give [students] real-world examples. A teacher should also be an active artist.”

Norton calls her work interdisciplinary, “a cross between sculpture, photography, and performance.”

Next on tap is I Forgot to Forget, a June 15 – July 20 exhibition she is curating at the Urban Arts Space of Ohio State University.

For new CCAD graduates with a creative degree in hand, the horizon is vast, and to each destination lays myriad paths. This is both super exciting and—we’re not afraid to say it—daunting. Between launch and land there will be a bit of unknown, which is why we decided to contact 10 of our top 2012 grads and ask them how things are going.

From these 10, we found that two have formed LLCs, four have shown in galleries, one has “gone viral,” and, among them, there are nine cats, two dogs, and one “very handsome” fish named Columbus. Their workplaces are diverse: while one is at an international clothier, another might spend all day in a urethane-casting lab.

To what do they owe their successes so far? CCAD comes up—the inspired friendships, life-altering classes, and amazing professors are too many to list — but so do hard work, integrity, connections, knowing one’s priorities, curiosity, and gumption.

They are a grateful bunch. Asked to be specific, classmates and sweeties get a mention, and from Alex Trimpe, “Just being alive is pretty nice, wouldn’t you say?” But overall, their greatest gratitude is to mom and dad. (Awww…)

May we introduce: our Ten to Watch.

Chavilah Bennett at work

Chavilah Bennett

Major: Advertising & Graphic Design

City: Columbus

Position: Motion graphics designer at S77

Cause: The Maximin Project

Go-to Food: Avocado

Chavilah Bennett was warned she’d be a coffee girl or a “pair of hands” at her first job. “That was a lie,” she says. Already, at S77, she’s designed the opening titles for a CeeLo Green/Muppets holiday video, worked post-production on a “T.I. featuring Lil Wayne” music video, and helped to direct and shoot footage for a series on the Bio Channel. Bennett’s job is in motion graphics, though her training is not. When she was hired—because of “people saying nice things about me behind my back”—it was with the understanding that she’d be learning on the job. No problem:  “The great thing about CCAD,” she says, “is it teaches how to think creatively, how to problem-solve, and how to work efficiently, and those are qualities that transfer to any career.”

Lian Dziura

LIAN DZIURA

BFA: Photography

City: Columbus

Position: Freelance photo assistant for Michael Cogar at Lane Bryant

Inspired by: Medieval and Renaissance art

Fave CCAD class: Still-life photography

A day at work for Lian Dziura might be spent assisting photographer Michael Cogar on-set, editing and color-correcting final images, photographing an edible tableau for a freelance client, or maybe even working on her own collages. Since graduating, she’s shown in two galleries, including the Clifton Cultural Arts Center, where she received an honorable mention. While she wasn’t sure what to expect post-college, to have a job she enjoys and to show and sell work “is a great feeling,” she says. “I’m glad it’s turned out the way it has.”

Rachel Cass

RACHEL CASS

BFA: Fashion Design

City: New York

Position: Assistant designer at American Eagle Outfitters (AEO)

Fave CCAD Class: Collection (“the class where all the hard work pays off”)

Words to Live By: Grow or die.

Talent, skill, and education are all key to landing a dream job, but for Rachel Cass, so were patience and confidence. Certain she’d find the right job, she looked at a lot of companies, even turned down some. Then she applied to AEO. “I left my interview knowing I would work there,” she says. Sure enough, she’s now in New York designing denim jeans and jackets. The transition was smooth, something she credits to all her hard work at CCAD. She plans on growing with AEO and looks forward to “seeing where my adventure takes me.”

Leah Fisher

LEAH FISHER

BFA: Photography

City: Columbus

Position: Archivist and evening supervisor at CCAD’s Packard Library

Go-to Food: Gatto’s Pizza

Creative Jumpstart: Crossword puzzles

Leah Fisher didn’t look for a job—she already had one. Since 2007, she’s been transforming a roomful of boxes into a digitized, cataloged, and shared archive about the history of CCAD. She’s added to that history by, for instance, replicating old photos for a Then-and-Now exhibit. It’s the kind of project that keeps her passionate. Fisher also remains focused on her art. Nine of her “drive-bys” (photos she takes from a moving vehicle) are part of Image Ohio 2013, one of those won an Honorable Mention in that exhibition, and she’s applied for a show at the Urban Arts Space. “Life right now feels great,” she says.

Jake LaBombarbe

JAKE LaBOMBARBE

BFA: Industrial Design

City: Columbus

Position: Lead industrial designer at Concept Engineering

Cause: Toys for Tots and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund

Hobby: “I am a connoisseur of terrible movies.”

“It may be corny,” says Jake LaBombarbe, “but to hold something you’ve designed as a tangible object is still one of the greatest feelings in the world.” At Concept, LaBombarbe does design, research, product testing, and modeling; he’s overseen a new silicone and urethane casting lab; and he’s the go-to guy about additive manufacturing and prototyping capabilities. Owens Corning is a big client, but potentially so is anyone with, as he says, “great concepts but no idea how to make them.” His ultimate aim is the toy industry (and he’s developed some ideas, so keep an eye out on Kickstarter). Although he had a job ready and waiting after graduation, his advice is to never take anything for granted. Also, “do right by others,” and, sharing a tip once given to him, “don’t ever point out a flaw in your own sketch: chances are, only you see it.”

Sarah McCance, photo by Kevin Brown

SARAH McCANCE

BFA: Interior Design

City: Dallas

Position: Interior designer for Wilson Associates

Go-to Food: Hot Cheetos

Tool to Unwind: Jim Henson’s The Labyrinth

Designing interiors for a palace in Abu Dhabi may not have been on Sarah McCance’s career to-do list, but because she made the most of opportunities while at CCAD, it’s one item she can now check off. “My company designs luxury,” she explains—often for high-end resorts, casinos, and, yes, palaces. After careful research, McCance applied to be a student intern at Wilson and, while there, was “a sponge, absorbing everything,” she says. Afterward, she prioritized those professional ties and was hired on full time after graduation. Time to set new goals: she’s now focused on professional certifications—and recruiting more CCAD students for Wilson internships.

Kattie Baker

KATTIE BAKER

BFA: Advertising & Graphic Design

City: Columbus

Position: Designer at Fine Citizens, a web design agency

Cause: Big Sisters (“I’m a sucker for children.”)

Tool to Unwind: Zumba

“To see your work grow up and march out into the real world feels fabulous,” says Kattie Baker (even if, technically, her work is in the virtual world). At Fine Citizens, she’s in charge of responsive web design and is the “icon and vector graphics girl,” which means she gets to do fun stuff like animal illustrations for the Columbus Zoo’s online guide. Add in art direction and client presentations and “it’s a lot of hats,” she says, “but multi-tasking is a skill all CCAD grads acquire.” Baker and her husband just bought their first house, and, as for the future, “it’s whatever keeps challenging me,” she says.

Erin McKenna

ERIN McKENNA

BFA: Fine Arts

City: Columbus

Position: Host at Better Earth in the North Market; founder/manager of No Place Studios, LLC

Fave CCAD Experience: NY Studio Residency

Words to Live By: If you want something done, do it yourself.

Erin McKenna wasn’t ready to give up the tools, materials, supportive community, and feedback she had at CCAD, so she problem-solved. McKenna formed an LLC and with 10 other artists (nine from CCAD) founded No Place Studios: 2,500 sq. ft. to make art, hold events, and foster community. “We’re very proud of this space,” she says. After an artist’s residency at Chicago-based ACRE and a related exhibition this spring, grad school is next up. Already, she’s been nominated for a scholarship.

Sara Diesel

SARA DIESEL

BFA: Illustration

City: Pittsburgh

Position: Freelance illustrator

Fave CCAD Class: Entrepreneurial Illustration

Inspired by: 1980s sci-fi movies

“Freelancing,” says Sara Diesel, “is a great way to network and work your way up the field to larger clients.” But jobs don’t fall in your lap; it takes hustle, and “persistence, most of all.” Asked to brag, she mentions her work on the Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones card games, to which, she says, “it was an honor to add my voice.” She calls it “humbling and surreal” to have work in Spectrum 19, a publication full of her favorite illustrators. Though someday she might like to try her hand at game creation, she’s happy freelancing and excited to see just where it will take her.

Alex Trimpe

ALEX TRIMPE

BFA: Media Studies

City: Akron

Position: Proprietor of Alex Trimpe Motion Design, LLC

Cause: Longstride

Creativity Jumpstart: Going outside

With the ink on his diploma barely dry, December grad Alex Trimpe is the boss of his own motion graphics company, producing work (usually typography-based with illustrations) for clients around the globe. The “short story,” he explains: “A video of mine [The World Is Obsessed with Facebook] went viral. People wanted similar-style videos. Then, bigger people wanted videos.” Some of those bigger people are Samsung, Levi’s, and Cisco. But don’t just chalk up his success to luck. Trimpe asked for it. He messaged Vimeo: Hi…can you give me feedback…thank you…oh, and if you like it, maybe throw it on your staff picks. They did. His advice—along with “be kind but not a pushover, persistent but not annoying, and have a good reel”—is “simply ask, it works better than you’d think.”

Web Exclusive, full interviews from our Ten to Watch:

Chavilah Bennett

Go-to food: Avocado! I’ll eat it with (almost) anything.
Fave class at CCAD: Mr. Mohr’s Senior Ad/Graph class; the work consistently forced me to explore outside my comfort zone.
Fave CCAD hangout: The study/work room in the Admin building. During December finals one year I had to pull so many all-nighters in the admin building that I brought Christmas lights, music and snacks to make it feel a bit more cheerful.
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: On a warm day my favorite thing to do is walk around the city with a coffee and a camera, exploring hidden side streets, pretty neighborhoods and parks. I like to think of the world as an adventure and if someone takes the time to look, they will find something beautiful and unexpected.
Hobby: Singing, playing the piano and small harp, power yoga. I’ve missed painting and drawing so I started a few personal projects. Right now I’m painting a large map of the world on my wall. (I’ll send photos to Lindsay Kronmiller.)
Fave game: You can’t go wrong with Uno or Settlers of Catan. A new favorite is Telestrations; it’s like the game of telephone but in drawings. I played with my siblings over the holidays and the results were hilarious.
Ideal breakfast: A mountain of bacon
Everyday breakfast: Coffee and a granola bar or bagel
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Maximin Project. I was involved as a designer for this organization for about six months after initially meeting them at Startup Weekend 2011 at CCAD.
Website/podcast for inspiration or to learn something: I listen to podcasts when I’m in the middle of a project. NPR Planet Money, TED Talks, The Moth: True Stories Told Live, and This American Life. Listening to the BBC News podcast as I get ready for work is a ritual for me, it helps put life in perspective before I leave the house.

Kattie Baker

Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Zumba dancing. I’m self-taught, so I’m not sure I have much of a knack for it. Mostly it’s just me shaking my hips and romping around the living room. It gets the energy out regardless.
Fave game: I like simpler, classic games like Mario Kart. If there are guns or aliens I tend to grip the controller too tightly and take my character’s death too seriously.
Best advice you’ve heard: “If your first job out of college doesn’t make you worried that you’ll be fired every day for the first six months, you’re not being challenged enough.”
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: There are a ton that deserve limelight, but this year I’ve decided to volunteer with Big Brothers Big Sisters. I’m a sucker for kids.

Rachel Cass

Go-to food: Sushi!
Fave class at CCAD: Collection. It’s where you get to show all your skills, all while creating your own designs. It’s what we went to school for; it’s the class where all your hard work pays off.
Fave CCAD hangout: Sitting on the lawn between classes. It’s a great place to take a time out and just relax
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): I have a huge list of people I look up to and admire, but narrowing down to just one is too hard.
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Visiting the German Village Book Loft with my fiance. Sifting through books and discovering new artist and places is always a source of inspiration. Music is always a huge inspiration in my creative process. The right music can change anything.
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Sleeping; it’s not something I see much of, but when I really need to relax or take a break, I like to close my eyes and dream.
Hobby: Camping, snowboarding, enjoying life
Words to live by: My dad told me if you’re not growing in life, you’re dying. He’s a pretty smart man, so I try to apply it to all aspects of my life.
Fave game: Monopoly
Comic book or character: I would be Storm from X-Men.
Ideal breakfast: Cream-cheese eggs with toast and fruit
Everyday breakfast: Veggie breakfast sandwich and coffee
Best advice you’ve gotten: To live my life as an adventure, not as something set in stone.
Best advice you’ve given: follow what’s in your heart
Pet(s)? My dog Charlie, she’s a mutt and the cutest one out there! She’s also back in Columbus, and I miss her everyday. I got a fish to keep me company in NYC. His name is Columbus; he is a very handsome blue beta.
Grateful for: I’m grateful for the amazing people in my life and the unbelievable amount of support they have showed me.

Sara K. Diesel

Fave class at CCAD: Entrepreneurial Illustration with Andrew Bawidamann—very informative and challenging!
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: I’m a big movie watcher. I love the old eighties sci-fi movies especially. It’s where a lot of my inspiration comes from.
Fave game: I play a lot of video games. I think it would be safe to say that at the moment I’m stuck on Dishonored. It has great design and concept all around.
Best advice you’ve gotten: Fake it ’til you make it.
Website/podcast for inspiration: Muddy Colors is a blog chock-full of great inspiration, advice, and tips, and it’s run by some of the big names in the illustration world.
Grateful for: My parents, especially right now. They’ve given me so many opportunities and have supported my decision to be an illustrator 100%.

Lian Dziura

Fave class at CCAD: Still-life photography
Fave artist/designer/photographer: I love most medieval and Renaissance art. I think that’s where most of my inspiration comes from.
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Pinterest and sketching
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: A cup of tea and Downton Abbey
Hobby: Reading and cooking
Fave game: Scattergories
Ideal breakfast: French toast from Tasi. Or crêpes.
Everyday breakfast: Tea and toast or hot cereal
Best advice you’ve gotten: Never give up; failure is not the end, it’s just another step in the process of learning.
Best advice you’ve given: Probably the advice above.  :)
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Children’s homes and orphanages
Pet(s)? Cat named Lily
Website/podcast to learn something: The Guardian and TED talks
Grateful for: My mom

Leah Fisher

Go-to food: Gattos Pizza
Fave class at CCAD: It’s a toss-up between my independent studies with amazing faculty members Helen Hoffelt and Charlotte Belland
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): Garry Winogrand and Diane Arbus
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Crossword puzzles
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Obsessive fiction book reading
Hobby: Cooking
Words to live by: Use it or lose it
Fave game: Apples to Apples
Everyday breakfast: Nuts Over Chocolate Luna Bars
Ideal breakfast: Frittatas and biscuits
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Planned Parenthood
Pet(s)? I am a mom to four cats! Mookie, Milton, Hellz Bellz and Hormel.
Website/podcast for laughs: Cracked.com
Website/podcast to learn something: Salon.com
Grateful for: My amazing husband, Dave, who not only supports the things I am passionate about, but also shares my passion.  We are pretty much always together when I am out shooting, and he is my primary driver for the Drive-By Shootings series.

Jake LaBombarbe

Fave class at CCAD: Anything with Dave Burghy or Tom Williamson
Fave CCAD hangout: The ID Cave in Kinney Hall
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): Animator Bruce Timm, illustrator Matt Wagner
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Punk rock and copious amounts of coffee
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: Street Fighter 4
Hobby: I am a connoisseur of terrible movies.
Words to live by: My latest: “Dude, sucking at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”
Fave game: Metal Gear Solid 3
Comic book or character: Batman
Ideal breakfast: Coffee and a bagel with lox
Everyday breakfast: Coffee
Best advice you’ve gotten: Don’t ever point out a flaw in sketch, chances are you are the only one who knows that it’s there.
Best advice you’ve given: Play to your strengths, but mind your weaknesses.
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Toys for Tots and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Pet(s)? Chippy, he’s a cat. He’s also an a$$hole.
Website/podcast to learn something: Brad Jones aka The Cinema Snob, Matt and Pat at Two Best Friends Play, and Noah Antwiller aka The Spoony One
Grateful for: I am grateful for Alex Mazur, Caleb Boller, Hak Chan Kim, Jennifer Helber, Joe Washington, Joel Van Gilder, and Nikki Stapleton…the finest classmates and greatest friends that anyone could ever have.

Sarah McCance

Go-to food: Hot Cheetos!! More of a snack really, but I just can’t help myself. They are delicious.
Fave class at CCAD: Definitely my Fairy Tales class my senior year. The content and the teacher were both incredibly interesting. I only ever missed class if I was on my death bed with sickness. (Haha. Even then I contemplated going.) That class definitely makes me rethink whether or not I want to read certain fairytales to my children someday. Especially Snow White.
Fave CCAD hangout: Interior Design is a relatively small program at CCAD, so you become really tight knit with your classmates. My favorite memories and most fun experiences there were whenever we were all in the computer lab on the second floor of the Crane Center. We laughed, we cried, we had screaming matches due to lack of sleep and WAY too much estrogen, but those are my favorite memories at CCAD.
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): I have always been inspired by designers like Eero Saarinen, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Verner Panton. They all had very simple design with a bit of a funky flair. Each very different and each very inspiring. As far as still living designers go, my best friend and classmate Amanda Shaw is incredibly inspiring to me. She is so incredibly creative, driven, and won’t take no for an answer…EVER. I can only hope to pick up some of her traits along the way.
Go-to for blowing off steam or relaxing: The Labyrinth by Jim Henson starring David Bowie, and music
Comic book or character: I’ve always been really into X-Men. As a child my cousin and I were always reading the comics or watching the TV shows. I feel like a little kid every time a new movie is released!
Everyday breakfast: Oatmeal with brown sugar, golden raisins, and cranberries. It’s the only thing that will keep me full well into the afternoon!
Best advice you’ve gotten: My mom always encouraged me to push myself. She would never let me quit anything without putting up a fight. And she always encouraged me to just be myself. She said, “Sometimes the only honesty you will truly have in life is with yourself.” I try to be as honest with myself, others, and my work as much as I can.
Pet(s)? My fiance and I got our first puppy a few months ago. She is a german shepherd/black lab mix. Her name is Trinity and she is 5 months old. I feel like I’m chasing a toddler around half the time between the teething and getting into anything and everything she can! I love her to pieces though. She is a little bit of a tomboy, ALWAYS wants to play, and is convinced that if she chases her tail enough she is DEFINITELY going to get it one of these days.

Erin McKenna

Fave class at CCAD: The most helpful thing about CCAD was my professors. Danielle Julian Norton, Matt Flegle, Tim Rietenbach, Michael Goodson, and Kelly Malec-Kosak were a huge part of my growth as a person and artist.  Without them, I would not be thinking the way I do now.  Also, CCAD provided the opportunity to go to the New York Studio Residency Program when I was a junior.  I was in NYC for a semester, and it changed my life dramatically.  I think I actually learned how to make art and how to think there.
Fave CCAD hangout: AMF studios
Fave artist/designer/photographer(s): Mika Rottenberg, David Lynch, Vincent Fecteau
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Cleaning and organizing my studio
Words to live by: If you want something done, do it yourself.
Best advice you’ve gotten: Don’t be afraid.
Best advice you’ve given: Make work that makes you uncomfortable
Cause/nonprofit close to your heart: Materials for the Arts in Queens, NYC.  Nonprofit group that has a warehouse where people and companies can donate anything and everything.  Artists, teachers, or anyone in art organization can get any of the materials, all for free.  The only catch is you have to write a thank you card.  It promotes recycling and saves money.
Pet(s)? Jasper and Wayne—both cats
Website/podcast to learn something: ContemporaryArtDaily.com, DailyServing.com, iTunes U lectures, Art21, documentaries on Netflix of favorite directors
Grateful for: Very grateful to my parents, for their support both financially and mentally now and through school.  I’m very lucky that my parents support my decision in pursing art.

Alex Trimpe

Go-to food: Chicken Tikka Masala
Productivity/creativity jumpstart: Going outside
Hobby: Reading
Words to live by: Conan O’Brien said, “If you work really hard and you are kind, amazing things will happen.”
Fave game: Video-Team Fortress 2. Board game-anything!
Ideal breakfast: Sausage.
Everyday breakfast: Scrambled eggs in a mug in the microwave.
Pet(s)? Ollie the fat cat
Website/podcast to learn something: Reddit, for everything
Grateful for: Just being alive is pretty nice, wouldn’t you say?

Examples of the work Jessica Porter has done

In any design field, artists have to balance their own brand or their company’s brand with the trends that come and go. We had a chance to chat with three alumnae working at Victoria’s Secret about their own efforts to find this balance in their work.

The alumnae work on marketing projects from new gift card designs to environmental graphics that appear in stores nationwide.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Jessica Porter (CCAD 2011) is a contracted photo retoucher for the company. She does image correction on  models and products for the in-store displays, working on elements such as skin cleanup, product swap, and background extensions.

“Each new floor set is exciting to me,” Porter said. “As the seasons change, so do the stores. One month I’m retouching beautiful girls in swimsuits and the next I am working on girls in adorable Pink Valentine’s Day products.

“The retouching industry is definitely on the rise. As for Victoria’s Secret, we tend to keep the models looking as naturalistic as possible—and good retouching means you can’t tell it has been retouched.”

Porter, along with other photo retouchers, has often had to deal with the criticism that digitally manipulating a woman’s image can lead to unrealistic photos and perceptions about beauty.

“I am here to sell a product, not a woman or a body” Porter said. “We [photo retouchers] don’t remove flaws—and let’s face it, some of these supermodels don’t have any—but we do remove all the distractions from a photo. If something draws your eye away from the product, I am not doing my job properly.”

Fine Arts alumna Anna Porreca (CCAD 2006) works as a graphic designer for Victoria’s Secret Pink, a segmented brand aimed at a younger demographic.

Example of Anna Porreca’s graphic work

“I’ve been given the opportunity to work on so many fun projects in the past year that I’ve been with Pink,” Porreca said. “It is really rewarding to see how the graphic concept and design work that my team does affects and gets implemented into so many of the other areas of the Pink brand.”

An example of this is the script typography that Porreca developed for hoodies, which was then used to create LED signage that will be displayed in stores nationwide.

“The most fun is when our ideas lead us to an opportunity to work on projects that are less common for my job description, like thinking three-dimensionally and designing new and humorous shapes for iPhone cases,” Porreca said.

This type of work requires daily research. The designers’ days are spent not only working on products and store models, but also sifting through competitor websites, social media platforms, and anything that yields clues to what fads and trends customers are currently into.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Krysti Kalkman (CCAD 2010) is a graphic designer for Victoria’s Secret who works closely with the strategic marketing team from conceptualizing design to executing it.

“Social media is definitely affecting every single big brand,” Kalkman said. “I am always asking myself when designing in-store marketing signage or pieces for PR events if there is an opportunity to bring that into the design. Our customers eat that up, and it helps to get our message out.”

Glyphs of supermodel signatures that Krysti Kalkman developed

Trends in typography or pop culture verbiage may be big, and the designers need to gather all those trends into one place and figure out what can and should be worked into the design and brand.

“Basically we take note of all the inspiring stuff we see and hear and create concept boards that will drive our graphic approach that season,” Porreca said. “Sometimes ideas are saved for the next season, and other times they are completely dropped from development. We take what we know about our customer and anything fresh that we see in the world and blend the two.”

Although these alumnae soak up pop culture daily and have busy schedules, they all have similar CCAD experiences and lessons that helped them develop their fine-tuned skills.

“My foundation year classes and professors, especially Tam Peterson and Stuart McKissick, were tough, smart, and pushed my understanding of color and two-dimensional design, as well as re-enforced a strong work ethic,” Porreca said. “I have so much respect for them.”

For Kalkman, a memory from her senior year sticks with her, and it came in the form of a note from her professor Heather Miller.

“It said ‘remember to always keep inspired,’ and that really stuck with me,” she said. “When I’m not with it on a project it’s because I’m not inspired anymore. I think that’s something that is really important. For a designer to conceive vision, you must collect inspiration from others to help drive you.”

For Porter her most important lesson was time management.

“Time management is one of the most important skills you can have as a professional,” Porter said. “When I know I am going to have a lot of work for a very quick deadline I factor in my hours. Staying at work past midnight does happen, programs crash, files go corrupt. You always have to have a backup plan and work diligently.”

Kalkman is from Canton, OH, and attended Jackson High School; Porreca is from Grove City, OH, and attended Grove City High School; Porter is from Heath, OH, and attended Newark High School.

Classnotes, March 2013

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from December, January, and February!

Tim Rietenbach ’77, Joel Gundlach ’86, David Burghy ’89, and Danielle Julian Norton ’99 showed their work in a CCAD faculty exhibition at Columbus’ Cultural Arts Center. Read more here.

Jamie Berger ’78 curated PUSH Print, a book on contemporary printmaking published by Lark Crafts. Read more here.

Paul Emory ’78, Ellen O’Connell Bazzoli ’83, Alex Conrad MFA ’12, Nicole Crock MFA ’12, and Virginia Kistler MFA ’12 showed their work in the Ohio Art League Curated Exhibition, presented at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery. Read more here.

Richard Cowdrey ’81 illustrated the re-released children’s book The Legend of the Candy Cane. Read more here.

Joel Gundlach ’86 designed new starting blocks for New Albany High School’s natatorium. Read more here.

Ed Valentine ’91 and Michael Stillion ’02 had exhibitions at Linda Warren Projects in Chicago. Read more here.

Julie Abijanac ’92 had her piece Disease Mapping selected for the Fiberart International 2013 exhibition. Read more here.

Anthony Weiler ’94, Annie Weihrauch ’03, Hazel Tarr ’07, and Maggy O’Reilly VanOrder ’09 are participants in CCAD’s MindMarket Incubator. Read more here.

Benjamin Lane ’96 is now a story artist at Disney Feature Animation Studio in Burbank, CA.

Daniel King ’00 was featured in Temporary Art Review discussing his artistic career and inspiration. Read more here.

Anne Holman ’02 had a busy winter full of exhibitions and art sales. Read more here.

Mariana Smith ’02 showed work in exhibitions from the East Coast to the West Coast. Read more here.  She also had her piece Untitled (After Tarkousky Stalker) in the 34th Bradley International Print and Drawing Exhibition, hosted by Bradley University, Peoria, IL. Read more here.

Brian Williams ’03 had an illustration featured in ARTnews. Read more here.

Lea Gray ’04 and Eric Jefferson ’04 were featured in Alive!, a weekly magazine that covers events and culture in Columbus, OH. Read more on Gray here and Jefferson here.

Sean Conner ’05, Nate Reese ’05, Chris Meister ’06, Andrew Mark ’07, Scott Ulliman ’10, and Chavilah Bennett ’12 took home Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA) Creative Best Awards for their work with S77, a motion graphics company in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Joaquin Baldwin ’06 was a juror for the 40^th Annual Annie Awards. Read more here.

Andrew Ina ’06 received a Greater Columbus Arts Council (GCAC) Individual Art Fellowship in Media Arts this year. Read more here.

Boryana Rusenova Ina ’06 was in two group exhibitions in Michigan. Read more here.

Brent Payne ’06 was included in two juried exhibitions in Ohio. Read more here. He was also had work in an exhibition hosted by Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, TX. Read more here.

Michelle Dick ’08 is now working as an interior designer with Organized Home Remodeling, in Columbus, OH.

Brian Uhl ’08 had a solo exhibition at Static Age Gallery in Cincinnati. Read more here.

Steve Hubbard ’10 worked on animations for the movie Life of Pi. Read more here.

John Malta ’10 had his third illustration published in The New York Times. Read more here.

Kerry Kunze ’11 showed work in a group exhibition at Mount Vernon University. Read more here.

Alex Conrad MFA ’12, Nicole Crock MFA ’12, Leah Fisher ’12, and Crystal Tursich MFA ’12 had work included in the 13^th annual ImageOhio exhibition organized by Roy G Biv Gallery. Read more here.

Amanda Rouse MFA ’12 had a busy exhibition schedule including three juried and two group exhibitions. Read more here.

The 2013 Art of Illustration poster, created by Illustration senior Taylor Hicks

The Art of Illustration show is a student-run and -organized exhibition that is now in its 16th year. The juried show features illustrations from all majors and alumni who participated when they were students are now coming back to act as jurors.

This year the five Illustration student organizers included sophomore Haleigh Richards and seniors Lexie Holliday, Josh Parkinson, Wes Talbott, and chair Andrew Thompson. The students chose five judges to look over 291 submissions for the show that runs March 16–30. The judges included four CCAD alumni: Scott Hull (Advertising & Graphic Design 1977), Steve Prescott (Illustration 1995), Jason Jourdan (Illustration 1998), and Graham Erwin (Illustration 2011). The fifth judge was artist representative Frank Sturges.

The judges gathered on campus and spent the day going through submissions, offering thorough critiques and advice on every piece, whether accepted or not. Ultimately 40 submissions were accepted into the show.

“The show is and has always been entirely organized and run by the students,” said Stewart McKissick, Illustration professor and alumnus. “They selected and contacted the judges, organized where and when the judging would take place, and researched and collected donations for the opening reception at the gallery, as well as prizes for entry winners.”

This is the third year for the show to be held at Rivet Gallery, a gallery located in Columbus’ art district, the Short North.

“Rivet has been very generous to us, allowing students to sell their work from the show with no commission fee to the gallery,” McKissick said.

Having the exhibition at an off-campus external location for the last three years has allowed it to function as a professional, juried show.

Erwin, who does preproduction work and design for a custom screen printing shop and freelance illustration for a wide range of clients, has witnessed the show expand as a student and now as an alumnus.

“I first submitted work for AOI as a sophomore,” Erwin said. “Although my piece wasn’t chosen that year, it definitely lit a fire for the years to come, and I began approaching every piece as if it could be a submission for one competition or another. I continued to submit work my junior and senior years, where I had pieces accepted and awarded.

“The Art of Illustration show was an important part of my illustration training,” Erwin said. “It was my first experience where my work was looked at by professionals with a critical eye. I think it is important for the show to now be held at Rivet, where students can see their work in a real-world gallery setting.”

The show allows students the ability to access professionals to evaluate their work and have critiques by people other than their peers and professors.

“This process shows students the importance of submitting and getting their art into the real world,” Hull said. “And also accepting the rejection that may come along with this.”

Hull, founder of Scott Hull Associates and illustration representative, has worked as a juror twice now for the show and views helping out students at CCAD as highly rewarding.

“Helping young talent navigate their creative dream is a passion of mine,” Hull said. “I think it is a good practice to have alumni come back as jurors for this particular show, since they are able to understand the CCAD culture a little better and they want to offer any and all help to the students.”

Originally, the show was solely coordinated by Illustration students, and they were the ones submitting work, but as the show has grown so has participation from throughout the college.

“What’s exciting to see is the ever-increasing interest and participation now by the majority of our majors,” McKissick said. “It is an excellent leadership opportunity for the students who work on the committee, and it is a chance to have students learn about aspects of the art world beyond just the making of it.”

The show’s award ceremony was held during its opening reception March 16, 7–10 p.m. Selected work will be honored with first, second, and third place, and each judge selected a work to be awarded Judge’s Choice. The show will be up through March 30.

“I can honestly say that every year is another great memory for us,” McKissick said. “And we’re always very proud of what the students accomplish.”

Erwin is from Columbus and attended Whetstone High School; Hull is from Danville, OH, and attended Danville High School; Jourdan is from Mansfield, OH, and attended Mansfield Senior High School; McKissick is from Franklin, PA, and attended Franklin High School; Prescott is from Gates Mills, OH, and attended Mayfield High School.

Andy Hayes’ poster for CSCA

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Andy Hayes (CCAD 2001) created an event poster for the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA.)

The poster was for their guest speaker Erik Johnson, who came in early January of this year.

Hayes is the owner of Hucklebuck Design Studio and has worked with clients including American Eagle Outfitters, Express, GSW Worldwide, Herman Miller, and Longaberger. He is also an associate creative director at Ologie, a Columbus agency.

Hayes is represented by Scott Hull Associates, a company that represents illustrators, founded by Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Scott Hull (CCAD 1977).

He is a native of Springfield, OH, and attended Northwestern High School.

Group at ADDY awards, from left to right: Vice President for Academic Affairs Kevin Conlon, James Lutz, Lillie Templeton, and Alex Laniosz.

The ADDYs, organized by the American Advertising Federation, are the advertising industry’s largest, most competitive competition, and during the recent 2012 ADDY award ceremony in Columbus, OH, CCAD talent was well represented.

Seven Advertising & Graphic Design seniors won awards. Lillie Templeton received a Best of Show and a Gold award for her integrated campaign Ball Jars—Off the Shelf; Ali Prater received two Gold for her Epson Ink Cartridge packaging and her Teavana catalog; Zayne Parmiter won a Silver for his Flour Child packaging; Robert Trautman won a Silver for his Lark & Key Branding stationary; Taylor Vogel won a Silver for his Ikea app; Alex Laniosz won a Silver for the Balls’ jars ad, and Jessica Alley won a Silver for her integrated campaign for the United States Postal Service.

Ologie, founded by alumna Bev Bethge, won a total of 24 awards: one Judge’s Choice, seven Gold, and 16 Silver. A number of these awards were for community work, including work completed with CCAD on admissions collateral and the Senior Fashion Show lookbook.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Greg Beck (CCAD 2009) was part of the team at Longstride, a local motion graphics company that grabbed a Gold award in the category of Public Service, Audio/Visual for its Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio campaign.

The ADDYs receive more than 50,000 entries nationwide through local ADDY competitions. Leading work is rewarded with Gold and Silver awards, and top honors are Judge’s Choice and Best of Show. Gold winners qualify for the AAF Fifth District ADDY competition, where entries from Ohio, Kentucky, and West Virginia compete.

The Columbus chapter of the American Advertising Federation (AFF) represents more than 100 member companies. AAF works to enhance the professional development of its members, while increasing recognition for the advertising industry and giving back to the local community.

Alley is from Baltimore, OH, and attended Bloom-Carroll High School; Laniosz is from Willowbrook, IL, and attended Hinsdale South High School; Parmiter is from Marietta, OH, and attended Marietta Senior High School; Prater is from Hilliard, OH, and attended Hilliard Darby High School; Templeton is from of Wadesboro, NC; Trautman is from Niles, OH; and Vogel is from Mason, OH, and attended William Mason High School.

CCAD students look over design options

The 2013 Arnold Sports Festival is celebrating its 25^th anniversary in Columbus this weekend and it turned to students at Columbus College of Art & Design to design merchandise for the event.

Eight students participated in the 72-hour charrette through the CCAD MindMarket’s DesignLab.

Participating students included: Advertising & Graphic Design juniors Evan Symonds, Ian Li Cissel Tan, and Jonathan Yukek; seniors Ezra Hone, Nicole Londeree, and Trevor Payne; Illustration junior Alexis Schuknecht; and senior Dylan Shuman.

“We all worked in the same room within the MindMarket,” Schuknecht said. “It was nice since we were able to bounce ideas off each other and hang our designs up around the room and get feedback as we worked. It truly mimicked a professional, real-world challenge.”

After finishing the designs students presented to Tom Sabatino, a representative from the Arnold Festival, CCAD MindMarket Director Cynthia Gravino, and instructor Jim Johnson.

Awards were originally given to Payne for first place, Schuknecht for second, and Hone and Tan tied for third place.

The four award-winning designs will be developed to go on T-shirts to sell at the expo and possibly be placed on other merchandise including stickers and posters.

Sabatino enjoyed the designs so much he decided he reward the students’ work by offering additional prizes for the design that receives the most orders from vendors and the design that sells the most overall during the festival.

“This is the fourth year we have worked with CCAD to design merchandise and the competitiveness of the students is what really impresses me every year,” Sabatino said. “We hope to continue to grow this relationship and work with the MindMarket again in the future.”

The students will also get a chance to meet with Arnold Schwarzenegger during a legends breakfast this weekend and will receive a letter of recommendation for their design work to put in their portfolios.

The CCAD MindMarket offers several creative services formats through the DesignLab, from charrettes, which are intense 54-to-72 hour design challenges, to class projects lasting 16 weeks, to partnerships, which can be longer and recruit the broadest variety of CCAD students, faculty, and staff.

Hone is a native of Columbus, OH and attended Groveport Madison High School; Howard is from Mount Vernon, OH and attended Mount Vernon High School; Londeree is from Columbus, OH and attended Worthington Kilbourne High School; Payne is from Cincinnati and attended Princeton High School; Schuknecht is a native of Saginaw, MI and attended Heritage High School; Symonds is from Lima, Ohio and attended Shawnee Senior High School; Tan is from Singapore; and Yukek is from Cleveland and attended Valley Forge High School.

Students work on project for InPower through the CCAD MindMarket

It has only been about four months since the CCAD MindMarket officially launched and it is already flying strong.

The MindMarket opened in fall with ThoughtLab speaker Roger Martin and this spring will host internationally renowned retail design and branding expert Marc Gobé and his daughter, Gwenaelle Gobé.

Businesses have already tapped into CCAD talent through the MindMarket’s DesignLab. Companies range from a local electronics company InPower, Inc. to a charrette that just concluded with the Arnold Classic.

The MindMarket’s Incubator program currently has four participants taking advantage of the mentorship, business coaching, and professional services. While the Incubator tenants share a connection to CCAD, as they are alumni, their reasons for coming back vary.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Annie Weihrauch (CCAD 2003) started her first business in 2007, Modern Material. She eventually transitioned that graphic design-oriented company to include her love of fashion and accessories and renamed the company Rock & Royalty.

Students working in the CCAD MindMarket, photo courtesy Danielle Ford (2013)

Over the past several years, Weihrauch has been making and selling her jewelry and embellished apparel through her website and through local Columbus events. She is learning more about garment construction and buisness so she can create her own clothing line.

“I absolutely loved my time at CCAD,” Weihrauch said. “When I learned about CCAD’s MindMarket I realized it was exactly what I needed to move forward. There are a lot of other business programs out there, but they aren’t geared toward the creative mind. I am looking forward to the connections and programs provided by CCAD, while working with people who understand the importance of creative integrity.”

Weihrauch’s process at the MindMarket is just beginning. She plans on accessing mentoring, legal advice, business guidance, and using the fresh talent of CCAD students and facilities.

The legal counsel will assist her with tradmark issues she has encountered, and business mentors will help strengthen her business plan.

Illustration alumnus Anthony Weiler (CCAD 1994) started a freelance design career a few years ago, and by the end of his time in the incubator he hopes to launch a firm with a full-time design team.

Weiler’s company is IncredABLE Design. One of his current clients is Ohio State University’s IT Department

Weiler was introduced to CCAD’s MindMarket through an existing business mentor who highly recommended the incubator.

“Upon meeting with [CCAD MindMarket director] Cynthia Gravino I knew that this was going to be perfect for me and my company,” Weiler said. “I wanted a place where I can try new things out, not be afraid to make mistakes, and have access to the coaching that I needed and the facilities CCAD has to offer.”

“I am excited to see all the changes at the college since I graduated. CCAD and Columbus have a lot of energy, and are headed in the right directions with strong business focuses,” Weiler said.

Media Studies alumna Hazel Tarr (CCAD 2007) is the only current resident member of the Incubator. Her current company, Tarrka Studios, is an animation/motion picture/documentary studio.

Students working in the CCAD MindMarket, photo courtesy Danielle Ford (2013)

Tarrka Studios is dedicated to creating and producing original movies and programming that speak to the community and social consciousness as it relates to the well-being of children and pets.

“I wanted to transition my solo documentary studio to include animation,” Tarr said. “This program afforded me the opportunity to realize my dream. Having major costs such as building, equipment, and supplies and people like the interns through CCAD covered, makes the CCAD MindMarket Incubator program invaluable to anyone with a start-up or transitioning business.”

Tarr will use the business mentors available to help strengthen her business plan, and she will take advantage of the legal counsel available.

“Physically being located in my tenant space has also allowed Tarrka Studios to be introduced to various individuals within the Columbus community, thus garnering exposure for the studio and the various projects in production,” Tarr said.

Illustration alumna Maggy O’Reilly VanOrder (CCAD 2009) started O’Reilly Ink in 2007 by selling prints and drawings through Etsy, an online artisan shop.

VanOrder originally heard of the MindMarket Incubator when it was in its beta phase, through the CCAD Alumni Newsletter.

“I was going on one year of being unemployed and it seemed like a direct sign and too good to be true,” VanOrder said.

VanOrder didn’t participate in the beta program, but she kept informed as the year went on and is just now beginning to use and learn more about the services provided.

“This past December I realized I had really let go of my art and nearly lost the passion for it that I once had,” VanOrder said. “I didn’t work on selling with Etsy or seeking out freelance work, though I was now working full time again. I remembered the MindMarket and contacted Cynthia, and wouldn’t you know, they were looking for new interested people. It was perfect timing.

“I still feel like it’s a program that is just too perfect to pass up,” VanOrder said. “I definitely need a boost and someone to really push me. I also need access to someone with business sense and the resources that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I’m hoping to take my business to the level it needs to be at and eventually turn it into a full-time endeavor. I want it to be my passion and my life. By the end of my time with the CCAD MindMarket, I hope to be well my way to that self-made status, one of many founded here in Columbus, Ohio.”

“This is a great opportunity for beginning filmmakers to see their work on the ‘big screen’ with an audience made up of other filmmakers, artists, and enthusiasts,” said Philip R. Garrett, visiting faculty in Cinematic Arts, who showed his short experimental/quasi-documentary The Astronomer at the event.

CMIAR is a quarterly screening that includes works from local artists. This December marked the 13^th event.

Videos by CCAD students featured in CMIAR included:

• Great Destroyer by Advertising & Graphic Design and Cinematic Arts sophomore Hunter Preston
• Violent Bliss by Cinematic Arts sophomore Tom Lepley
• I love BMX by Cinematic Arts sophomore Brant Moore
• Video 1 Project by Cinematic Arts sophomore Yazmin Ruiz
• Tattoo Taboo and Self Portrait Stop Animation by Cinematic Arts junior Amanda Hess
• Paralyzed by Photography sophomore Karl Allsop
• See Birds and Imperfect from Photography sophomore Sarah Brevick
• One Day by graduate student Yang Wu

CCAD alumni at S77 (right to left: Chavilah Bennett, Scott Ulliman, Nate Reese (back), Andrew Mark, Chris Meister). Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Walking through the Short North, Columbus’ arts district, you will be sure to spot galleries, restaurants, and tattoo parlors. Look a little closer and you’ll see S77, a design studio that focuses on motion graphics.

Its work can be seen around the world and ranges from a Lil Wayne music video to EXPRESS online branding.

Out of the nine full-time employees, five are CCAD alumni: Chris Meister (Media Studies, 2006), Andrew Mark (Media Studies, 2007), Scott Ulliman (Media Studies, 2010), and Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design, 2012). We got a chance recently to sit down and chat with some of them about what it’s like to work in a creative environment alongside fellow alumni.

Q) What is it like to work with other CCAD alumni?

Andrew Mark (AM): Working with fellow alumni allows you to immediately have an idea of their background. You know that they come from the same foundation studies, and it gives you a good read on what they can do and how you can work with them.

Chavilah Bennett (CB): What Andrew said is absolutely right. I am a new graduate and have only been away from CCAD for six months, and coming here and knowing that everyone had a similar background was nice and made my transition easy and comfortable. We all had an initial commonality and can relate on some CCAD experiences, like all-nighters.

Scott Ulliman (SU): Honestly, I don’t really think about it (laughing). It does give us a common topic to talk about though—and there are plenty of times we sit here and chat about past professors and projects.

Chris Meister (CM): Yeah, I am with Scott in that I don’t think about this too much. I did know a lot of my current co-workers before starting at S77. For instance, I went to school and had class with Andrew, so we just had to transition our student teamwork to a professional setting.

CCAD alumni at S77 (from right to left: Scott Ulliman, Nate Reese, Chris Meister, Andrew Mark, Chavilah Bennett). Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Q) Why do you think S77 has employed a lot of CCAD alumni?

AM: The fairly obvious answer is that S77 is local, just a hop-and-skip away. I know a lot of people love the city of Columbus, and after they graduate they want to stay local. There is not only an attraction for alumni to come work here, but also for us to go search out graduating CCAD students to come work here. At S77 we are able to take comfort in the fact that when we are looking to expand we have people ready to join the team with similar training and background right around the corner. It has just developed into a natural relationship.

CM: When a lot of us have a similar education background we are able to know right off the bat when they start where their skills are going to lie, what they have a strong background in, and how we can mold that skill. Chavilah is a perfect example of this. She came to us with not a lot of experience in motion design, but we knew she would be able to pick up on this because she has a basic understanding in design and fundamentals, so we could easily teach her anything as projects roll in.

SU: To add on to what Andrew just mentioned about the natural relationship with CCAD—I have been working here for two years and it is primarily CCAD alumni, but I think it is natural and not intentional. Rainer [Ziehm] started this company and also taught briefly at CCAD, so when he is looking for new talent he is going to able to identify those people in town and where they are coming from—which is CCAD.

CB: Although there are a lot of CCAD alumni here, I think it is also important to note we work with a lot of freelancers based around the world. But when we are looking for a permanent fixture on our team, we pull from the local pool and a lot are affiliated with CCAD.

CCAD alumni at S77 (from right to left: Scott Ulliman, Andrew Mark, Chavilah Bennett). Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Q) What would your advice be to students and fellow alumni who want to work with S77 or a similar company?

AM: Develop your portfolio, definitely. Create a massive portfolio, and then you can trim it down to your best work. There are a lot of times that if you are a particularly good student you will have a big-fish-little-pond mentality. I think the best thing students can do is envision their pond as being the industry. They need to remember that they are not just competing against students, but they are up against professionals, too. That’s not to scare young designers away, since most employers will hire on potential, too, not just current work, but it is important to keep things in perspective and keep practicing and learning—because you will do that your whole career.

CM: Presentation is key. And for me personally, I love looking through students’ and peers’ sketchbooks. You can see specific projects in their final portfolio, but sketchbooks kind of give you a peek into how they are as a personal artist and what their passion is.

SU: Like Chris said, I like looking at sketchbooks and more personal work. A big thing when you are looking to get hired at a place like S77 is fitting in with the company and having something unique to bring to the company and the team. Always do work outside your professional or educational projects; that way you can show the company something else and little bit more of who you are.

CB:  I think a big part of being hired someplace and having people trust you enough to become a part of their company is being able to think creatively. It is not always about the skill level you are at; you have to be good, but you have to show that there is thought behind your work and that you will continue to grow. It is a continual process, and for me, I have learned an astronomical amount since I have gotten here and I have a lot more to learn.

CCAD alumnus Andrew Mark (right) watches a co-worker play skee-ball in the S77 office. Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Q) What past experiences do you share and remember from being a student at CCAD? How has this influenced your professional career?

SU: We do talk a lot about difficult and easy professors—and of course the all-nighters. We have also brought the competitive nature you have as a student here into the workplace. I studied a lot of 3D work in school, and it was a small group of students, and we got competitive with our work. I think it is the same way here and probably in any office. But with friendly competition you are constantly able to learn the strengths of others and able to develop your own style.

AM: All-nighters is one thing we all remember, and it is something that doesn’t disappear once you go into the professional world. There are a lot of things that are similar, though, between this line of work and your time as a student. In school you try and get a good grade on a project, and now you want to get a good grade with the client. So that mentality has stuck with me.

CB: Critiques have definitely continued into my professional life. Now you will get critiqued by not only the client when you present the work, but also your peers and co-workers. It is productive criticism, though, and really valuable in becoming a better designer.

CM: My favorite classes at CCAD were the ones with brutal critiques. I know sometimes they would make students break down and cry, but it was always so helpful because it was so truthful—like when they say, “This looks awful, why would you even turn it in?” In the professional world you need to kind of have that tough skin. Clients have an idea in their head, and they are coming for you for help, but if it is not what they want they will always be honest about it.

An S77 hallway, hung with part of their collection of albums released in the year 1977. Photo courtesy Rainer Ziehm.

Q) Why are you in the creative field—why do you love your job?

SU: What makes it great here is how comfortable I feel. I mean of course we can all wear what we want, but the people make you feel comfortable. I don’t ever want to have a job that is not as fun as this. You get difficult clients or boring projects occasionally, but then you remind yourself that you worked on a rapper’s music video that is seen now worldwide.

CM: I like the fact that we all do a little bit of everything, so there is never a boredom factor of having to do the same thing day-in and day-out. And there is also a level of freedom—if you want to start learning a new technique or something you can explore it and learn new skills.

AM: I really like the people here a lot. We can joke around with each other and small talk. Here at S77 we have a small, intimate team, where you know everyone’s strengths and weaknesses. I trust everyone I work with, and I have genuine friendships with everyone.

CB: The best thing about working here? There are just so many great things. The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door here is the environment. We are surrounded by toys; we are all big kids and everyone can take a break once in awhile. It is exciting to work on projects and then see them released on TV. Recently I worked on Highball [Short North’s Halloween celebration], and when I went there I got to see my work on the big screen—it’s a new, exciting experience.

Editor’s note: Their offices are brag-worthy. They have a bowling arcade game, a wall covered in record albums released in 1977 (based on the company’s name), a skee-ball machine, and a fully functional kitchen (word is that Andrew makes pancakes every Monday morning). We are a bit jealous.

CM: To jump off that idea—it is exactly like the music video we worked on for TI and Lil Wayne. It premiered on VH1 in October, and I got to watch the whole show and kept getting excited when they would say, “Coming up, the world premiere…” I know that if I ever get a project that is boring or slower than the rest it is immediately erased by the fact that I got to work on a Lil Wayne music video.

Classnotes, December 2012 Issue

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from September, October, and November 2012.

Aminah Robinson ’60 was inducted into the city of Columbus’ Hall of Fame. Read more here.

Aminah Robinson ’60 and Linda Fowler ’74 participated in the Ohio Craft Museum’s exhibition Columbus Collects Fine Crafts. Read more here.

Joan Hall ’74 had a solo exhibition at Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis, MO. Read more here.

CV Mansoor ’77 exhibited work at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati. Read more here.

Dean Mitchell ’80 had an exhibition with Cutter & Cutter Fine Art in St. Augustine, FL. The exhibition also featured an article written by Walter King ’81. Read more here.

Salli Swindell ’81, co-creater of They Draw & Cook, had her illustrated cookbook reviewed in Gastronomic magazine. Read more here.

Jenny Vogt ’81 exhibited her series The Nature of Birds at the Village Hall Gallery of Arts in Bartlett, IL. Read more here.

Helen Hoffelt ’82, Rachel Girard Reisert ’02, Lian Dziura ’12, Cosby Lindquist ’12, and Crystal Tursich ’12 participated in a monthlong photography event in Cincinnati, OH. Read more here.

Kurt Fondriest ’85 was part of a group exhibition at the Life Force Arts Center in Chicago, IL. Read more here.

Hiroshi Hayakawa ’85 was featured in the fifth annual edition of the magazine Diffusion: Unconventional Photography. Read more here.

Lisa Horkin ’85, Susan Li  O’Connor ’96, Anne Holman ’02, Jennifer Deafenbough ’04, Joseph Lombardo ’06, Chris Harman ’12, and Jack Ramunni ’12 received Supply Grants from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. Read more here.

Christopher Madden ’87 works as a journeyman banknote engraver at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Read more here.

Kirsten Bowen ’89, Clint Davidson ’00, Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02, Daric Gill ’04, Lea Gray ’04, Adam Crum ’06, Christopher Tennant ’06, Joel Atkinson ’09, and Julia McCann ’11 participated in Urban Scrawl, an annual festival in the Franklinton neighborhood of Columbus. Read more here.

Christopher Cole ’89 became the Senior VP/Creative Director for the Sprint wireless at Leo Burnett-Chicago.

Richard Mills ’89 participated in the Ashes to Art Project, an art auction benefiting volunteer fire departments in Colorado that were affected by wildfires in 2012. Read more here.

Kaname Takada ’89 and Julie Abijanac ’92 received awards for their work exhibited in the Zanesville Museum of Art’s 68^th Annual Ohio Show. Read more here.

Kurt Lightner  ’93 participated in the group exhibition Assembly 2012 at Edward Thorp Gallery in New York City. Read more here.

David Breaux ’94 had a busy year, working on productions including Terra Nova, Hunger Games, Tron: Legacy, and Iron Man 2. Read more here.

Phil Hastings ’94 is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts Artist Fellowship in Film and Video. Read more here.

Jason Goad ’96 created a pair of limited edition sunglasses for Anarchy Eyewear. Read more here.

Susan Li O’Connor ’96 is part of a group exhibition at Steinhilber Art Gallery in Madison, WI. Read more here.

Susan Li O’Connor ’96 and Mariana Smith ’02 were selected for GCAC’s Dresden Residency Program. Read more here.

John Urbano ’96 received two VMAs for the music video he directed for the band One Direction. Read more here.

Kate Labmeier ’02 and Michael Stillion ’02 exhibited their work at Marshall University’s Birke Art Gallery. Read more here.

Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02 and Corey Aumiller ’06 placed in the Columbus Arts Pop-Up Project (CAP-UP). Read more here.

Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02 created and installed a volcano wall at a tiki bar in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Mariana Smith ’02 exhibited her work at Swing Space Gallery at Ohio State University; read more here. She also had an exhibition at Hammond Harkins Galleries in Columbus, OH; read more here.

Brian Williams ’03 was featured in Map Magazine, an arts and culture magazine based in Australia. Read more here.

Shannon Bonatakis ’04 had a solo exhibition, Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, at Rivet, a designer toy and fine art gallery in the Short North, Columbus’ arts district. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 showed her work in a group exhibition, Social Order: Photographs from Iran, India, and Afghanistan in Seattle, WA. Read more here.

Holly Koskinen ’05 won an American Graphic Design Award. Read more here.

Joseph Lombardo ’06 has a solo exhibition at Art Access Gallery in Bexley, OH through Jan. 9. Read more here.

Michelle Dick ’08 is now working as an art teacher with After-School All-Stars, an after-school program for students in Columbus City Schools.

Evens Joseph ’09 was a featured artist in Juxtapoz magazine. Read more here.

Krista Peterson ’09 received a full-tuition scholarship to DePaul University for graduate study in the field of Human Computer Interaction. Read more here.

Kartika Mediani ’10 had work in the graphic novel One Drop. Read more here.

Amanda C. VanDenberg ’10 showed work in a group exhibition at the Little Art Gallery in North Canton, OH. Read more here.

Elena Harvey Collins ’12 had her video When They’re Gone, They’re Gone in an exhibition at Roy G Biv gallery in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Nathan Gorgen ’12 and Elena Harvey Collins ’12 participated in Shifting Margins, a group exhibition put on by OFF Space in San Francisco. Read more here.

Jessica Miera ’12 is a concept artist for Animation Hero, an independent animation studio located in Columbus, OH. She is also working part time as an assistant film editor at HotBed Media LLC in Bexley, OH.

Photo of S77′s awards, photo courtesy of Rainer Ziehm

Several alumni earned well-deserved accolades at the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA) Creative Best Awards for their work with S77, a motion graphics company in Columbus, OH.

The CCAD alumni team at S77 includes Media Studies alumni Sean Conner (CCAD 2005), Nate Reese (CCAD 2005), Chris Meister (CCAD 2006), Andrew Mark (CCAD 2007), and Scott Ulliman (CCAD 2010), and Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Chavilah Bennett (CCAD 2012).

The company received a Judges Choice and a Best of Category award for the work they did on the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ music video Monarchy of Roses. They also received a Merit Award for the creative video ToyCar the company worked on.

Bennett took home additional Creative Best Awards for work she completed while a CCAD senior last spring. Her mock ad for A.L.C., a clothing and jewelry line, was awarded a Best of Category in the student work section, as well as a Judges Choice. To view the project, click here.

Promotional image for Nigel Ewan’s collection for One

CCAD’s Honors Program has always been inventive in their projects (think DNA necklaces), and this semester is no different. This semester’s honors retail class chose to create a pop-up store on campus called One. The store will be open in Beaton Gallery Dec. 9, 1–9 p.m. and Dec. 10, 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m.

“One is a curated shopping experience for the creative community in Columbus,” said Lillie Templeton, a senior in Advertising & Graphic Design. “We are handpicking the product, designing the space, and building the displays. To give it an extra twist, we’re working with 14 of CCAD’s finest designers across multiple disciplines and classes. These designers are making one-of-a-kind collections specifically for the store.”

Templeton worked alongside six other students in the class with Adjunct Faculty Marcia Tabler leading the project. Students handled everything from the marketing strategy to the promotional photography and video, to the store design. Students in the retail class include Advertising & Graphic Design sophomore Qisha Kendy,  junior Haley Fischer, and seniors Lillie Templeton and Katie Westbrook; Fashion Design senior Krista Sison; Illustration junior Katie Vasey; and Media Studies junior Amanda Hess.

Promotional image for Ryun Harrison’s collection for One

“It seems like a fun and creative way to try and sell some of my creations,” said Audrey Swart, Fashion Design junior and designer for One. “It is an interesting and beneficial way to get my name out there for people to see.”

Swart’s collection for One will include classic denim fashion that has been updated with studs, leather, and other innovative materials to create a more punk and edgy look.

Fashion Design junior Ryun Harrison is making unisex clothing inspired by various spiritual practices, goth and grunge styles, and the eccentricities that surround him.

Promotional image for Audrey Swart’s collection for One

“Doing a collection for One enables me to influence what my peers wear, become a part of various established styles, and get my name out there as a designer,” Harrison said. “This is a great project, and I am glad to be a part of it.”

Work in the store will range from bowties to screenprinted shirts. The student designers will keep 100% of their profits.

“I was really intrigued with the idea of creating a store with other designers with different styles,” said Bryston Walters, a Fashion Design junior. “I think it is going to be a really fun experience to be able to walk through a store and see just how differently people handle materials, and what their design aesthetic is.”

The store will sell designs from Advertising & Graphic Design junior Nigel Ewan and seniors Warren Kipperman and Alex Laniosz; Fashion Design juniors Rachel McElvogue, Ryun Harrison, Seth Stephens, Audrey Swart, and Bryston Walters and seniors Rachel Chertoff and Heather Hodge; Fine Arts sophomore De’Niro Brown and seniors Ariana Lindenfelser, Greg Ponchak, and Ben Quinn.

To read interviews and information on all 14 designers, click here. One will be open in Beaton Gallery Dec. 9, 1–9 p.m. and Dec. 10, 8:30 a.m.–3 p.m. The store will accept cash and credit/debit cards. Check out the video documenting the building and final result of One here.

Redesigned logo by alumna Holly Koskinen

Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Holly Koskinen’s studio, Koskinen Creative, won an American Graphic Design Award for a re-branding and logo design for the Blue Horizon Resort in the Turks and Caicos Islands.

This is the second American Graphic Design Award for the 2005 graduate. In 2011, she won an award for re-branding.

The American Graphic Design Awards are open to everyone in the graphic arts community. They honor outstanding new work in 23 categories from print and packaging to internet and interactive design.

The anatomy lab at Columbus State Community College, photo courtesy of Kristine Schramer

By Robin Hepler

Tens of thousands of visitors to the COSI science museum this winter will view an exhibition of CCAD students’ interpretations of the human form. Students in the fall semester course The Human Body in Art and Science have had access to the cadaver labs at Columbus State Community College and to the fall Body Worlds & the Brain exhibition at COSI to study the body from numerous perspectives—all for their use in creating art at the level expected for an exhibition hosted by a regional tourist destination.

CCAD faculty members Julie Posey (Science) and Kristine Schramer (Fine Arts) developed the team-taught course and negotiated the community partnerships to bring this full array of opportunities to students. The project provides an expansive and very public new venue for students to exhibit their final coursework and serves as an example of CCAD’s evolution in project-based learning.

“The college is moving toward a more cross-disciplinary way to deliver on project-based learning to mimic what happens in the real world,” says Kevin Conlon, CCAD vice president for Academic Affairs. “We are intentionally seeking external academic partners to provide opportunities for students to engage in teaming and problem-solving challenges.”

The expanding scope of projects is bringing faculty members together to create whole new classes, such as Posey and Schramer’s human body course.

“The scale of these newer project-based learning opportunities is becoming much more ambitious,” Conlon says. “As a result, they often engender dedicated courses that aggregate talent from multiple levels and departments and in academic constructs that may go beyond the limits of current course models and academic terms.”

CCAD students doing a dissection in the CSCC lab, photo courtesy of Kristine Schramer

Constructing new learning opportunities

Posey says she and Schramer spent three months developing learning objectives and finding the right combination of curriculum elements from science and art for the new course.

“I focus on the world out there that isn’t art. This course is about the human body—every different aspect, from tattoos to aging to body systems to our DNA,” Posey says. “I try to engage students about issues that are fundamentally meaningful to them as humans, not necessarily as artists. That is where Kris comes in.

“Kris shows these kids that our worldly experiences, our knowledge of our own micro-world, can be truly inspirational as art,” Posey says. “She ties what I do with what artists do.”

In each lecture Schramer shows students work of contemporary artists who work with the human form as their muse. Students are not asked to memorize facts about science; instead, Schramer says, she wants to teach students how to make themselves subject experts when they need to for their creative work.

And she teaches the process of a project.

“My goal is for every student in this class to have the experience of taking on an ambitious project and completing it successfully. I meet so many creative people who are full of brilliant ideas, but lack both the nerve to begin and the practical skills to manage the execution of a complicated project,” Schramer says.

“Using the study of science and each student’s individual project as the educational vehicle, I guide them through the stages of brainstorming, refining, proposing, revising and proposing again, researching, planning, budgeting, scheduling, and presenting their work publicly.”

Schramer says these skills can be applied to any major endeavor undertaken in life, whether it be artistic, entrepreneurial, or personal.

Posey and Schramer partnered last fall to team-teach a biotechnology course that also tapped the resources of Columbus State anatomist Eric Kenz. That project helped launch 2012 graduate Jonathan Hodge’s career in medical illustration. This year’s public exhibition at COSI, sharing museum space with the acclaimed Body Worlds & the Brain exhibit, makes their second project-based course much larger in scope—creating more opportunity and expectations.

UPDATE 12/2/12: There will be a free, public reception to view the student work on Sunday, 6-8 p.m. Dec. 9, 2013, at COSI Columbus.

Community-based projects

Students working in the CCAD MindMarket, photo courtesy Danielle Ford (2013)

Businesses and organizations in central Ohio can now access the talent of CCAD faculty, staff, and students for projects through the CCAD MindMarket’s DesignLab. Depending on the need, the CCAD MindMarket can assemble cross-disciplinary teams to provide design solutions through three different project structures: charrettes lasting 54–72 hours; semester-long, in-class projects; and longer-term project partnerships.

A spring 2012 joint project that teamed up a Fashion Design class and an Advertising & Graphic Design class is an example of the kind of community project that likely will work through the new MindMarket in the future.

Twenty-two students from the two classes presented design solutions for Huntington Bank’s branded team jersey for the annual Pelotonia bike race to raise money for cancer research. In the end, the bank asked that two options be combined—utilizing functional design elements by senior Nina Rehner and graphics by senior Dahui (Danny) Li.

“That’s how real projects work in corporations,” says Suzanne Cotton, chair of Fashion Design at CCAD. “It was a terrific scenario for the two finalists to work together to combine their concepts.”

Matt Mohr, assistant professor of Visual Communications and Media Studies, led the graphic design students in the project.

“We’re always looking for ways to combine disciplines,” says Mohr. “Apparel graphics, especially the opportunity to create a concept that covered the entire garment, posed a unique challenge. Given that the designs were for a well-respected, high-profile event made for eager excitement among the students.”

Conlon says the new curriculum architecture being built at CCAD supports the practicum experience, whether faculty members are bringing new projects to the classroom or outside organizations are approaching CCAD through the new structure of the MindMarket.

“It’s all about providing the students choices among a variety of paths to the practicum and a gateway to the professional-level and portfolio-worthy experience,” Conlon says.

All project-based learning is incredibly valuable for the student—not just for the experience of merging research, theory, application, experience, and result, Conlon says, but also for the benefit it provides students in developing their portfolios.

“Professional development has always begun with the portfolio at CCAD. Our continuing commitment to the portfolio as the primary evidence of discipline readiness will now be enhanced with the engagement of more and varied types of project-based learning,” Conlon says. “The practicum experience, played out in at least 12 credit hours within the new curriculum architecture, is the college’s demonstrated commitment to this ideal.”

For Schramer the experience is paying additional, personal dividends: “In these classes, Julie and I are learning right along with the students,” she says.

To check out the online print version of IMAGE, click here.

Zipline during Family Weekend & Homecoming, photo courtesy of Katlin McNally

Six New Faculty Named

CCAD’s realignment into two schools—Design Arts and Studio Arts—has brought six new faculty to campus this fall. Their hiring reflects the college’s commitment to providing students the real-world skills to lead in the growing creative economy, says Char Norman, dean of faculty.

“We seek out professionals who have proven teaching experience combined with significant current work in the field,” Norman says.

We welcome:

Kelly DeVore (Interior Design and Advertising & Graphic Design), a LEED-accredited architect who has also done research in socially responsive design education.

Steve Elbert (Interior Design), a licensed architect with international teaching experience and significant 2-D and 3-D modeling software skills.

Phil Garrett (Cinematic Arts), who has worked as a special effects artist on films such as Madagascar and Shrek and as a writer, producer, and animator for a large variety of indie films as well as animated features for DisneyToon Studios.

Mathew Mitchem (English and Philosophy), a philosopher, author, and web designer who has worked with topics ranging from advertising ideology in the world of political campaigns, to the cultural implications of participatory video, to online videos during the political uprisings of 2011.

Adam Osgood (Illustration), a creator of web designs, animation, and motion graphics for major brands including Exxon and Barnes & Noble.

Rebecca Robinson (Fashion Design), who has created her own fashion designs as well as contributing to books on the history of men’s fashion, American football uniforms, and hip-hop gear.

2012 Family Weekend & Homecoming

Campus was packed with hundreds of students, parents, alumni, staff, and friends for Family Weekend & Homecoming on Oct. 12 and 13.

Things kicked off Friday evening with dinner and a comedy show on campus.

Saturday began with free breakfast and ended with an alumni reception. In between were a CCAD MindMarket open house, a carnival on the quad, a zipline down East Gay Street, a lecture from recently retired Dean Richard Aschenbrand, and much more.

The energy was contagious and all-ages: View photos on our Columbus College of Art & Design facebook page and our CCAD Alumni facebook page.

Comic book artist Chris Ware’s keynote conversation, photo couresy Danielle Ford (2013)

Mix 2012

In early October, more than 200 people came to campus for Mix 2012: CCAD’s Celebration of Comics.

A highlight of the event was the participation of Chris Ware, an Eisner-Award-winning American comic book artist who is perhaps best known for his graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth. Ware delivered the keynote presentation, exhibited original artwork from Jimmy Corrigan, and participated in a symposium panel called The Epic Ordinary.

In all there were three exhibitions and two-and-a-half days of panels and workshops—all kicked off by a student comic-making marathon. Eleven teams were challenged with producing a 24-page comic in 24 hours. The results were then displayed for the rest of the symposium.

The plan is to make this symposium an annual event.

Mix 2012 was sponsored by State Auto Insurance Companies, with media sponsorship provided by WCBE 90.5.

Teaching Award Winner Connects Art to Literature

Associate Professor Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis with CCAD President Denny Griffith, photo courtesy Lian Dziura (2012)

Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis, a poet who has become a writing mentor to many of her CCAD students, was selected as the winner of CCAD’s 2012 Teaching Excellence Award. The award celebrates the exemplary contributions faculty members make to the college as a whole.

“She encourages critical thinking and nurtures an artist’s curiosities, helping us all to see the correlation between the art realm and the realm of literature,” said a student nominator, “and empowers her students to want to develop their skills and techniques as writers not just for class, but for themselves.”

Kartsonis, who is an associate professor in Liberal Arts and Graduate Studies, teaches fiction and poetry writing, contemporary literature, and special topics in literature. With dozens of published poems, as well as fiction and nonfiction works, she also has served as editor of a number of literary outlets, including wordsonwalls.net, scene360, and Shades Literary/Art Review.

Her most recent work is EmuSeum, a collaborative chapbook with Caleb Adler, MD, published by Dancing Girl Press.

Ten to Watch

Doesn’t everyone love a “where are they now” story? Well, we do, too—so we’re starting a feature called Ten to Watch.

Ten to Watch will follow a group of students from CCAD’s Class of 2012 as they take their first steps into the professional world after graduation. You’ll read about where they are, what they’re up to, and how they feel about their paths so far.

Annual feature stories will start in spring, but we couldn’t wait until then to introduce them:

Kattie Baker (Advertising & Graphic Design), Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design), Rachel Cass (Fashion Design), Sara K. Diesel (Illustration), Lian Dziura (Photography), Ryan Christopher Evans (Media Studies), Leah Fisher (Photography), Jake LaBombarbe (Industrial Design), Sarah McCance (Interior Design), and Erin McKenna (Fine Arts)

A few teasers to think about in the meantime:

1. Who’s working on a project in Abu Dhabi?
2. Who’s already moved to New York?
3. Who did a residency that comes with a show in Chicago?

Yu Qiduo (left) and Leah Wong (right) on Yu’s television show in Shanghai.

CCAD Discussed on Shanghai TV

Leah Wong, who has taught at CCAD and is assisting the college with a teaching exchange with the China Academy of Art, recently appeared on an education-focused show in Shanghai.

The show’s host, Yu Qiduo (Duoduo), brought CCAD into the conversation as they discussed Wong’s personal opinions on art and art education and talked about her teaching experiences in both China and the United States.

The half-hour program focuses on education programs and is aimed toward middle and high school students and their parents.

Glass Alumna Helps Cruise Line Fight Cancer

Fine Arts alumna Megan Mathie (CCAD 2006) has just returned from working on the Celebrity cruise ship Solstice as a glassblower for the Corning Museum of Glass.

Over a three-month tour of back-to-back 12-day cruises around the Mediterranean, the hot glass team stayed busy.

“On sea days we do two shows. On port days we usually do an evening show,” Mathie says. “I like the 12-day cruises because as people come back again and again, they ask smarter and smarter questions. Instead of having to explain ‘what is glass’ over and over, we can talk about some of the more sophisticated techniques and tell stories.”

Megan Mathie (CCAD 2006) doing a glass show at the Corning Museum of Glass

Although she loves the work, leaving home this summer was difficult for Mathie because both her sister and her mother are fighting breast cancer. She was thrilled to find out about a new project in Celebrity Cruises’ longstanding support of the breast cancer research.

The glass team refers to it as “the Pink Show.” During one show per cruise, they make everything pink, and one of the resulting pieces of glass is auctioned—with all of the profits going to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Mathie also found strong support among her fellow crew members. Just one example: On her sister’s birthday, the Ringmasters, a world-champion barbershop quartet, sang happy birthday into the phone for her.

“I was so fortunate to have found myself surrounded by kindness and love where I never expected it and when I needed it the most. Being able to take this job, this opportunity, turned into so much more of a gift than I thought it would be, and a big part of that is because of the people I’ve gotten to know. I know they care about Jen and Mom, and I know they care about me,” Mathie says.

For more photos and lots of Mathie’s engaging writing, visit her blog.

To check out the online print version of IMAGE, click here.

Alumnus Aaron Roberts’ poster design for the Columbus Food & Wine Affair

The Columbus Food & Wine Affair is set to take place this Friday, and once again its collector-worthy poster is a product of CCAD talent.

Aaron Roberts (CCAD 2012) earned first place in the annual class design project for the event while he was still a senior in Advertising & Graphic Design.

For the class project, students were told the dimensions of the poster and how it would be displayed. They were told the poster had to appeal in both color and black and white, represent food and wine equally, and have an international and contemporary flair.

“It is absolutely amazing to see what these young artists can do,” said Bob Himes, president of the Central Ohio Restaurant Association Foundation. “We benefit from their concepts and ideas, and they benefit by getting a feel for what it’s like to work with clients.”

Roberts was awarded a cash prize and CCAD received a contribution from the Columbus Food & Wine Affair to the CCAD Scholarship Fund.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Stefan Doke (CCAD 2012) was awarded second place in the competition, and honorable mentions were given to Advertising & Graphic Design alumni Andrea Hager (CCAD 2012), Chavilah Bennett (CCAD 2012), and Christopher Olvis (CCAD 2012).

The Columbus Food & Wine Affair draws more than 1,000 people and showcases food from local Columbus restaurants and more than 350 wines from around the world. The event will take place Sept. 21 at the Franklin Park Conservatory.

Classnotes, September 2012 Issue

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but because there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from June, July, and August 2012.

John Schaffner ’60 and J. Luray Schaffner ’62 both exhibited their work at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons, MD. Read more here.

Elena Osterwalder ’76 showed work in Celebrating UA, an exhibition at the Concourse Gallery in Upper Arlington, OH. Read more here.

Joe Howard ’72 had his piece Stone, Steel and Wood chosen for the permanent Western Art Collection of the Pearce Museum at Navarro College in Corsicana, TX. Read more here.

Jeff Stahler ’77 was interviewed in The Illustrator’s Market. Read more here.

Tim Bowers ’79 illustrated Dinosaur Pet, which climbed the best-seller lists. Read more here.

David Groff ’79 received gold and bronze awards in the 29^th annual Aster Awards for his illustrations in a hospital calendar.

Marty Husted ’79, Mark Thomas ’90, and Heather Nibert ’12 are each participating in a public arts project in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Laura Sanders ’88, Sarah Fairchild ’94, Chris Rankin ’94, Adam Brouillette ’02,  Anne Holman ’02, Lauren Mudd ’04,  and Boryana Rusenova Ina ’06, participated in Art for the Environment, a silent auction benefiting the Ohio Environmental Council. Read more here.

Kaname Takada ’89, William Shearrow ’97,  and Michael Bonardi ’04 are featured in a group exhibition at the  Johnson-Humrickhouse Museum in Coshocton, OH. Read more here.

Peter Wachtel ’90 is now selling his product STAKE, an all-in-one BBQ tool, via Quirky, Target, Fab, and ThinkGeek. Read more here.

James Alicea ’92 organized a fundraiser for the victims of the 2011 tsunami and earthquake in Japan, involving artists from Japan and New York. Read more here.

Laurie Brown ’94 showed her work in a group exhibition at the Mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. Read more here.

Chad Hunt ’94 spent time training with a U.S. Special Operations Command team, and his resulting photographs were featured in an issue of Popular Mechanics. Read more here.

Chris Rankin ’94 exhibited his work in two Columbus, OH, venues this summer. Read more here.

David Hartman ’95 is a supervising director for the show Transformers: Prime, which won a 2012 Daytime Emmy®. Read more here.

Jason Goad ’96 has partnered on projects for some big-name brands and projects, including Mattel’s Hot Wheels. Read more here.

John Urbano ’96 released a limited edition photography book and directed a music video for British pop band One Direction that has been nominated for an MTV Video Music Award. Read more here.

Nathaniel Galka ’98 had work in the exhibition The Birds and Bees. Read more here.

Mike Hein ’98 exhibited his work at Mulherin + Pollard gallery in New York City. Read more here.

Dan Scanlon ’98 was featured in the LA Times for his upcoming directorial debut on Pixar’s Monsters University. Read more here.

Michael Phillips ’99 was profiled in All4You, a contemporary culture magazine based in Croatia. Read more here.

Clint Davidson ’00 worked on a mural for a public park in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Olga Ziemska ’00 installed a sculpture at the Columbus State Community College (CSCC) main library.  Read more here.

Adam Brouillette ’02, Nikos Fyodor Rutkowski ’02, and Corey Aumiller ’06 are participating in the Columbus Arts Pop-Up Project (CAP-UP), a public art project. Read more here.

Carl Bork ’03 exhibited his paintings at the Heart of the Rockies Regional Medical Center in Salida, CO. Read more here.

Sarah DeAngulo Hout ’04 worked on a mural that is now in the Columbus Metropolitan Library. Read more here.

Michael Lai ’04 presented as a special guest for the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts in Columbus, OH. Read more here

Jill Raymundo ’04 exhibited her work in the City Center Gallery of the OSU Urban Arts Space in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 was featured in the Huffington Post’s iPad issue for her photography project Darshan. Read more here.

Corey Aumiller ’06 worked on a video project featuring CCAD President Denny Griffith. Read more here.

Martina Nikova ’07 had a solo exhibition at the Ohio Art League in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Greg Beck ’09 helped start Longstride, a creative marketing company in Columbus, OH, that was featured in a local business journal. Read more here.

John Malta ’10 received a grant from the Xeric Foundation to self-publish his comic book The Professor and the Paperboy. Read more here.

Kartika Mediani ’10 showed her film The Box at the 2012 Comic-Con’s San Diego International Children’s Film Festival in California. Read more here.

Kerry Kunze ’11 displayed her work at ZenClay Gallery in Morgantown, WV. Read more here.

Rachel Cass ’12 was featured in Easton Town Center’s 2012 directory after being awarded Easton’s Fashion Design Award. Read more here.

Kathryn Chamberlin ’12 became the graphic designer at Origo Branding Company in downtown Columbus, OH.

Alex Conrad ’12 showed his work in a national MFA competition. Read more here.

Brianne Schulze ’12 earned a goldsmithery apprenticeship at the Diamond Cellar in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

John Urbano works on the One Direction music video, screenshot from behind the scenes video

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus John Urbano can now add two VMAs to his list of accomplishments.

Urbano directed the British pop band One Direction’s music video “What Makes You Beautiful,” which won two MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 6 for Best Pop Video and Most Share-Worthy Video, with the band taking home Best New Artist.

John Urbano works on the One Direction music video, screenshot from behind the scenes video

The video features the five-member boy band on a road trip, meeting up with friends on a beautiful California beach.

In a behind the scenes video, Urbano describes the film as candid, energetic, and fun.

“In a typical boy-band music video there is this recipe, and we’ve kind of thrown that recipe away—breaking the mold,” Urbano said in the making-of video.

The video has reached more than 200 million views on Vevo, a music video site, since its premiere on Aug. 19, 2011.

Christopher Olvis and Michiella Sturiano hold their winning umbrella design for Easton Town Center

Easton Town Center in Columbus, OH, offers a perk for visitors and shoppers when the clouds turn grey: a courtesy umbrella. This year the design is brand new thanks to Advertising & Graphic Design students at the Columbus College of Art & Design.

Easton hosts nearly 21 million visitors a year and orders 8,000 umbrellas a year for those customers to use—so when Steiner & Associates, the managing company of Easton, approached CCAD Advertising & Graphic Design classes with this project, the students were beyond excited.

Students had to not only create a design that incorporated Easton’s current brand theme and colors, but also work on an umbrella stand, follow a strict budget, deal with storage issues, consider guidelines for the arc, panels, and handle for the umbrella, and create a communication plan, all within an eight-week time frame.

A group of Easton staff members chose the winning design team, which included then-seniors Christopher Olvis and Jacob Graham and junior Michiella Sturiano.

Their design features a nature-themed pattern including snowflakes, autumn leaves, and tree branches all on the color blue that Easton uses as a brand color.

Easton Town Center is one of several community clients that CCAD has recently partnered with. Others include The Central Ohio Transit Authority, the State of Ohio’s Governor’s office, ScottsMiracleGro Company, and Nationwide Insurance.

Screenshot from “What Makes You Beautiful,” directed by John Urbano

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus John Urbano’s directorial work for British pop band One Direction is paying off with two MTV Video Music Award nominations.

Urbano directed the video for One Direction’s hit “What Makes You Beautiful,” which is up for VMAs in the categories of Best Pop Video and Best New Artist.

The video, which features the five-member boy band walking on a California beach, premiered on Aug. 19, 2011, and now has more than 200 million views on Vevo, a music video viewing site.

The Best New Artist category is currently open for fan voting: click here to vote. The VMAs will air on Thursday, Sept. 6.

Illustration alumna Marty Husted (CCAD 1979), Fine Arts alumna Heather Nibert (CCAD 2012), and Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Mark Thomas (CCAD 1990) are each participating in the project 10x10x10: 10 Murals, 10 Galleries, 10 Openings.

The alumni will each have one of their works photographed and transferred to vinyl, which will then be displayed on the sides of buildings in the Short North, the arts district in Columbus. These mini murals will be up for a year.

Husted’s Shadows Extending will be outside the Studios on High Gallery at 1081 N. High St., Nibert’s Fields of Columbus will be outside Terra Gallery at 608 N. High St., and Thomas’ Neighborhood Scene will be outside Lindsay Gallery at 459 N. High St.

Stay up to date on announcements about this project and other public art programs at the Short North Arts District website.

2011 AAE recipient Nathan Greno (right), accepting award from Denny Griffith (left)

Sixteen distinguished Columbus College of Art & Design alumni have been nominated for the 2012 Joseph V. Canzani Alumni Award for Excellence (AAE). Nominees range from a fashion knitting queen to a Pixar storyboard artist and an art therapy director to an internationally recognized fine artist.

The nominees are Bryan Ballinger ( CCAD 1990), Charlotte Belland (CCAD 1997), Samantha Bennett (CCAD 1995–1999), Sean Blanton (CCAD 2011), Roy Doty (CCAD 1942), Nicky Epstein (CCAD 1974), Michael Flechtner (CCAD 1981), Scott Hull (CCAD 1977), Matthew Kaser (CCAD 1984), Jon Hair (CCAD 1976–1978), Catherine Hyland Moon (CCAD 1978), Paitoon Ratan (CCAD 1993), William D. Ray (CCAD 1992–1994), Benjamin Roseland (CCAD 2005), Dan Scanlon (CCAD 1998), and Charles Wilkin (CCAD 1992). Read the nominee bios here.

The AAE will be presented on Saturday, Oct. 13, during Family Weekend & Homecoming. This event is part of an entire weekend of events for the whole CCAD family, including alumni, students, parents, faculty, and staff.

Each year CCAD accepts nominations for AAE as a way to acknowledge not only the success and contributions of one very deserving graduate, but also the impact CCAD alumni have all over the world. Alumni are currently voting on the finalists, after which a committee will review the nominees and choose the recipient. To learn more about the nomination and voting process, click here.

“Privatization” by Boryana Rusenova Ina will be up for bid on Aug. 25

CCAD faculty, staff, and alumni are involved in Art for the Environment, a silent auction on Aug. 25 benefiting the Ohio Environmental Council.

All of the artwork that will be for sale expresses a connection to the environment. This encourages guests, who will mingle with the artists throughout the event, to think about the environmental issues that matter to them.

Participating CCAD artists include editorial director Laura Bidwa, Fine Arts alumnus Adam Brouillette (CCAD 2002), Fine Arts alumna Sarah Fairchild (CCAD 1994), adjunct instructor Linda Gall, president Dennison W. Griffith, Fine Arts alumna and adjunct faculty Anne Holman (CCAD 2002), Fine Arts alumna Lauren Mudd (CCAD 2004), Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Chris Rankin (CCAD 1994), Fine Arts alumna and adjunct faculty Boryana Rusenova Ina (CCAD 2006), and Fine Arts alumna Laura Sanders (CCAD 1988).

Director of Continuing & Professional Studies and Fine Arts alumna Cat Sheriden (CCAD 2003) and associate professor and Fine Arts alumnus Tim Rietenbach (CCAD 1977) also participated, serving on the host committee.

“As a host committee member, my job is to help build community interest for this event,” Sheridan said. “So why did I say yes to help? Because I’m a big ol’ tree hugger! But seriously, one only has to think of this record-setting hot July to understand the dire need to act in sustainable ways and strive to contribute to a culture that is sustainable, not just ‘more sustainable.’”

“This event combines two things dear to my heart: the environment and art. It was an obvious choice to be involved in whatever way I could,” Sheridan said.

The auction will be held Aug. 25, 6–9 p.m. at the Lab, 855 Grandview Avenue, Columbus, OH. Tickets can be purchased here. Paintings to be auctioned can also be viewed here.

Michael Lai, photo from CSCA flyer

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Michael Lai (CCAD 2004) will present as a special guest for the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts (CSCA), Aug. 2 at the Arena Grand Theatre, Columbus, OH.

For the presentation, Lai will share his thoughts on the changes occurring in design throughout China and Asia.

Following graduation from CCAD, Lai worked as a senior designer at the Columbus-based branding agency Ologie. He also worked as an adjunct professor at CCAD and served as co-president of CSCA.

In 2009, Lai ventured to Hong Kong Polytechnic University to get a master’s in interaction design. He is currently working as a visiting assistant professor at the university.

CSCA is a professional organization that promotes a better understanding of the context and function of the visual arts in commerce, industry, education, and the community.

To learn more about Lai’s presentation and purchase tickets, click here.

“Creativity never seems to stop,” Stahler said in the blog post. “I love getting up each morning and traveling up the stairs to my third-floor studio, where I plant myself. I read, doodle, sketch, and ink ideas for hours.”

Stahler is an award-winning editorial cartoonist. His editorials and daily comics panel are syndicated and distributed by Universal Press Syndicate out of Kansas City. He is also currently working on the 2012 program cover for the Cincinnati Bengals.

To read the full article click here.

2012 Team Huntington's Pelotonia jersey

Columbus Clippers fans got a surprise on July 25 when a flash mob rushed the field to debut the 2012 Team Huntington Pelotonia jersey.

The jersey was designed by two CCAD seniors in Fashion Design, Dahui (Danny) Li and Nina Rehner. The original class project was open to students in the Advertising & Graphic Design and Fashion Design majors, with 22 students submitting design proposals.

Officials from Huntington Bank had a tough choice and decided on not one, but two students’ designs, asking them to work together and combine both of their concepts. Li and Rehner were thrilled to create the jersey as a team, incorporating Li’s overall graphics and theme and Rehner’s approach to the fabric and shape.

The jerseys have a sleek design, that incorporates the bank’s brand colors: green and white, with orange acting as an accent. On the back panel of the jerseys Li proposed writing the question, ‘who are you riding for?’

“Huntington’s new Pelotonia jersey allows riders to circle who they ride for on the back of the jersey,” noted Li. “Words like ‘husband, mother, and friend’ motivate participants to compete, and the design expresses the notion that we’re all affected by cancer in some way.”

Rehner brought a new design structure to the 2012 jersey. In previous designs, the jersey fabric weighted down riders in the summer heat. This year the light weight fabric cools the rider and keeps sweat from soaking into the shirt. Rehner’s paneled design won Huntington over by making the shirt more fitted and sharp looking.

“The new jersey design reminds people why they are riding,” said Rehner. “It’s a great design that adds memory to the event, and makes the riders feel proud to be part of Pelotonia.”

“The enthusiasm of the fans, and the energy in the ballpark and on the field, reflects the growing momentum for Pelotonia support, not just at Huntington, but also within the Columbus community,” said Mary Navarro, director of retail and business banking at Huntington.

Pelotonia is a three-day bike ride where riders run their own fundraising campaign, requesting donations from friends and family. One hundred percent of all funds raised directly support cancer research at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center—James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Over the past three years, riders have raised more than $25 million for cancer research.

Rankin’s encaustic painting “Untitled”

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Chris Rankin (CCAD 1994) will have his work displayed in two Columbus, OH, venues this summer.

His encaustic paintings will be hung at Basil, a restaurant in the Short North, Columbus’ arts district, through August. He will also have his work displayed at the Bexley Public Library in September and October.

Rankin is currently working on landscapes painted with pigmented beeswax. He is also the co-founder and principal of Creative Spot, a full-service ad agency founded in 1994.

John Schaffner with his sculpture

Industrial Design alumnus John Schaffner (CCAD 1960) and Advertising & Graphic Design alumna J. Luray Schaffner (CCAD 1962) are both exhibiting work at the Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Arts Center in Solomons, Maryland.

John’s wood sculpture Spiney Sea Creature is on display for a year in the mezzanine of the sculpture garden and J. Luray’s painting Vanishing Sea Grass Meadows is in the juried exhibition Treasured: Honoring Precious and Vanishing Worlds, which is on display until Aug. 26, 2012.

Treasured reveals the beauty and vulnerability of the endangered and the threatened. From disappearing plant and animal species, to vanishing languages and cultures, to threatened ecosystems, the exhibition highlights the intricacies and fragility of precious and vanishing worlds.

The Annmarie Sculpture Garden comprises 30 acres of forests, fields, and meadows around a paved walking path that features permanent and loaned sculptures, including more than 30 works on loan from the Smithsonian Institution and the National Gallery of Art. The Arts Center includes rotating exhibition space, a gift shop, cafe, and a patio. Annmarie  presents a variety of popular annual festivals, rotating exhibitions, family activities, and creative public programs.

Poster from “S.O.S”

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus James Alicea (CCAD 1992) recently finished a project where he was not only able to rally artists from Japan and New York, but also helped raise money and awareness for victims of the 2011 tsunami and eathquake in Japan.

Alicea and his business partner Shin Ono created S.O.S: Suns of Silence, a one-day exhibition featuring work from 28 artists, 14 from Japan and 14 from New York City. The show was held in Tokyo, Japan, on April 13, 2012.

“I connected with artists from my everyday movements,” Alicea said. “Creatives that I have met or have had the pleasure of working with all helped out.”

The artists had to put their own artistic touch on a 3D mold of a human skull. The designs ranged from an abstract neon painting to a realistic recreation of a face.

“There were no guidelines as to what was suppose to be painted,” Alicea said. “[The skulls] were meant to represent the destruction that the earthquake and tsunami left in their wakes.”

The exhibition served as an auction for the skulls. Guests also enjoyed a live photo session with internationally known photographer Yone. Every skull was sold, and the money raised was donated to Bond&Justice, a grassroots organization helping the victims of the 2011 disaster.

“It was a successful turnout not just because of the cause and the money that was raised, but it introduced artists from two different worlds,” Alicea said.

Alicea and Ono have started planning and creating a similar exhibition for next year, which will tour through Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore and end in New York City.

Additional photos from the event can be viewed here, and video here.

Richard Cowdrey’s illustration for the children’s book “Searching for the You We Adore”

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from March, April, and May 2012.

Eileen Mueller Neill ’65 had an exhibition, Imaginaries, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Fine Arts Gallery. Read more here.

Richard Cowdrey ’81 illustrated Searching for the You We Adore, written by Valerie Westfall. Read more here.

Janet Sopp-Sims ’85 was a finalist in the 2012 Hunting Art Prize. Read more here.

Anthony Baker ’86 presented at a conference about the importance of art in the classroom. Read more here.

Creative Arts of Women (CAW) members Helma Groot ’89, Roxanne Smith-Mansell ’87, Kristin Morris ’94–’02, Mary Ann Crago ’95, and Cat Sheridan ’03 were in a group exhibition honoring Women’s History Month. Read more here.

Richard Hughes ’88–’95 was chosen to create a poster for the eighth annual Art Affair on the Square in Urbana, OH. Read more here.

Don Slobodien ’88 earned first place in the Art at the Arnold competition. Read more here.

Chris Cosnowski ‘92 had a solo exhibition at Lyons Wier Gallery in New York City. Read more here.

Daniel Hopper ’94 had a chandelier chosen to be displayed in Coup d’Etat, a design showroom in San Francisco.

Jason Moore ’96 was named to Columbus Business First’s 40 under 40 2012 Honorees list. Read more here.

Danielle Julian Norton ’99 was in a group exhibition in New Jersey. Read more here.

Nicole Bruckman ’00 co-curated Cella Gallery’s exhibition Femme Fatale in North Hollywood. Read more here.

Irina Grebennik ’02 exhibited work in the  Orville J. Hanchey Gallery at Northwestern State University in the Inaugural 40 under 40 show.

Michael Bonardi ’04 had a solo exhibition in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Eliza Kinkz ’04 premiered her film Chocolate Milk at the 2012 South by Southwest® (SXSW®) Film Conference and Festival. Read more here.

Michael Litzau ’04 was offered a two-week residency at Ragdale in Illinois. Read more here.

Steve Weinzierl ’05 became the creative director at Favorite Color in New York City.

Anna Porreca ’06 was hired as an apparel graphic designer for Victoria’s Secret Pink in New York City.

John O’Reilly ’07 had his first solo exhibition at RH Gallery in New York City. Read more here.

These are Things, founded by Jen Adrion ’08 and Omar Noory ’08, was featured in two trade publications (read more here) and was used as a case study for a New York Times bestselling author’s book (read more here).

Ashley K. Alexander ’09 published her second novel, The Hanged Man’s Ghost. Read more here.

Annie Kocher ’09 was featured in Alive! Read more here.

Rachel Ridgley ’10 had her photography and personal story featured in Wolfdogs magazine. Read more here.

Mason Miller ’11 was hired as a graphic designer for Big Red Rooster, a multidimensional brand experience firm.

Pallavi Sen ’11 was awarded the Lifchez/Stronach nine-month, paid curatorial internship with the Antonio Ratti Textile Center of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Read more here.

A preview from John Urbano’s photography book

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus John Urbano’s creative touch can be seen on big-name companies and projects including photography and videos for Abercrombie & Fitch and music videos for the international pop band One Direction. One of his own personal projects has neared an end after 10 years in the making. He will be self-publishing a 300-page, black and white photography book, John Urbano 1.

For  Urbano it is all about story-telling no matter what the project or subject is, and John Urbano 1 is no different. The book, which will be a limited-edition release this summer, all started when he met a girl named Niki Coyne.

“Niki’s love for riding horses inspired me to start taking photographs,” Urbano said. “These photographs became the first part of my collection for the book. After shooting Niki I started to photograph more girls who were passionate about something in their lives, everything from soccer to sailing—and that is what drove this book.”

Urbano’s long-time friend Arri Taylor, who runs a scouting company, helped him find the right women to photograph.

“He introduced me to some of my favorite women in the book. Along with Arri, I also worked with a few agencies like Ford and Vision,” Urbano said.

A preview from John Urbano’s photography book

Urbano shot all over the world in locations including the U.S., Dominican Republic, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, and Central America.

In Urbano’s own words, the tone of the book is simple—beautiful women and beautiful landscapes. Each woman was shot in black and white to portray Urbano’s tone and purpose.

“I have always loved traditional black and white photography,” Urbano said. “It seems appropriate for this collection of work—timeless.”

After nine years of taking the photographs Urbano had to decide how he was going to design and publish the book. He worked closely with Roger De La Rosa on the book design and decided to self-publish the book and release it in limited edition.

“I wanted to self-publish John Urbano 1 so I could control every detail from start to finish,” Urbano said. “I am only releasing 1,000 copies because I like the idea of my book being rare—if you don’t buy one now, you might not be able to later.”

This is not Urbano’s first time working on a book. In 2010, he finished work on the photography book Beauty of the Flight, which accompanied a documentary he filmed. The work featured the intimate and devastating imagery of two Panama barrios affected  by both political and social struggles.

You can purchase John Urbano 1 at www.johnurbano.com, and it will also be in a few, selected bookstores around the world. He is currently working on two more photography books and two short films.

Longstride logo

There’s a new creative company in Columbus named after the legend of Robin Hood. Longstride has tapped CCAD talent and was recently featured in a Business First article

The company was launched in January 2012 by Anthony Trimpe, who was shortly joined by friend and Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Greg Beck (CCAD 2009). Anthony’s brother, Alex Trimpe, who is a senior at CCAD, works with the team on a contract basis, as does CCAD faculty Andrew Ina.

“It was much less of an epiphany and more like a natural evolution on what we could do with our skill set,” Beck said in the article. “It was a shared passion.”

The team has worked with nonprofit organizations including the Capital Area Humane Society, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and Flying Horse Farms. Their services range from brand imagery and website work to videography and guerrilla marketing tactics.

“This is what I have been craving all this time,” Beck said. “Creative talents put to good use—for the benefit of others.”

They’ve kept costs low by working out of their homes and hiring freelancers as needed. They haven’t overlooked plans for expansion though. According to the article, they believe their 2012 revenue will reach $150,000, and they hope to hire a few full-time staff members.

“We know these types of [clients] don’t have deep pockets, but we believe they deserve the same top talent [as for-profit companies can afford],” Anthony said.

To learn more about the company and its work, click here.

Student looks at work

Each semester, the Honors Program at CCAD hosts a symposium where students and faculty present their semester’s work. This year it took place on May 7, starting with a reception for all CCAD faculty, staff, and students.

Work ranged from puppets to glass installations, and the projects came from two honors classes: Associate Professor Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis’ Ekphrasis: Art Begets Art and MFA student Elena Harvey Collins’ Art as Social Practice.

The following students showed their projects: Fine Arts seniors Jack Ramunni, Alejandro Bellizi, Krista Sison, Yezen Abusharkh, and Mary Nemeth; Media Studies senior Brian Liston; Fine Arts junior Eric Sherwood; Advertising & Graphic Design junior Danielle Williams; Photography junior Derrick Whitson; Industrial Design sophomore Kelly Lee; and Fine Arts sophomores Esteban Gonzalez, Nicole Santos, and Hannah Mason-Macklin.

Congratulations Graduates!

More than 200 Columbus College of Art & Design students graced the stage of the historic Ohio Theatre to receive their diplomas on Saturday, May 12, 2012. The 133^rd annual spring commencement, in downtown Columbus, included an address by commencement speaker Mark Kvamme of JobsOhio.

The ceremony awarded four honorary degrees including, Beverly Bethge founder and creative officer of Ologie, Richard Aschenbrand dean of Visual Communications, Carl Garant dean of Industrial and Interior Design, and Edward Lathy dean of Liberal Arts.

Robert P Restrepo Jr., vice chair of CCAD’s board of trustees; President Dennison W. Griffith; Kevin J. Conlon, vice president for academic affairs, and Ric Petry, director of graduate studies and professor; conferred 11 master of fine arts degrees. Restrepo, Griffith, Conlon, and Faculty Council President and Professor Tim Rietenbach conferred 228 bachelor of fine arts degrees.

The students returned the recognition giving a standing ovation to all faculty and staff that assisted them along their journey. President Dennison W. Griffith gave the students a farewell message that earned a spontaneous round of applause when he encouraged graduates to be nuanced, and spread love in the world.

Family and friends greet the class of 2012 after commencement.

The 2012 class valedictorian is Industrial Design major Joel Van Gilder and the college honored the following 10 students with the distinction of Outstanding Senior in their area of study.

Kattie Baker, Advertising & Graphic Design

Chavilah Bennett, Advertising & Graphic Design

Rachel Cass, Fashion Design

Sara Diesel, Illustration

Lian Dziura, Photography

Christopher Ryan Evans, Media Studies

Leah Fisher, Photography

Jake LaBombarbe, Industrial Design

Sarah McCance, Interior Design

Erin McKenna, Fine Arts

Check out photos from commencement and more on the CCAD Alumni facebook page.

President Denny Griffith with the 2012 Senior Gift Committee

When searching for a gift to leave behind to the college, the 2012 Senior Class Gift Committee decided to start from what everyone of its peers does best, their art.

The committee decided to complete a project called Epilogue. Their members collected works from their fellow students and silent auctioned them at the CCAD Spring Art Sale. All of the proceeds were then donated to the CCAD scholarship fund.

At the senior picnic, hosted by President Denny Griffith, Chavilah Bennett, the chair of the committee, and fellow Senior Class Gift committee members presented a class banner to President Griffith to represent their gift. Signed by the members of the class of 2012 and featuring the class’s slogan (go amaze), the banner will hang at all of the group’s future alumni gatherings.

“Not only is this a representation of our gift, but it is also a signed promise to keep in touch with our peers and with the school,” Bennett said.

“I repeat this message a lot, but donating to the scholarship fund is vital for our creative community,” Griffith said. He asked students to raise their hands if they received a scholarship and look around. The students were able to see, that the majority of students in attendance received support from previous donations.

The 2012 Senior Gift Committee included, Sean Gorant (Advertising & Graphic Design), Natelise Loeb (Advertising & Graphic Design and Illustration), Aaron Roberts (Advertising & Graphic Design) Mark St. Romain (Advertising & Graphic Design), Nicky Smith (Advertising & Graphic Design), and Dion Utt (Fine Arts)

The 2012 graduating class will be accepting their diplomas on May 12 at the Ohio Theatre, and from there on they will truly go and amaze!

Neill's "Escaping the Vending Machine"

Eileen Mueller Neill (CCAD 1965) has an exhibition, Imaginaries, at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s Fine Arts Gallery.

The Advertising & Graphic Design alumna’s exhibition encompasses sculptures made of clay, paper, and other assorted materials, inviting viewers into an imaginary world.

Neill has exhibited across the country and currently works out of her studio in Riverwoods, Illinois.

The exhibition is open until May 12, 2012.

The garment on the left is from Rachel Kaplan's collection, inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe and Umberto Boccioni. Chavilah Bennett used the fashion shoot photo to recontsruct a work of art inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe's painting “Red Canna."

When the music is pounding and the models are strutting down the runway—each bringing forth a delightful new surprise—it is easy to only see the fashion design talent at the CCAD Senior Fashion Show.

So, each year we like to take a moment and call attention to all of the other creative minds that make our extraordinary fundraiser such a memorable experience.

One piece in particular, the lookbook, lasts well beyond that one adrenaline-fueled night. CCAD students have always played a significant role in developing the book, but this year that role was increased. The book not only showcases the design talent of our fashion students, but it also showcases the talent of our photographers, graphic designers, fine artists, and illustrators—not just in its production but in the rich content seen on each page.

“The fashion designers took their inspiration from 2D and 3D artists. To showcase that inspiration, we took the idea of deconstruction and reconstruction to highlight more forms of art and design at CCAD,” said CCAD Creative Director Lindsay Kronmiller as she described the concept for this year’s fashion show lookbook.

The team that developed the concept for the lookbook, the invites, and did the design work, from left Isabella Hidalgo, Aaron Roberts, Walker Crane, and Isuri Merenchi Hewage

“We took photos of the models wearing the designs on backgrounds that make it appear that the fashion is being ‘unpacked’ for a gallery show,” explained Kronmiller. “We then gave those photos to artists, designers, and illustrators and had them reconstruct each photo into a piece of art that was inspired by the original 2D and/or 3D artist—thus creating an ‘exhibition book’ of CCAD work focused around this year’s fashion thesis projects.”

While guests of the event will appreciate the beautiful book as they wait for the main event to start, the book’s shelf life lasts quite a bit longer. For the next year the admissions office will include the fashion lookbook in packets to prospective students and bring it with them to college fairs.

“This has become a signature piece for the college,” said Robin Hepler, director of marketing and communications at CCAD. “It started as a program just for the event, but we found that prospective students considering CCAD were fascinated by it and inevitably wanted a copy to keep. So, each year we’ve improved the content and ordered more quantities turning it into a regular piece in our recruitment packet. This year we’ve gone even further to ensure the book showcases the breadth of diverse talent at CCAD, while still being true to its original purpose.”

CCAD’s Design Group is an in-house design firm staffed by students and directed by Kronmiller. The team that developed the concept for the lookbook, the invites, and did the design work, included Advertising & Graphic Design seniors, Isabella Hidalgo and Aaron Roberts; Illustration senior Isuri Merenchi Hewage; and Advertising & Graphic Design junior Walker Crane.

Lookbook photographers, from left, Danielle Ford, Xandre King, Kelsey McClellan, Lian Dziura, Nicole Miller, and Marcus Morris.

The visual content for the lookbook was also all student generated. The photographs were taken by CCAD students (and an alumnus) during a daylong photo shoot that involved several sets  in CCAD’s massive photography studio space. Photography majors on the shoot, included seniors Lian Dziura, Xandre King, Kelsey McClellan, and Nicole Miller; junior Danielle Ford, and 2011 alumnus Marcus Morris.

The ‘reconstructed artwork’ was completed by the following students and alumni: Justine Arreche (Advertising & Graphic Design 2011), Chavilah Bennett (Advertising & Graphic Design 2012), Danielle Deley (Advertising & Graphic Design 2011), Pei Yin Chen (Photography 2011), Crane,  Dziura, Ford,  Andy Hayes (Advertising & Graphic Design 2001), Merenchi Hewage, Hidalgo,  Matthew Houston (Illustration 2012), Alex Lanisoz (Advertising & Graphic Design 2013),  Brian Liston (Media Studies 2012),  McClellan, Nathan Moser (Fine Arts 2012),  Simone Noronha (Advertising & Graphic Design 2011), Emily Rickard (Fine Arts 2010), Madison Schneider (Advertising & Graphic Design 2012), Pallavi Sen (Fine Arts 2011) Dillon Sirimongkhon (Illustration 2011), and Miles Tsang (Illustration 2012).

Videographers, from left, Alex Trimpe and Tom Hoying

Adding to the creative mix, CCAD tapped local branding agency Ologie to provide creative consultation and mentorship for the students as they worked on this massive undertaking.

While the lookbook has become a signature piece, it’s not the only student produced work that will be seen the night of the event (and beyond). Media Studies majors Tom Hoying (sophomore) and Alex Trimpe (senior) have been filming the lookbook design process and will be filming the entirety of the event to develop promotional materials for 2013. They also worked with local videographer Ryan Sweeney to develop a piece that will run prior to the runway show.

If you have your tickets be sure to remember to pick up a lookbook to see what all the fuss is about. If you don’t have tickets, we’ll do our best to post as many student-generated photos as we can the night of the show for your vicarious enjoyment.

Kattie Baker, 2012 Outstanding Senior

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions. Today, in part three of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Advertising & Graphic Design major Kattie Baker.

Q) What was your proudest achievement while at CCAD?

A) My junior year my group and I won the Victoria’s Secret package design contest, that was probably my proudest moment. You get acknowledgement and praise from peers and faculty, but to have this large, well-known company reward you is definitely a proud moment.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) When I had to take an Adobe Creative Suite class my sophomore year. I hadn’t used any of the programs before, so I was immediately overwhelmed thinking it was an intense, scary software.

Q) What are your plans for after graduation?

A) Careerwise I want to be able to do web design or graphic design. I am also finishing up working at Fulcrum Creatives as an intern.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job? Or goal?

A) I would love to be working for a mid-sized company. I feel that at larger companies you often have to work with the same clients over and over again, and I want to have room to play as a designer and creative. A company I would love to work for is Resource Interactive, a digital marketing agency in Columbus.

Q) Why is it important as an alumna to continue to give back to your alma mater?

A) I think you need to help out people who used to be you. As an alumna, you know how hard it is and what they are going through, and I think it’s good to offer the same help and support that you had when you were a student.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) I think it happened as early as my freshman year. I originally started out at Capitol University studying to become an English teacher, but then I realized that this side, extracurricular art class I was taking meant a lot more to me then my core classes, so I turned to CCAD. I realized then what I wanted to be doing.

Q) What smell, word, or whatever will  remind you of your time here as a student?

A) Rubber cement and quarters. In Advertising & Graphic Design we didn’t deal with too many of the smelly chemicals that other majors did, but rubber cement I will remember. Quarters became to mean so much more then 25 cents, too; we used them for printing, so if I lost one I would always think, “Oh no, there goes a print.”

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) The freedom. As a student you have faculty and staff telling you what to do when it comes to homework and such, but you really have this ultimate freedom to do whatever you want, you are your own boss.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word what would it be?

A) Sleep. I will finally be able to sleep. If there was a carrot dangling at the end of a stick it would definitely be the idea of sleeping, finally, without any more all-nighters.

Q) What was your favorite class at CCAD?

A) It would probably be those quirky side classes that I took. For instance, the Photoshop class. We had small, fun projects, and we would learn these tiny tricks that made me think, “Wait, that was there the whole time?!” Those classes would break up the large ones where we had big, intense projects.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) When I had free time during school I would never know what to do with myself! I do like to run and ultimately be outside. I think I was supposed to live in Texas, though; this Ohio weather that is under 60 degrees doesn’t cut it. But I definitely try to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible.

Q) What is your fondest CCAD memory?

A) I have a memory, not sure if it is my fondest, but it would probably be my double whammy X-acto knife accident. I sliced my fingers when working one day, and in reaction I clenched my fists and pulled them onto my knees in pain, only to realize the X-acto knife was sill in my hand, stabbing my knee. Yep, only a few people know about that one, and those who were there still remind me!

Q) If you could go back to college what would you change?

A) I would be more relaxed with myself. I am a perfectionist by nature, which definitely made me stress more. They say there is a triangle model, with its three points being good grades, sleep, and a social life, and you can only pick two. Looking back, I feel like I only had the good grades portion entirely, so I would have just loosened up during my time here.

Q) What advice would you give to future students?

A) There are two sets of advice. For people like myself who are perfectionists, I would tell them to stop trying so hard and don’t fret about the details of a project or assignment. For others I would say the opposite: don’t slack off. CCAD is full of people with natural talent, so I love to see them push themselves and work hard to get amazing results.

Business representatives look over students' portfolios at Directions

Where can you find big-name companies such as Express, Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Skreened, right alongside all our fresh, ready-to-enter-the-world CCAD talent? At Directions, CCAD’s reverse Career Fair, where things are a bit different. At this career fair, more than 100 students are stationed at booths organized by major, with their portfolios laid out, ready to pitch to business representatives from small, large, and international companies.

This year Directions was held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus on April 25, 2012.

“It is the passion that really drives me to come to this event every year,” says Bob Campell, creative director at Victoria’s Secret and 2000 Industrial Design alumnus. “Coming to these events you get to not only see what talent is coming into the work-force, but you also get inspired seeing fresh, young, passionate designers and creatives presenting their ideas.”

Bob Campbell was one of the many professionals who returned to visit the fair this year. Another was Lileah Porter from Tween Brands who came to check out the talent in the Fashion Design department.

“Last year we hired one full-time individual, and we also had some internships come from this,” Porter said. “I love the way CCAD sets this up. Here the students can have all their information and portfolios spread out, and they can present to us in a more relaxed environment.”

Dion Utt, a Fine Arts senior, was excited and eager for the professionals to walk in the door.

Joel VanGilder stands in front of his booth at Directions

“This is really a chance to present myself to the business world and help get my name out there,” Utt said. “The real benefit is being able to network. There aren’t many opportunities like this where you can have a diverse crowd of professionals who are all 100% interested in what you do.”

Not far from Utt, was Joel VanGilder, an Industrial Design senior who is already working as a designer for Worthington Cylinders and brought his coworkers to the event to scout out more talent.

“It is nice to have this exposure as a student,” Van Gilder said. “I was lucky to get placed in a job already, and I am using this time to continue to pitch myself to companies. It is interesting because there are a lot of companies that you may not know even existed who are looking for a product that you can help create with them. As a designer it is important to think outside of your niche sometimes and look at companies that may host a wide range of products and may need an illustrator or an industrial designer and this is an opportunity to discover that.”

Daniel Fox, founder of Skreened, roamed the Illustration and Advertising & Graphic Design aisles searching for talent to fill in as freelance designers for his Columbus clothing company.

“CCAD and Columbus are great places to pull local talent and creatives from,” Fox said. “This is my first time coming here, and I am really excited to be able to look at all these students’ work and see if there is a fit for us.”

Skreened owner Daniel Fox examines a student's work

Christian Cimoroni, an illustration senior, views this as a final step before he enters the real world.

“I feel accomplished,” Cimoroni said. “After all this work I can stand out here confident and talk to these professionals. I can gain a lot of contacts and start to network with people in Columbus.”

Ted Smirniotopoulous, Photography senior, was also really excited about the networking opportunities Directions allowed.

“This is a really good opportunity to meet and connect with people. I want to be able to expand my horizons and continue to learn after I graduate, and this is a perfect outlet to meet people from companies all around Columbus, whether local, national, or international.”

The event hosted students from all nine CCAD majors: Advertising & Graphic Design, Animation, Cinematic Arts, Fashion Design, Fine Arts, Illustration, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Photography. More than 600 professionals representing close to 400 businesses attended the event.

Chavilah Bennett, 2012 Outstanding Senior

At the end of the academic year, CCAD deans present the Outstanding Seniors for their divisions. Today, in part two of our 10-part Outstanding Senior series, meet Advertising & Graphic Design major Chavilah Bennett.

Q) What was your proudest achievement at CCAD?

A) One of my proudest achievements would definitely be this—being named an outstanding senior.  Another achievement would be the general growth I have undergone. Everyone comes here as a high school student, and we leave here as educated adults; I think that is a big achievement.

Q) What scared you the most while you were at CCAD?

A) It would probably be just getting a job after graduation, which is probably everyone’s fear. I didn’t have many fears while here, because everyone is so accepting and helpful that is hard to be fearful of anything.

Q) What are your plans after graduation?

A) I am going to make a big move—to California, New York City, or London. Right now I am doing some freelance work and have been working with a nonprofit company that participated in Startup Weekend here on campus, so I will probably continue to volunteer my time with them until I leave Columbus.

Q) What is your ultimate dream job or goal?

A) I want to be the creative director of a company. I want it to be in a big city, because I love the energy and life there. I want to be working somewhere that is full of creative people who have the drive to try new things and are interested in new technology.

Q) Why is it important as an alumna to continue to give back to your alma mater?

A) I think it is very important to give back and to help future artists and the future of CCAD. Most of us are attending this school because alumni have given back and we were able to receive a scholarship. Right now, I am working on the 2012 senior class gift. Since a lot of us don’t have the financial means to donate, we gave a piece to be sold at the CCAD Spring Art Sale, and those proceeds will be given to the scholarship fund.

Q) Do you remember a single point that made you sit back and say, “This is why I am doing this?”

A) All of the time. I always get that feeling, especially when I am in the middle of a really great project and someone comes up and says “great work” or offers me encouragement. I also get that rewarding feeling when I interview for jobs. For instance, I worked with American Greetings over the summer and to have Dan Weiss [senior creative recruiter at American Greetings] come in and talk to me was an “ah-ha” moment.

Q) What smells, words, objects, or whatever will always remind you of your time here as a student?

A) Ramen, “all nighter,” and burnt popcorn. I remember whenever someone would burn popcorn in the dorm we would all have to leave the dorm in the middle of the night, often after we were asleep and in pajamas, and stand outside in the cold.

Q) What will you miss the most?

A) I will miss that during the time I was here I was surrounded by creatives who were all in the process of learning. Our main responsibility was to learn, and we had this freedom to do just that, learn and grow.

Q) If you can describe what graduating feels like in one word, what would it be?

A) Terrifying—it feels as though I am on the top of a roller coaster. I have worked four years to get to the top, and I am just crossing that edge where all of a sudden you are about to go down. Below you there are opportunities, and you can see everything. I feel as though I am looking down at the entire world. I have a mix of  anticipation and fear, but excitement about everything.

Q) What was your favorite class while at CCAD?

A) They all had their ups and downs, but I enjoyed my last Advertising & Graphic Design class. It was nice to be surrounded by seniors who knew that they were in the right major and going down the right path. We were able to focus on our work and really push each other to new limits.

Q) What did you like to do during your free time?

A) I like to illustrate; I definitely want to start working on my illustrations more. I also like to travel, and in June I am going to South Carolina for a trip. I have a creative side that includes dance and music. After graduation I want to make more time for playing the harp and start writing my own music again.

Q) What is your fondest memory at CCAD?

A) They are all fond memories, I don’t know if I can pick just one. Even when I was crying late at night due to the stress of a project, I still would love to go back and repeat it all.

Q) If you could go back, what would you change?

A) I would have learned where to look for research. What the school is doing now with the library and those resources is beneficial to current and future students. I wish I would have learned those resources more; it definitely would have saved me a lot of time.

Q) What advice would you give to future CCAD students?

A) The time at CCAD is a process that everyone has to go through and learn their own path. Embrace every moment, because it doesn’t last long, and it will be over before you know it.

2011 graduates and families outside The Ohio Theatre

In honor of the 200-plus students who will receive diplomas at CCAD’s 133^rd commencement, we’ll be counting down the days by publishing interviews with our 10 Outstanding Seniors and announcing the class valedictorian(s).

Grades have not yet been submitted, so we are still waiting in anticipation to find out who is at the top of our 2012 class. One thing we can tell you is the names of our Outstanding Seniors. These 10 students were selected by the deans of their respective majors. They include Kattie Baker, Advertising & Graphic Design; Chavilah Bennett, Advertising & Graphic Design; Rachel Cass, Fashion Design; Sara Diesel, Illustration; Lian Dziura, Photography; Christopher Ryan Evans, Media Studies; Leah Fisher, Photography; Jake LaBombarbe, Industrial Design; Sarah McCance Interior Design; and Erin McKenna, Fine Arts.

The commencement speaker on May 12, is Mark Kvamme, interim chief investment officer and president of JobsOhio, a private, nonprofit corporation responsible for Ohio’s economic development activities for the past year. Kvamme recently worked with CCAD’s Design Group on the redesign of Ohio’s license plates and driver’s licenses.

Check back on Monday, April 30, when we’ll introduce you to our first Outstanding Senior, Lian Dziura—we’ll publish one interview a day (on school days) through Friday, May 11.

Dennison W. Griffith. Photo by Kelsey McClellan (CCAD 2012)

It’s spring (SPRING!) here in Columbus, and another academic year will soon draw to a close. For our seniors and second-year MFA candidates, the exhilaration and satisfaction of their rapidly approaching graduation is balanced by an awareness that they’re about to step from the academic community back into the community community—which almost certainly will include some form of gainful employment.

But at an art and design college, that’s the whole point. No one enrolls here just to enhance a hobby. With that in mind, we focus this issue of Image on the “j” word: jobs.

• Two 2011 grads, Phong Nguyen and Kristen Macauley, share stories of their lives as creative professionals just starting out in Boston and New York [go to story].
• Thomas Boonyarungsrit (CCAD 2005) talks about how he zeroed in on his favorite field of design—and what it’s been like to return to his hometown of Bangkok to do it [go to story].
• And in the Newest of the New category: You’ve heard mutterings—or perhaps even our formal announcement—about CCAD MindMarket, CCAD’s impending initiative to prepare students for work and entrepreneurship opportunities after graduation. The full MindMarket launch won’t occur until this fall, but we’re offering you a sneak peek right now at two CCAD alumni who are giving MindMarket’s creative business incubator a test drive. The “giving back” is flowing every which way on this one [go to story].

One last thing: every spring, we happily thank our donors in a special section of Image. This spring is no exception, but we’ve upped the CCAD family ante with a student contest to create a feature graphic that says “thanks” in a visual way, too. Don’t miss the great result on page 22 [in the printed magazine, or click here to see the graphic online].

Warm regards,

Dennison W. Griffith

President

CCAD alumnus Thomas Boonyarungsrit at work.

By Kendra Hovey

With everything the Thai city of Bangkok has to offer, why would Thomas Katkanan Boonyarungsrit get a kick out of grocery shopping? Perhaps because when he shops, he might just spot his own illustration on the shelf or type treatment in the freezer aisle. The senior graphic designer crafts the look and feel of all kinds of products, from websites to logos to book covers, but consumer goods, he says, can be especially fun. “Seeing my designs hit the shelf all over the country—I feel very proud.”

We hope he feels just as proud when he opens this magazine. After all, he designed it. Days after his 2005 graduation from CCAD, the Thai native joined Columbus firm Ologie, where he helped rebrand Nationwide and CCAD, taking the lead on the initial design for Image [the print version]. A refresh or two later, 80% of his building blocks remain. About our revamps: “Ain’t bad at all,” he says, “I’m quite pleased with how it looks.”

These days the 29-year-old Boonyarungsrit reads Image in his hometown. In 2006, he returned to Bangkok, where—first at Young & Rubicam and now at Creative Juice/Bangkok—he’s built a career in advertising and a list of accounts that includes multinationals Bacardi, DQ, and Dell, among others.

Branding project from Boonyarungsrit's work with Young & Rubicam.

Recently, we caught up with him for a long-distance chat about career, life, and his very engaging French bulldog—but first on our list was to ask about his name. After all, he has three: Katkanan, his given name; Shane, a nickname from his parents (a common Thai practice) used by his nearest and dearest; and Thomas, an aid for English speakers and the one he suggested we use for this headline. He adopted it at 15 when he and his brother moved to New Zealand to attend high school.

Boonyarungsrit not only has three first names, he’s lived in three countries and on three continents (New Zealand being, officially, a “micro-continent.”) All of this occurred before he reached age 19. So when asked if he had any words of wisdom for current CCAD students, he answered from experience. “Don’t be afraid of change!” he says. “Life is all about learning, and there is so much out here for you to learn.”

Not one to ignore his own advice, Thomas recently made a big change: He joined a new agency, Creative Juice/Bangkok, which is ranked as the top creative firm in Thailand. For someone whose personal tagline, “Great Minds Don’t Think Alike,” is an inventive twist on a familiar saying, it seems like a good match.

IMAGE: Can you tell us a bit about your work in the advertising industry?

Boonyarungsrit: When I came back to Bangkok I took on a freelance project creating brand guidelines. That’s when I realized advertising was really where I wanted to be. I get to set the style, look, and feel, and I like to learn and be inspired among creative people. Designing for an agency means being involved in the whole production process, and I really enjoy working with the photographer, stylist, retoucher, supplier, event organizer. I learn so much from creative people in different fields.

IMAGE: What brought you from Thailand—by way of New Zealand—to CCAD?

Boonyarungsrit: I’ve enjoyed art since the age of eight. I guess it is in my blood. My dad used to make custom frames for artists and also owned an art and antiques shop. In high school, after I came in first in art for three years and won a couple of national competitions, I knew I wanted to make it my career. Art is big in the United  States and the United Kingdom, so my parents found out about good art colleges. When CCAD offered me a scholarship, I did not hesitate. I had heard that it had a great foundation program.

Boonyarungsrit and Rod-Tung (which means "a tank").

IMAGE: Any difficulties adjusting to life in the American Midwest?

Boonyarungsrit: Yes, but it was because of New Zealand! I had to change my accent and slang and spelling. For instance, in the States rubber does not mean eraser, tea is called dinner, and colour is spelled color. Returning to Thailand after 10 years also took adjustment. It is my home, but I didn’t know the streets. I had a very difficult time with directions.

IMAGE: What has been your experience having a degree from the States?

Boonyarungsrit: I think it gives me an advantage. My experience abroad shows flexibility, curiosity, adaptability, and pro-activity. Plus, of course, there are my additional language skills. I still use the knowledge I gained from those foundation studies every day—color theory, composition, etc. You never realize how much you have learned at CCAD till you’re actually using it in real life.

IMAGE: Is there anything we here in the States might not know about the advertising industry in Thailand?

Boonyarungsrit: The Thai consumer still consumes traditional media such as TV commercials and radio and print ads. Digital media is something Thai creatives are moving toward, but clients still think that the old-fashioned way is most effective. Therefore, entering awards is an important channel for young creatives and agencies like mine to create cool work and gain a reputation.

IMAGE: What do you like to do for fun?

Boonyarungsrit: I love to play guitar and sing. I also love traveling, especially to Japan. What I most enjoy about Bangkok is that everything comes in variety and is inexpensive. We have many foods from different cultures, many shopping malls, markets, beaches, and more.

IMAGE: You also seem to enjoy photography—or at least taking pictures of your dog! Can you tell us about her?

Boonyarungsrit: Ok! She is a French bulldog, and she is now about two years old. I named her “Rod-Tung,” which means “a tank.” She sleeps with me every night and wakes me up every morning, including weekends! She is very friendly with people, but won’t play with other dogs.

IMAGE: Lastly, what do you think about being part of the content in a magazine you designed?

Boonyarungsrit: Well, I do feel good about being featured in my own work!

(All images were provided by Thomas Boonyarungsrit.)

MindMarket will soon be located in Design Studios on Broad. Photo: Kelsey McClellan (CCAD 2012)

The first component of CCAD’s transformational MindMarket initiative is starting up this spring.

While all three parts of the new CCAD MindMarket program—a business incubator, a project center, and a thought lab—will formally launch this fall, the business incubator started a pilot phase in February. Two “beta participants” are benefiting from the incubator’s services at reduced rates in exchange for providing in-depth feedback to CCAD about what they need and how the incubator can best provide it.

Ultimately, the incubator will house up to eight resident participants in newly renovated, highly visible facilities on the first floor of CCAD’s Design Studios on Broad. (A limited number of non-resident members will also be served.)

Each participant will have an individual workspace, as well as access to meeting rooms, basic office equipment, and administrative support. While planning and construction for those spaces proceeds, beta participants are working with financial, legal, and marketing mentors just down the block in the Loann Crane Center for Design.

Entrepreneurial partners such as TechColumbus and the Columbus State Small Business Development Center are also available as needed.

CCAD alumni were identified as a logical place to look for potential beta participants, and they were notified in December 2011 about the opportunity. More than 40 applications poured in from diverse creative professionals including fine artists, fashion designers, photographers, and art educators.

In the end, two participants were selected. We’re proud to welcome them into their new roles and excited to see their businesses and the CCAD MindMarket incubator grow—together.

element Ag

Jamie Dicus at work. Photo: Lian Dziura (CCAD 2012)

Jamie Dicus vividly remembers her first foray into serious jewelry making outside of her CCAD coursework. An aunt agreed to make a completely custom quilt for her—but not for free.

“The deal was that I would have to make her the value of the quilt, $700 or $800, of jewelry in return,” Dicus says. It didn’t stop there. She recalls, “Then my brother and his wife wanted wedding rings. And then I did a CCAD Art Sale—I had a tiny corner of my friend’s booth. I think I made my first non-family-member sale there.”

Dicus, who earned her BFA in Fine Arts in 2007, has steadily built that first CCAD Art Sale transaction into a loyal customer base. She didn’t pause for a second after graduation.

“You have to have a plan and get into it immediately,” she says. “You think it’s hard to be in school, but now it’s all up to you. And you have to figure out how to pay for it.”

She gradually assembled all the necessary equipment for a studio, while developing one particularly popular design into a fuller body of work. She named her business element Ag, after the periodic table’s symbol for silver.

Now that she’s poised to enter the incubator program, a different member of her family is the key influence.

“My dad is an entrepreneur and has been all my life. I’ve seen him have many businesses fail and succeed,” she says. “I love the idea of being your own boss and taking pride in what you do. It’s incredibly difficult, but the rewards outweigh the rest.”

Fulcrum Creatives

Principals Liz Samuelson and Jason Moore (CCAD 1996) of Fulcrum Creatives. Photo: Danielle Ford (CCAD 2013)

Founded in 2002 as Fulcrum Design Corps by Jamison Pack and CCAD alumnus Jason Moore (Ad/Graph 1996), Fulcrum Creatives gained its current name in 2010, when it entered into partnership with Liz Samuelson, formerly of Genuine Creative. Fulcrum has always had a close bond with CCAD; at the moment, there are two CCAD student interns and one full-time employee who is an alumna (Sami Nummi, Ad/Graph 2011).

Offering a broad range of creative services, Fulcrum’s business model focuses on a triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit.

“Our one-liner is ‘we create, elevate, and sustain organizations that positively impact their community,’” says Samuelson. The incubator will allow Fulcrum to develop an idea that expands that model. It arose out of the company’s ongoing success.

“[As our business grew] we noticed that we had started working with clients who were bigger. We also realized it was a bummer to have to say no to grassroots clients who were doing some of the most important work in our community,” Samuelson says.

The result was Fulcrum’s incubator proposal: a program called Seesaw Squad that will use a multidisciplinary group of undergraduate art and design students to do identity and design work for clients with lesser budgets.

“There’s no one I know of in Ohio that’s doing anything like this,” says Samuelson. “The most valuable aspect of it is the opportunity for younger students to engage with the Columbus community and help make it a better place. Design can do good; creativity can do good.” For more, visit fulcrumcreatives.com.

First MindMarket Visitor Confirmed

We’re excited to announce the CCAD MindMarket’s inaugural visiting lecturer: Internationally renowned design thinking and management expert Roger Martin will speak on campus Friday, September 28. Best known in design circles for his book The Design of Business: Why Design Thinking is the Next Competitive Advantage, Martin was named in 2010 as one of the 27 most influential designers in the world and in 2011 as the sixth top management thinker in the world. The evening will kick off with a reception at 4:30. More details will follow, but mark your calendars now!

Book cover of "The $100 Startup"

Alumni-founded design company These are Things will be featured in The $100 Startup, a book by New York Times bestselling author Chris Guillebeau.

These are Things is owned by 2008 grads Jen Adrion and Omar Noory. In the book, Guillebeau highlights 50 case studies where individuals have built businesses earning $50,000 or more from a modest investment, in many cases $100 or less.

“The book is a step-by-step guide to starting a micro-business without tons of cash and a formal business plan—which is exactly what we did,” Adrion said. “We have been fans of Chris’ work for a while, so this is pretty exciting for us.”

Adrion and Noory started their company in 2010. Their first product design was a map originally created for their personal use. Upon selling the extras online they realized the product’s business potential.

Guillebeau’s book will be published May 8, 2012. He will stop in Columbus during his international book tour to speak at the Garden Theater in the Short North on May 22.

2012 Finalists, top left to right: Taylor Hawkins (CCAD), Erin McKenna (CCAD), Kristy Kemper (AAC); bottom left to right: Mayumi Kiefer (ONU), Brittany Kunkel (Dennison), Julio Labra (AAC)

Fine Arts senior Erin McKenna was awarded the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Ohio (AICUO) Excellence in Visual Art Grand Award.

The AICUO recognized McKenna with a $2,500 cash prize and purchased one of her pieces to be displayed in the governor’s office for the next year.

Held at Otterbein University on April 6, the reception honored seniors from independent colleges throughout Ohio. Six students were AICUO finalists, competing for the Grand Award. Fine Arts senior Taylor Hawkins was also a finalist.

McKenna and Hawkins were not the only two bringing CCAD presence to the awards. Fine Arts sophomore Hannah Mason-Macklin was the sculptural design contest winner and designed the physical awards presented to the winners. Advertising & Graphic Design senior Cynthia Ellis was an intern for this year’s award and helped organize the program.

McKenna, Hawkins, and the other four finalists will have their work displayed at Grid Furnishings, a store in Columbus’ Short North district on May 5, 2012.

Founded in 1969, AICUO represents privately supported, nonprofit colleges and universities in Ohio, conducting public relations, research and government relations for its members. The awards program is a statewide intercollegiate arts competition for senior students from Ohio’s independent colleges.

CCAD has had seven finalists in the last five years, with two Grand Award winners, including last year’s winner, Ken Aschliman.

Jason Moore (CCAD 1991–1995) is a co-founder and principal of Fulcrum Creatives, LLC, a company that specializes in brand development. Moore also serves as the board president for Roy G Biv Gallery, a Columbus nonprofit gallery that supports emerging artists.

This annual list, which began in 1993, is a chance to recognize young professionals in Columbus. The honorees were chosen by a panel of six judges, who scored each applicant on four criteria: reason for nomination, professional development, awards and recognition, and community involvement.

Check out the full Columbus Business First list here.

Noory and Adrion

A design company founded by CCAD Advertising & Graphic Design alumni Jen Adrion (CCAD 2008) and Omar Noory (CCAD 2008) was recently featured in two trade publications.

Adrion and Noory started their company, These are Things, in 2010. Their first product design was a map originally created for their personal use. Upon selling the extras online they realized the product’s business potential.

Since then they have been featured in both online and print media. Most recently, they have been profiled in two published books. The first, I Heart Stationery: Fresh Inspirations for Handcrafted Cards, Note Cards, Journals, & Other Paper Goods, is an overview of the best designers and techniques used for handcrafted stationery and paper goods.

“We’re so proud to have our work profiled in I Heart Stationery amongst great designers and illustrators from around the globe,” Adrion said.

World map created by These are Things

Their work also graced the pages of The Crafter’s Guide to Taking Great Photos: The Best Techniques for Showcasing Your Handmade Creations. The book is an instructional guide to documenting and photographing artists’ handmade items in a simple, inexpensive way.

“When author Heidi Adnum approached us last year to have our product photography featured in her upcoming book, we jumped at the chance,” said Adrion.

To learn more about These Are Things and browse their shop visit them at thesearethings.com.

Nationwide downtown office

They can be found working on branding or pulling together a commercial or photograph. They’re our alumni, and they work for one of the leading insurance companies in the country, Nationwide. We recently got a chance to chat with four CCAD grads about what it is like to work with fellow alumni at Nationwide.

Meet Brand/Reputation Director Tara Roe (Illustration, 1999), Campaign Manager Pamela Watkins (Advertising & Graphic Design, 1983), Creative Director Marc Lincewicz (Illustration, 1992), and Multimedia Senior Coordinator Mary Kay Kemper (Advertising & Graphic Design, 1991).

Q) What is it like to work with other CCAD alumni?

Tara Roe (TR):  It’s fun! There is a common understanding of design and color because we all had the same foundation courses. CCAD grads have a lot of pride in their work and it helps Nationwide’s design continue to grow and evolve.

Pamela Watkins (PW): It’s great to find out someone is a graduate of CCAD—because of foundation courses and instructors, you immediately have a bond with a co-worker. It is also fun to see where we have landed; our careers can take such diverse courses.

Marc Lincewicz (ML): I guess I would say that when I discover that someone I’m working with has graduated from CCAD it forms sort of an instant bond. We have an understanding that we both went through a similar learning experience and probably have similar levels of understanding with regards to finding creative solutions to complex problems. It’s sort of that unsaid wink and smile that we get each other.

Mary Kay Kemper (MK): It’s great to re-connect with people I went to school with and to meet other alumni. It’s almost like they get it and they have a slightly better work ethic then others (at times).

Q) Why do you think Nationwide has a lot of CCAD alumni?

TR: Nationwide is a great place to work! We have a great creative culture within our design teams and they are encouraged to challenge ideas and push the envelope. There are also a variety of projects and opportunities to move within the company.

PW: There are so many opportunities at Nationwide that incorporate a part of your education from CCAD. We have great creative teams. Having both CCAD and Nationwide as such a big part of Columbus’ culture, it only makes sense that so many of us end up here.

ML:  Some people may be surprised to learn that Nationwide recognizes the impact that strong creativity has on our ability to communicate with our members. In my experience, on the design side of my training, CCAD taught me to always create with users in mind. People may be unaware that Nationwide sells much more than just auto insurance. Our in-house creative also consists of an internal photography department, web and interactive teams, video production, photo retouching, and we’re even moving towards 3D modeling. I also think Nationwide understands that CCAD turns out quality people who are prepared to take on a variety of creative challenges. Finally, the combination of the company wanting to be a creative leader and having a leading creative institution in the same city simply works well together.

MK: A big perk is having Nationwide located conveniently near the school. I was out of state for a while and when I returned to find work in Columbus I knew having a CCAD education on my resume would be a big benefit.

Remodeled Nationwide plaza/lobby

Q) Any advice for current students or fellow alumni who want to become involved at Nationwide?

TR: I started at Nationwide as an intern after attending a job fair just before graduating. My advice is to show up to job fairs and make connections. It truly is a key to building your network. It’s all about who you know. That will help you get the time to prove yourself to a potential employer. Have a strong portfolio, practice interviewing, and continue to push yourself creatively.

PW: Never close the door on what you might bring to the table as a result of your excellent education at CCAD. After a long career in graphic design, my first job at Nationwide was as a print buyer. That opened so many doors, and now I’m a campaign manager for Nationwide Financial, who would have thought!

ML: It can be a long, hard, and competitive process to break into Nationwide. The best approach is to be willing to start in a junior position and work your way up. If you are an alumnus with experience, your book needs to show serious talent and a commitment to your craft. Either way, a candidate’s book needs to be excellent, clean, and professional.

MK: A good way is to start as a contractor and test the water, see if Nationwide is right for you while the company will see if you will work out. I contracted for a while before going full time.

Q) Why do you love your job?

TR: I love managing a team of campaign managers and working daily with designers and writers. Although I’m no longer designing myself, I know that I need to stay close to it. Creative people bring so much more energy to the table.

PW: I still get to be a huge part of the creative process without doing the actual designs. I co-lead projects from strategy through completion. I’m always working on various platforms from collateral to conferences to web presence. I still get to partake in the background I love, while learning new things and developing new relationships every day.

ML: I love that Nationwide offers more creative opportunities than many people realize. I love the variety of creative challenges—there’s something new each day. I’ll be honest, I love a steady paycheck; the freelance world wasn’t for me, although I understand the corporate world is certainly not for everyone. I also like that what I do plays a small part in helping people get their lives back together after a problem. This company believes in the success of our city and our community.

MK: I just love it here and love the people! It’s a great creative environment!

Q) What past experiences do you share and remember from being a student at CCAD? How has this impacted your professional career? 

TR: I do lunch with Marc Lincewicz. We challenge each other to work on our art outside of Nationwide since we are both in management roles. I continue using my Color Concept and 2D skills in creating cards and occasionally selling them at the CCAD Art Sales, and Marc has showed his drawings/paintings in local art galleries. It’s great to have a fun, creative full-time gig, but also express our art on the side.

PW: All nighters! I worked part time, so my time was valuable and every minute counted. That taught me the discipline it takes to run a large campaign, work with so many teams, and balance budgets and deadlines. I also have an eye for what works and what doesn’t from messaging through design and that doesn’t come naturally. My education taught me to look at the details.

ML: My experience at CCAD was about constant work, a ton of pressure, and deadlines. I learned those deadlines had to be met. (Even the time I was at the hospital at 3 a.m. getting stitches for an Exacto knife cut.) It was an endless period of trial and error, of reworking and refining. I remember on my orientation day, President Cazani said to the freshmen, “Look to your left, look to your right, those people will not be with you on graduation day.” I knew at that moment I was probably facing a tough four and half years (it took 4.5 years to earn a BFA when I attended CCAD).  But the program being that tough taught me that I could take on seemingly impossible challenges. While I was never the smartest or the most talented artist, I knew I could hold my own. That core idea has stayed with me during my 17 years with Nationwide. It also applies to my fine art work that I do outside of the office.

John Jude Palencar’s illustration for the best-selling children’s novel “Eragon”

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from December 2011, January 2012, and February 2012.

Ron Miller ’70 created the illustrations for an iPad app Journey to the Exoplanets. Read more here.

Nicky Epstein ’74 has finished her 24^th book about knitting design. Read more here.

Tim Rietenbach ’77, Danielle Julian Norton ’99, Mariana Smith ’02, and Michael Litzau ’04 were among 10 CCAD-affiliated artists in a recent exhibition. Read more here.

Tim Rietenbach ’77 is a participating artist in FINDING TIME: Columbus Public Art 2012, a multi-artist public art project to celebrate the city of Columbus’ 200^th birthday. Read more here.

Kent Roberts ’77 had his work accepted in the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society’s Annual Show.

Wong Wo Bik ’77 was in the group exhibition Memory and Fiction at Blindspot Gallery in Hong Kong. Read more here.

John Jude Palencar ’80 illustrated the newest book in a best-selling children’s series, the Inheritance Cycle. Read more here.

Michael Neno ’84, Andy Bennett ’94, and Ryan Brinkerhoff ’08 all worked on the fourth issue of a Columbus based comic book. Read more here.

Kurt Fondriest ’85 was featured in the film Operation Rhino, which received a Midwest/Chicago Emmy from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Read more here.

Inka Essenhigh ’91 had a solo exhibition at Tomio Koyama Gallery in Kyoto, Japan. Read more here.

Anita Miller ’91–’99 continues to tour her exhibition The Eyes of Freedom: the Lima Company Memorial. Read more here.

Nathan Greno ’93–’96 co-directed Disney’s animated short Tangled Ever After. Read more here.

David Breaux ’94 is a senior animator on the FOX television series Terra Nova, produced by Steven Spielberg. Read more here.

Sandy Kessler Kaminski ’93 had her piece Around 65 featured in Studio Visit magazine, vol. 14.

Ron Stasko ’93 had his work Liquid Color displayed in Tsunami, a Baton Rouge restaurant.

Kathleen ’94 and David Hartman ’95 both worked on the film John Dies at the End, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Read more here.

Samantha Bennett ’95–’99 had a solo exhibition, Scars, Portraits and Beyond, at Hayley Gallery in New Albany, OH. Read more here.

Michael Newton ’96 and Jeremy Sorrell ’04, exhibited their work at Rivet Gallery in downtown Columbus, OH. Read more here.

Laine Bachman ’97 had a solo exhibition, Birds of a Feather, which was reviewed by The Columbus Dispatch. Read more here.

Nicole Bruckman ’00 was in a group exhibition at WWA Gallery in Culver City, California. Read more here.

Michael Guinane ’00 showed his work at the Cultural Arts Center in Columbus, OH.

Adam Brouillette ’02 and Boryana Rusenova Ina ’00 were on the Best Local Artists list of 2011 in Columbus Underground. Read more here.

Anne Holman ’02 is featured in The New Artisans: Handmade Designs for Contemporary Living. Read more here.

Carl Bork ’03 had a solo exhibition at Tointon Gallery in Greeley, CO. Read more here.

Kenneth Hall ’04 had a solo exhibition at Parkland College Art Gallery in Champaign, Ill. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma ’04 was featured in The New York Times discussing her photography project Darshan. Read more here.

Melissa Spencer ’06 displayed her photography in Cleveland, OH at Sunny Side Up Gallery.

Maris Turner ’07 and Sara Renner ’08 opened a boutique in Ann Arbor. Read more here.

Genoveva Christoff ’09 was a finalist in the E! Live from the Red Carpet Design Contest and presented her work at the Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

The first-place student design team with executives from Scotts LawnService

In a recent collaboration with ScottsMiracleGro Company a group of CCAD students competed to design an interior focal point for the company’s corporate offices.

The objective of the project was to design an artistic covering for 22 stone pillars that are a part of Scotts’ interior structure. The coverings needed to reflect the ScottsMiracleGro Company brand and also provide a wayfinding tool for employees and visitors.

Assistant professors Dawson Kellogg and Julie Abijanac (CCAD 1992) led the project involving the Studio Professions class.

Each student presented a concept to the professors. The original 37 designs were then narrowed down to 15.

Tiffany Peoples, the vice president of global innovation at Scotts, evaluated these 15 designs and selected the top six designs to move on to the next round.

The top six designers each became the artistic director of a team that they selected to work on a final design and presentation.

The final round of judging included Peoples and Jim Lyski, the chief marketing officer of Scotts. Each student group presented its designs and ideas to the judges in an open presentation. Peoples and Lyski then chose and ranked the top three designs.

First prize went to a design entitled Elements of Nature created by Fine Arts juniors Devin Broadnax and Chris Pack; Advertising & Graphic Design senior Maggie Malloy; Advertising & Graphic Design junior Richard Coyne; and Fine Arts sophomore Yunji Choi.

“We loved the detail in this group; we look at these designs every day so we wanted them to be generally appealing, but have a sense of detail to keep them fresh,” said Lyski.

First place design being presented to Scotts executives

Second place went to Drawn from the Roots. This design concept was created by Fine Arts sophomores Jamie Turner, Emily Ruff, and Allie Raines; Fine Arts juniors Emily Cook and Alexandria Goeltzenleuchter; and Advertising & Graphic Design junior Ashley Lyon.

The third place design, Hands of Appreciation, was created by Fines Arts sophomores Kyle Franklin, Gabrielle Hirth, and Angela Ryu; Illustration seniors Alyssa Gottlieb and Hannah Mu; and Fine Arts junior Yezen Abusharkh.

Scotts is one of several community clients that CCAD has recently provided significant creative services for including, Easton Town Center, The Central Ohio Transit Authority, the Governor’s office, and Nationwide Insurance.

Nicky Epstein from nickyepstein.com

Alumna Nicky Epstein is finishing her 24^th book, Knitting Circles, which will be published by Random House in August 2012.

The 1974 Fashion Design and Advertising & Graphic Design graduate’s success has allowed her to make a career out of her knit designs. She got her start in professional knitting design 20 years ago in California when she entered her sweater “Unicorn in the Garden” to McCall’s magazine sweater design contest and took first prize.

“Once the design was printed in their magazine I kept getting calls from other needlecraft magazines, and the offers kept coming,” Epstein said.

She has now authored more than 20 books. The knitting and crochet books range in topics including historical, travel, patterns, and knitting resource guides.

Epstein now finds herself traveling the world. She is a regular columnist for Vogue Knitting and continues to teach knitting workshops.

“I teach techniques and shortcuts, and try to inspire knitters to exercise their creativity and not be afraid to think outside of the box,” said Epstein.

Although her patterns and designs seem intricate and advanced, she explains that the appeal of her designs is that they can be learned and adopted by all knitting levels.

CCAD has left an impact on the successful knitter, who says her education was the foundation of her creativity. She learned under then President Joseph V. Canzani and instructors Jay Bayliss and Billie Ingram.

“I got to appreciate the talent and diverse artistic abilities of my peers in a creative environment,” Epstein said of her college experience.

American Greetings logo

Visit American Greetings and you could run into as many as 23 CCAD alumni. We got a chance to chat recently with four employees about what it is like to work with fellow CCAD grads in this great creative environment.

The CCAD alumni we talked to were Senior Designer/Illustrator Kelly Grupczynski (CCAD, 2002, Illustration), Senior Writer/Illustrator Erik Flesher (CCAD, 1991, Illustration), Creative Director Mark Harvey (CCAD, 1984, Illustration), and Graphic Designer New Product Concepts Heidi Appel (CCAD, 2001, Advertising & Graphic Design).

American Greetings states that they  hire people who “are passionate about their craft, exhibit engaging personalities, demonstrate very good communication skills, and who have an insatiable appetite for the world and people around them.” The company has nothing but high regards for the alumni who are currently employed there. “CCAD students and alumni stand out in specific ways with a good right/left brain balance—a positive career path since most of our creative leaders are CCAD alumni, and their creative development process stands out.”

Q) What is it like to work with other CCAD alumni?

Kelly Grupczynski (KG): It is has been nice. Starting a new job can always be daunting, and seeing a familiar face or having a common background helps take the edge off.

Erik Flesher (EF): I have worked with dozens of alumni over the years, and I always find it interesting to hear their stories about classes and professors. There is a sense of commonality among us that I think helps build a professional camaraderie as well as a friendship. I also know that being a CCAD alumni means they have mad skills.

Mark Harvey (MH): We are scattered all around American Greetings, and it truly has become a giant melting pot of talent. We even have mini impromptu reunions!

Heidi Appel (HA): I think it is excellent—we all share such rich experiences, and it is wonderful to be able to swap stories

Q) Why do you think American Greetings has so many CCAD alumni?

All: Their past relationship with recruitment and [AG's] proximity to the school.

EF: CCAD’s emphasis on learning solid design skills as well as trying to tap into each student’s imagination is a big reason. Whether they are looking for artists or writers, American Greetings has come to expect a certain level of professionalism and talent coming out of CCAD, so they tend to hire those graduates.

Q) Any advice for current students or fellow alumni who want to become involved at American Greetings?

MH: You need to be open to all possibilities. And have multiple skill sets in each category of art. The best philosophy is to work hard and play hard.

EF:  Develop a strong work ethic. Bring your sketchbooks along with your finished pieces to show the company. It will help American Greetings see how you think and construct. If you are looking to write, bring your own voice! Also, here is a biggie—spell everything correctly in your writing submission, I know it sounds like a no-brainer, but check and re-check.

KG: Take time in your portfolio and put something unique together. Reach out to fellow alumni at the company and have them offer their suggestions and critiques.

HA: Be persistent! Keep checking job boards, and make a website that houses your work.

The Town Square at the American Greetings headquarters

Q) Why do you love your job?

HA: I love the diversity of job positions available. There are also a lot of opportunities to collaborate and work with other areas of the company.

KG: My whole life I wanted to work in children’s entertainment and illustrations and here, I’m able to do just that! Currently, I am the lead illustrator for Strawberry Shortcake, which means pretty much everything and anything Strawberry gets seen by me! It’s an exciting prospect to think that one of my own ideas can get made into a television series or toy one day for the next generation to enjoy.

EF: I have worked here nearly 20 years and I can honestly say I still love coming in every day. Oh sure, there are frustrations and headaches, but that’s going to occur at any company. There is a freedom to be creative here. In many ways, AG is like an art school—you’re surrounded every day by other creative people, all doing amazing work, sharing ideas, and speaking the same language—but, unlike an art school, you get paid to do this.

MH: I have been with American Greetings for 27 years and I still love coming to work every day!

Q) What past experiences do you share and remember from being a student at CCAD? How has this impacted your professional career?

HA: I remember working my butt off! The work ethic has followed me into my professional career.

KG: Ha! For some reason, the first thing I thought of with this question was eating at our dorm cafeteria.  One time, the cooks made chicken cordon bleu and the sauce on the chicken was actually blue … cerulean blue in fact. Sadly, I declined the blue chicken. But what I really remember about school was how enthusiastic and encouraging our instructors were. Bruce Barnes taught me animation. Ron Saks taught me story boarding. I had illustration with Dave Groff, figure drawing with Dennis Drummond, oils and watercolor with Arthur Wang, portfolio class with Evangelia Philippidis—to name a few.

EF: When I think about CCAD, I can’t help but think of me all jacked up on caffeine, trying to finish projects at two, three in the morning. If you haven’t pulled more than a few all-nighters at that school, then you’re clearly not working hard enough! I also remember all the critiques. Sitting through those critiques definitely helped me learn to accept and give feedback—both good and bad.

A student talks to an alum during the phone-a-thon.

Very recently CCAD students participated in the second annual phone-a-thon to touch base with our alumni and raise money for student scholarships.

Every evening for three weeks, a gaggle of students took over staff offices and diligently made calls. During this time they got responses that ranged from humorous to inspiring, and sometimes just really, really cool. Here is a sample of what we heard:

Best reason to get off the phone: Going into labor! (We wanted to follow up, but decided that might be a bit too intrusive.)

Coolest reason alum couldn’t talk: On a movie set, ready to shoot.

Most interesting reason to decline giving a monetary donation: One alumnus explained that he had taken a vow of poverty—he is literally a monk living in a monastery. Peace, brother!

Blake Roberts, a junior majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design, said the coolest thing he heard during the phone-a-thon was an alumnus describing how he “bit the bullet and moved to New York and is making life work.”

Blake said, “For some reason, I really respected that specific designer’s gumption to just pick up and MAKE life happen for themselves, not LET life happen. I appreciated knowing that there IS a career for me.”

Throughout the campaign many alumni were kind enough to ask the students who they talked with to stay in touch. Thank you for that!

Did you get a call from a CCAD student about the Annual Fund Drive?  If so, share here what it was like to talk to a current student from your alma mater.

Alumna Kristi Kalkman's font created for Victoria's Secret

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You, too, can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from September, October, and November (2011).

William Walker (CCAD, 1953) was featured in a Chicago Sun-Times article about the mark he left on the city with his murals; read more here.

Ben Mahan (CCAD, Illustration, 1965) participated in the 16th International Competition of Illustration in Italy. Read more here.

Robert Tavani (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1985) participated in an exhibition at the Cummings Art Gallery featuring recent works from members of the Mercyhurst College Art Department. He showed oil paintings including both portraits and landscapes.

Anthony Baker (CCAD, Illustration, 1986) was appointed the team lead, medical illustrator at The Ohio State University’s health science library.

Christopher Yates ( CCAD, Fine Arts, 1987), Steve Bush (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1994), Hiroshi Hayakawa (CCAD, Photography, 1995), Casey Bradley (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2001), Mariana Smith (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2002), Tina Matthews (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2003), Lauren Mudd (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2004), Mylesant Carreno (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2005), Brandon Noblet (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2005), and Nicki Strouss ( CCAD, Fine Arts, 2008) all were involved in the exhibition Crossroads. Read more here.

Julie Abijanac (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1992) had work in a two-person exhibition with Dean of Faculty Char Norman. Read more here.

Steve Bush (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1994) was commissioned for a public art piece in Creekside Plaza (Gahanna, Ohio). Read more here.

Craig Swoboda (CCAD, Illustration, 1994) took the position of package creative manager at Anheuser-Busch Inc.

Nathan Greno (CCAD, Illustration, 1996) won the Joseph V. Canzani Alumni Award for Excellence. Read more here.

Kelly Weik (CCAD, Illustration, 1996) was featured as artist of the month in the Chicago-based company Faux by Kathy.

Michael Auger (CCAD, Illustration, 1998) was featured in DC Conspiracy magazine. Read more here.

Johnny Yanok (CCAD, Illustration, 1998) was featured in an exhibition at Rivet Gallery in the Short North (Columbus, Ohio). Read more here.

Josh Sutton (CCAD, Illustration, 2000) was featured in a (614) magazine article detailing his work as a freelance toy sculptor.

Matthew Klos (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2001) had an exhibition at the Still Life Gallery in Ellicott City, MD, this fall.

Ryan Green (CCAD, Media Studies, 2003) and Fawn Veerasunthorn (CCAD, Media Studies, 2005) were both hired as story artists at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Read more here.

Jen Chapman (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2004) and her company, Redsnapper Baby & Toddler, were featured in HOW magazine. Read more here.

Holly Koskinen’s (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2005) freelance agency won a 2011 American Graphic Design Award.

Molly Burke (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2006) participated in the Sculpture X Symposium and its 2011 fall juried exhibition in Cleveland, OH. Read more here.

Justin Cohen (CCAD, Industrial Design, 2006) won a 2010 Good Design award.

Kendra L. Meyer (CCAD, Fashion Design, 2007) has joined Albright College as assistant professor of fashion design.

Angela Svarda (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2008) was in ArtSpan’s 2011 SF Open Studios in San Francisco. Read more here.

Christie S. Craven (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2009) is now working as a web designer for Direct Brands/Columbia House in Manhattan and also started her own venture, www.samplesaleavenue.com.

Kristi Kalkman (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2010) created a font for a Victoria’s Secret campaign. Read more here.

Catherine Proctor (CCAD, Media Studies, 2010) had images published in The Ohio State University Dance Department’s annual magazine, InFORM.

Alex Alvarado (CCAD, Illustration, 2011) received a job as a look development artist at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Read more here.

Eric Coolidge (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2011) was featured on the Ohio Department of Education website to promote National Arts in Education Week. Read more here.

Ryan Monroe (CCAD, Photography, 2011) did the photography for the 10^th anniversary calendar for a restaurant in Columbus, OH. Read more here.

In Memoriam:

Walker, Steve (CCAD, 1970) Obituary here.

William, Walker (CCAD, 1953) Obituary here.

NCQ cover by Michael Neno

CCAD alumni are contributing to the comic scene in Columbus with Nix Comics Quarterly (NCQ).

NCQ is an open submission comic book/magazine with a focus on horror, humor, and garage-punk theme.

The series is on its fourth issue and three CCAD alumni are involved. They include Ryan Brinkerhoff (2008 Advertising & Graphic Design), Michael Neno (1984 Illustration), and Andy Bennett (1994 Illustration).

The magazine has become a creative outlet for those who enjoy illustration and the comic book scene. Interested people will submit pitches to the creator, Ken Eppstein. He then selects artists to contribute their work.

The alumni all work on outside projects, but will combine their skills in this magazine, which contains four feature stories and four recurring shorts.

“I always enjoy working with a new writer, especially someone as talented as Ken,” Bennett said. “Every creator has a unique approach to storytelling and cool things happen when you start to combine those aesthetics into a brand new thing.”

This is Bennett’s first contribution to the magazine and he illustrated a story called Eddie & the Squid Contemplate the Great Beyond. Bennett is currently working as Art Director at Brighter Minds Media, a book and software publisher.

The cover of this issue was illustrated by Michael Neno. His favorite part of working on this magazine was being able to paint again, since he has recently worked with digital tools and pencils. Neno’s cover features The Vicar, a vampire-killing rock’n’roll priest. In previous issues, Neno had illustrated The Vicar in various stories and shorts. He is currently working toward publishing his own comic book.

Brinkerhoff, much to his excitement, is working on a Bus Stop Ned story. This reoccurring short personifies a man at a public transit bus stop and his antics. Brinkeroff has been worked on all four issues of the magazine and is also working on creating a promo poster for Nix. He is the art director at Origo Branding Company and also runs Bandito Design Company.

NCQ is currently on Kickstarter.com, an online funding platform for creative projects. You can donate and view the project here.  

Gov. John Kasich and CCAD senior Aaron Roberts

Surrounded by reporters on a rainy Monday morning, CCAD President Dennison W. Griffith and Ohio Governor John Kasich along with a CCAD senior design student, Aaron Roberts,  unveiled the new designs for Ohio’s license plate and driver’s license—the results of a four-month collaboration between the college and the state.

The project started with an invitation by Mark Kvamme, interim chief investment officer and president of JobsOhio, to redesign the state’s most visible moving moniker and the identification card carried by millions across the state.

Griffith said CCAD’s Design Group, led by Creative Director Lindsay Kronmiller, researched every plate in Ohio history and reviewed samples from across the country and around the world to identify the elements that meet the requirements of safety and law enforcement officials, while at the same time creating a vibrant and memorable image for the state.

From left, Aaron Roberts, Gov. John Kasich, Walker MacKenzie Crane, Mark Kvamme, Isuri Merrnchi Hewage, Katlyn Westbrook, and Taylor Hicks

The five members of the CCAD team on the license plate project included: Aaron Roberts; Walker MacKenzie Crane, Granville, Ohio; Isuri Merenchi Hewage, Colombo, Sri Lanka; Taylor Hicks, Columbus, Ohio; Katlyn Westbrook, Pataskala, Ohio. The student designers brainstormed more than 100 concepts and toured the production plant in an Ohio prison to see the parameters of the presses where their designs would be fabricated. The team selected five final concepts to present to their clients, Public Safety department and BMV administrators. And, finally, a choice was made:  Aaron Roberts’ aviation-inspired theme, which features an aviation wing shape embedded with an outline of the state, along with a series of phrases from Ohio’s history screened in gray on the white background area.

“This partnership has provided our students with opportunities to manage client relationships and design challenges,” said Griffith. “In today’s economic climate, where creativity is key to solving business problems, projects such as this one give our students the experience they need to transition from the classroom to the job market.”

During the press event, the Governor announced an interactive twist to the project. The public will get to vote on the phrases and words from Ohio’s history that will be used on the plates, which range from “The Buckeye State” to “Home of Astronauts.”  Voting will take place online until Jan. 8, 2012, at http://myplate.ohio.gov.

“To see something that you designed shared every day, with everyone in Ohio and that represents the pride of our state, is really sublime,” said Roberts, a senior majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design .

After the voting is completed the new designs will go into production, a process that can take six to nine months. The new plates and licenses are expected to be available in December 2012, after the current inventory has been used.

Check out video about the project here: Meet the Designer & See the Design Process, and read the related press release online.

Members of the 1492 project sit to discuss project goals

CCAD’s collaboration in two innovative entrepreneurial events this fall has lead to a rich new appreciation of the importance of creative thinking in business development.

Startup Weekend Columbus took place Oct. 7–9, 2011 on CCAD campus. In its fifth year, it was the first time this 54-hour program was hosted on CCAD’s campus.

The program, which normally draws students, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists, had a new edge by including the creative class.

“Through Startup Weekend our students got an accelerated and intense sense of any number of considerations that impact business decisions and in turn impact design. They got to see how design contributes to business and how business influences design and how together, a company becomes more successful and their stories more impactful,” commented Cynthia Gravino, director of career services.

The program helped emphasize how closely related the creative and business processes have become.

“The weekend was not just another class exercise for students,”said Gravino. “This is a real-world experience that they can take with them as they launch their careers.”

Ten CCAD students participated in Startup Weekend Columbus, including honors students, Chavilah Bennett (senior, Advertising & Graphic Design), Lillie Templeton (junior, Advertising & Graphic Design), and Hilary Sroufe (junior, Advertising & Graphic Design); and Yiangos Panayiotou (junior, Illustration), Vincent Smigiel (sophomore, Advertising & Graphic Design), Abby Staley (freshman), Manuel Austin (sophomore, Media Studies), Michael Kroptavich (junior, Advertising & Graphic Advertising), Nikhil Nigade (freshman, Advertising & Graphic Design), Danielle Williams (sophomore, Advertising & Graphic Design), and Devin Broadnax (junior, Fine Arts).

The students worked closely with the 16 teams launching their business plans. Creatives and techies worked together to execute a successful start-up.

At the end of the weekend three of the 16 teams were chosen as the best concepts presented. They included, Source Match, DemandZilla, and UserTOS.

Similiar in some ways, 1492 is a program that accelerates the creation of start-ups in a couple of months as opposed to what would normally take a couple of years. The program is a collaborative effort among TechColumbus, Columbus State Community College, and CCAD, with support from the Ohio Third Frontier and includes money for the chosen projects.

Out of 162 applicants, 10 companies were chosen to present their ideas to a panel of judges on Wednesday, Oct. 21. Out of the 10, five were chosen to participate in an 11-week coaching program on CCAD’s campus. They will each receive a $20,000 grant and will launch a product or service in mid Jan. 2012, following the program.

The five companies selected for the 1492 program this year were Azoti.com, Capstone Innovations, Churchsys.com, hungerly LLC, and Infinum Education LLC

Azoti will serve local farmers, dairies, fisheries, distributors, co-ops, farmer’s markets and artisans by providing demand aggregation services, program management and a host of CRM solutions.

Capstone Innovations has designed and patented an adaptable interlocking pallet system made up of identical units.

Churchsys is a software service (SaaS) developed to manage all aspects of operating a church or any other institution with patrons.

hungerly LLC is a location-based mobile marketing, analytics, sales, and loyalty platform built with street truck and cart vendors in mind.

Infinum Education has developed Aviso, which allows students and instructors to collaboratively drive both student and institutional success.

During the 11-week training the start-ups cover everything from financial advice to meetings with business mentors, and brainstorming sessions on how to achieve their desired goals and results.

In addition to these training programs, the start-ups will be able to utilize a CCAD intern. The intern will be with them through the duration of the program and their initial launch.

Support from participating organization, professionals, peers, and CCAD’s creative talent ensure the participating companies with a successful product launch.

CCAD took home three awards from CSCA's Creative Best Awards

It’s been quite a design awards season for Columbus College of Art & Design, especially for the college’s Design Group—a student-staffed, in-house design agency.

Columbus Society of Communicating Arts held it’s annual Creative Best awards on Nov. 17 and CCAD was well represented. Several local agencies that employ CCAD alumni took home coveted awards, including EdgeCase, which won an Award of Excellence in the Interactive category  for JRubyConf.com which was designed by 2011 grad Justine Arreche. Pallavi Sen, a fine arts senior, took home two merit awards from the Student category.

CCAD’s Design Group earned a Best in Category award in the Motion Design category for its Happy New Year video. The winning team included Media Studies major (and last year’s Outstanding Senior) Taehee Lee (CCAD 2011) who came up with the concept and directed the video; videographer, media studies junior Alex Trimpe, CCAD Creative Director Lindsay Kronmiller, and Editorial Director Laura Bidwa.

CCAD’s partnership with local brand agency Ologie on the Masters of Design, Senior Fashion Show event collateral earned both organizations Awards of Excellence in the Print category for the invitation and the show catalog. The winning team was comprised of, from CCAD, Arreche, Bidwa, Danielle Deley (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2011), Kronmiller,  and Simone Noronha (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2011) and from Ologie, Andy Hayes and Kelly Ruoff.

“These projects not only showcase our student work to the outside world, but also allow our students to build the relationships and business experience that will place them above the rest upon graduation,” said Kronmiller.

CCAD’s Fashion Show print collateral also earned awards from American Graphic Design,  which awarded CCAD four certificates of excellence for branding initiatives, including print and environmental graphics.

In addition to the Fashion Show invitation, the college received awards for the Art Walk (environmental graphic’s in CCAD’s Canzani Center),  the Viewbook, and a positioning piece, titled Think. Do.

Both the Viewbook and the Fashion Show invite were done through the collaboration with Ologie, which is owned by board of trustee member and alumna Bev Bethge (CCAD 1982-1986). The company is an award-winning branding agency that serves national and international clients. The Design Group students worked closely with the agency to complete both pieces gaining mentorship while producing award-winning print materials.

The Art Walk panels were  designed by Design Group, with the help of Chute Gerdeman, another award-winning strategic brand and design firm in Columbus (which also took home awards from CSCA on Thursday).

“’When prospective students, parents, and the general public encounter our materials, they are seeing student work,” said Kronmiller. “It is a great testament to the talent and ability of our students.”

The American Graphic Design Awards are open to all businesses and partnerships in the graphic design community. There were more than 8,000 entries and only 15 percent were then recognized with an Awards Certificate of Excellence.

Judges for the CSCA Creative Best awards were Brigitta Bungard, assistant creative director at the Museum of Modern Arts in-house design studio in NYC; Joe Marianek, associate partner at Pentagram, an international design consultancy; and Ken Visocky O’Grady, an associate professor at Kent State University.

The cover of the Columbus Coloring Book

Coloring books have long engaged children of all ages, and now one is being developed by a CCAD student to garner attention for and curiosity about the city of Columbus.

Andrea Hager, senior Advertising & Graphic Design major at CCAD, is a current intern for Neighborhood Design Center and is working on the Columbus Coloring Book project.

The book will be an opportunity to learn about 16 sights and landmarks within the city. The pages range from historical architecture to the downtown skyline during Red, White, and Boom—the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display.

“The images as well as the stories that accompany them will inspire curiosity in addition to civic pride within the children,” Hager said.

Illustration of the Supreme Court, by Andrea Hager

Hager was in charge of making sure all the illustrations were cohesive and had to illustrate the final four buildings which will be included in the book.

“I wanted to make the pages as fun as possible for kids to color,” Hager said.

She had to work with the previous illustrations done by employees of the Neighborhood Design Center and create one, continuous book.

Hager illustrated the Ohio Theater marquee, Orton Hall at The Ohio State University, the Supreme Court building, and the Columbus Foundation.

“”I was able to add some extra visual interest by drawing the fish like they were alive and jumping out of the water on the Supreme Court illustration,” she said.

The  coloring books are scheduled to be released at the start of the 2012 school year, and 10,000 will be distributed to  Columbus area elementary schools.

Glyphs of supermodel signatures

Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Krysti Kalkman (CCAD 2010) is passing out supermodel signatures at Victoria’s Secret, but not the kind you might think.

Kalkman is a full-time designer at Victoria’s Secret and was given the task of creating a new font for the store brand.

“When my creative director and art director came to ask if I could design the font I responded with ‘Oh ya, sure! Why not?!’ But in my head it was more like ‘I can totally do this…right?!’” Kalkman said.

Her doubt may have been there initially, but after seven months of research and development, the font was created and will be in stores and all marketing materials November, 2011.

Kalkman started out using a program called FontLab. Throughout the process she said she had to constantly exercise both her analytical and creative minds.

Kalkman's font

The end result was inspired by the handwriting of people within the marketing department and that led to the the creation of glyphs.

“The idea was to make the font look like it was the supermodels’ handwriting,” she said.

The glyphs are pieces of text or images that they may reuse. This includes each angel’s signature and kisses. Slogans like “mix & match,” “very sexy,” and “panty raid” are created into glyphs to reuse throughout the stores.

“The beauty of this is that it can just keep growing and developing in house.”

Kalkman created a font that can be reused and added to throughout Victoria’s Secret’s future campaigns. She loves the idea that the font and branding idea can continue to grow in house instead of hiring outside and risk someone not understanding their mission completely.

“It is super exciting to see something you really coddled for seven months be ‘born.’”

Interbrand alumni: Front Row: Jen Rossignol, Les Maass, Jon Moser, Lauren Kemnitz, Ted Monnin; Back Row: Kayla Risch, Jack Hinkel, Susan Burke, Derek Robinson

Back in 1974, when Interbrand was founded, the world still thought of brands as just another word for logo and Les Maass (CCAD, 1974) was fresh out of college.

Since then, the Illustration major and a steady stream of other alumni talent have joined the ranks of Interbrand—a business at the forefront of the movement to capitalize on brands as business assets.

With one of the world’s leading brand consultancy companies consistently hiring our graduates we thought it would be worthwhile to take a look at the creative assets and traditional skills that CCAD contributes to the business of brand management.

Understandably, Interbrand’s human resources department must remain impartial and recruit from various schools, but we think (and admittedly we may be biased) that the company has made some wonderful hires and has some very talented tenured employees within its leadership who are graduates of CCAD.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, all of the CCAD alumni currently working at the Cincinnati office of Interbrand were Advertising & Graphic Design majors. We queried two of the nine alumni: Art Director Lauren Kemnitz (CCAD 2005) and Creative Director Ted Monnin (CCAD 1991). They don’t claim to speak directly for their classmates, but their perspectives illuminate the work environment of designers Susan Burke (CCAD 2010), Jon Moser (CCAD 2007), Kayla Risch (CCAD 2010), Jen Rossignol (CCAD 2009), Associate Creative Director Derek Robinson (CCAD 2001), Executive Director of Implementation Jack Hinkel (CCAD 1983), and last but certainly not least, the aforementioned Les Maass, who is a senior implementation designer.

Q) What’s it like to work for a company that hires so many CCAD alumni?
Lauren Kemnitz (LK) It makes me proud that Interbrand hires so many students from CCAD. It verifies that our education prepared us well for the working world. We all share a strong bond from our years at CCAD and love sharing stories about our experiences there. We respect each other’s skills and count on our ability to deliver strong strategic design solutions. The energy and passion for design we all carry is intoxicating.

Q) Why do you think Interbrand keeps coming to CCAD for employees?
Ted Monnin (TM) Interbrand is very interested in bringing in strong talent and developing them into world-class branding creatives. Our design process is built around concept development via collaboration and sketching ideas before going to the computer.  Having traditional hand skills to clearly communicate concepts and experience in a critique-based environment is key to successful design development here at Interbrand. CCAD grads have the skill set that works very well with our creative process. That, along with personal creative passion, are the elements we are looking for in our employees.

Q) For any CCAD grads heading to Interbrand or dreaming of one day working at Interbrand, what’s your advice?
TM) Package Design class is not optional, it is imperative. For a CCAD student it is where you will learn how a brand functions in the real word. Also, focus on your hand skills and how clearly you can represent your ideas through typography, color, pattern, and verbal expression. The idea is king, so make sure you can communicate your ideas clearly and can highlight all the facets of your concepts. If you are passionate about design and having your creative work and your career reach a global audience, then you need to look at Interbrand.

Q) What’s the best part about your job?
LK) I work with such talented people! I am inspired daily by the people sitting right next to me. The design world is ever-changing and learning from your colleagues is key.

TM) I really enjoy the collaboration involved in our creative process—the way we all work toward a common goal and how different ideas can come together to create exciting, breakthrough work. I also enjoy working closely with our younger employees and helping them develop into strong, world-class creative talent.

Q) What do you miss most about CCAD?
LK) Being around amazing artists all the time. The exposure you have to all the other art disciplines when you are at CCAD is incredible. I would definitely recommend to everyone that they network during their time at CCAD. Knowing the best photographers, illustrators, and artists can be a great advantage in the future.

Media Studies alumnus Nick Burkard worked on feature film Puss in Boots

Classnotes

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You, too, can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from June 2011 – August 2011.

Jerry W. McDaniel (CCAD, Illustration, 1957) opened an art gallery and created a process video. Read more here.

Ming Fay (CCAD, Industrial Design, 1965) marked his 20-year anniversary displaying at Butters Gallery with his exhibit Full Circle.

James Markle (CCAD, Industrial Design, 1970) presented a speech about his environmental photography at the Tahoe Art League. Read more here.

Ron Miller (CCAD, Illustration, 1970) illustrates a French youth science magazine. Read more here.

Jamie Berger (CCAD 1975-1978) was featured in a HOW magazine article detailing the rebranding and success of their printing company. Read more here.

Jon Hair (CCAD,  Advertising & Graphic Design, 1976-1978) was featured in North Carolina’s Our State magazine. Read more here.

Kate Rivers (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1977) had an exhibition in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Read more here.

Michele Householder Funk (CCAD, Illustration, 1978) has released her children’s book, The Adventures of Pete and Max and the Lost Sock. Read more here.

David Groff (CCAD, Illustration, 1979) had illustrations featured in a healthcare calendar.

Matthew Kaser (CCAD, Industrial Design, 1984) and his design firm, Kaser Design, were recently awarded another interpretive planning and design job in Texas. The newest project is the historic site Presidio de San Sabá, in Menard, Texas.

Kurt Fondriest (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1985) was included in the annual Misericordia Home group show, which was visited by more than 1,400 guests. Read more here.

Jeff Preston (CCAD, Illustration, 1985) is featured in the DVD Masters of Art: Markers with Jeff Preston. Read more here.

Edward Buchanan (CCAD, Fashion Design, 1988-1991) had his designs  featured in the spring 2011 issue of France’s Blast magazine. Read more here.

Paul Hamilton (CCAD, Illustration, 1988) received the Phil Desind Award, given annually by the Butler Institute of American Art to an outstanding representational work. Read more here.

Scott Musgrove (CCAD, Illustration, 1989) launched an online show and nearly sold out in only three weeks. Read more here.

Tracy Hayes (CCAD 1990) recently moved her design firm SKUBA Designs to a new location on New Orleans’s popular Magazine Street. Read more here.

Peter Wachtel’s (CCAD, Industrial Design, 1990) invention, STAKE, is available for presale on Quirky. Read more here.

Wendy Emrey’s (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 1991) long career influenced a new pursuit. Read more here.

Julie Abijanac (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1992) has been accepted into the Studios of Key West Artist in Residency Program for the summer 2012. Read more here.

Samantha Bennett (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1995-1999) appeared on an episode of Everyday People on TLC’s NY Ink. Find out more here.

Hiroshi Hayakawa (CCAD, Photography, 1995) showed his kinetic sculptures in a Columbus gallery. Read more here.

Susan Li O’Connor (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1996) was one of three artists featured in an exhibition at the Columbus Metropolitan Library’s Carnegie Gallery. Read more here.

Sara Adrian (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1998) presented in September at FLASH!, an art show in Columbus.

Several CCAD alumni received awards at the opening of this year’s fine arts exhibition at the Ohio State Fair, including Andrew Ina (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2006), Corey Aumiller (CCAD, Media Studies, 2006), Amanda H. Cook (CCAD, Illustration, 1999), Eric Homan (CCAD, Media Studies, 1998), Brandon Antczak (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2007), and Adam Brouillette (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2002) . Find out more here.

Justin Shady (CCAD, Media Studies, 1998) interviewed Michael Altman (CCAD, Media Studies, 2000) in OC Weekly. Read more here.

Danielle Julian-Norton (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1999), a co-founder of Suite 42,  had an open-studio exhibition in Dresden, Germany. Read more here.

Michael Marucco (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 1999) has been promoted at Limited Brands, Inc., to senior art director of internet content for Victoria’s Secret Direct.

Damian Ward (CCAD, Illustration, 1999) illustrated a book written by Oscar-nominated writers. Read more here.

Anthony M. Nesossis (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2000) recently completed a rebrand of various materials for the Educational Council. Read more here.

Brent Woodard (CCAD, Illustration, 2000) helped with a global anti-drug message. Read more and see the image here.

Paul Tepper (CCAD, Illustration, 2001) was recently featured on the cover of Columbus Alive! Read more here.

Nikos Rutowkski, (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2002) helped coordinate Franklinton’s Go West Festival, which featured work by several CCAD Alumni. Read more here.

Michelle Rozic (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2003) was appointed the new assistant professor of art at California State University, Northridge.

Cat Sheridan (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2003) was featured in a Wexner Center blog for her volunteer efforts. Read more here.

Michael Carney (CCAD, Media Studies, 2004) and John Malta (CCAD, Illustration, 2010) were both in the NY Times in August. Read more here.

Jen Chapman (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2004) will be featured in HOW magazine in the fall of 2011 for her company Redsnapper Baby & Toddler. Read more here.

The alumni music trio of Beth Murphy (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2004), Adam Elliot (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2004), and Jared Phillips (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2004) performed at the Wexner Center and were featured in the Columbus Dispatch. Read more here.

Manjari Sharma’s (CCAD, Media Studies, 2004) latest project was featured on an NPR blog. Read more here.

Gabe Shultz (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2004) created an experimental multimedia project and music album samples from the music of rock band Steely Dan. Read more here.

Elizabeth Weissbrod (CCAD, Illustration, 2004) was one of the featured artists in the June 2011 Hopkins Medicine magazine article “Illustrators of the Century.” Read more here.

Brian Scott Campbell (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2005) was invited to Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina as a visiting artist in September and will also be an artist in residence this fall at the McColl Center for Visual Arts in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Steven Weinzierl (CCAD, Media Studies, 2005) has been named Favorite Color’s new creative director. Read more here.

Molly Burke (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2006) recently participated in a Cleveland West Art League (CWAL) exhibition with Cleveland painter Julie Morgan. Read more  here.

Andrew Ina’s (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2006) exhibition New Frontier was recently reviewed in the Columbus Dispatch. Read more here.

Melissa (Hofelzer) Spencer (CCAD, Media Studies, 2006) designed an exhibition invite and an interactive website. Read more here.

Seven alumni, including Nate Burns (CCAD, Illustration, 2010), Travis Czekalski (CCAD, Media Studies, 2010), Julie Hall (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2010) Katie Herbst (CCAD, Media Studies, 2010), Michael Lovett (CCAD, Fine Arts 2011), Alex Moore (CCAD, Fine Arts 2011), and Kevin Smalley (CCAD, Media Studies, 2006-08) teamed up to present Fringed: A Fashionably Fine Art Exhibition in Columbus. Read more here.

Nick Burkard, (CCAD, Media Studies, 2007) Dreamworks effects animator, detailed the work he did on the upcoming film Puss in Boots. Read more here.

Michelle Dick (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2008) had her first trunk show hosted by a Columbus boutique. Read more here.

Ashley K. Alexander (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2009) published her first novel. Read more here.

Cory Cantelupe (CCAD, Illustration, 2009) is currently doing work as a freelance sculptor for Hasbro, Inc.

Navy Seaman Jessica M. Pettinger (CCAD, Interior Design, 2009) recently completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois.

Emily Spear (CCAD, Illustration, 2009) is finishing her first year as an associate product designer for Hasbro Inc.

Ian Horn (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2010) has found success with a new NYC business. Read more here.

Mallory McClellan (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2010) was featured in Columbus Alive! for the sculpture she built for Harrison Park in Columbus. Read more here.

Kartika Mediani (CCAD, Animation, 2010) was one of 40 college students across the country to receive a summer internship with the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation. Read more here.

Ross Caliendo (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2011) was featured in a weekly Cincinnati newspaper for his participation in an exhibition. Read more here.

Jen Hutson (CCAD, Fine Arts, 2011) has been accepted into the St. Petersburg Clay Company’s Artist in Residence Program for the 2011-2012 term.

Angela Mancuso (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2011) was appointed as the newest art director at Peebles Creative Group. Read more on their blog.

Amy McQuillin (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 2011) was hired as the Upper Arlington’s Cultural Arts Division’s intern.

Local tech company Bluemile, ranked in 2010 by Inc. Magazine as one of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, is featuring artwork by CCAD alumni and faculty in its New Albany office as one way to introduce visitors and other programs to the college. Read more here.

In Memoriam
Edmund Kuehn, (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1938). Read more here.
Charles (Chip) Kirker III, (CCAD, Illustration, 1971). Obituary here.
Dan (Danny) J. Schroll, (CCAD, Fine Arts, 1973). Obituary here.
Gerome Alexander, (CCAD, Advertising & Graphic Design, 1982). Obituary here.
Teresa Williams, (CCAD, Illustration, 1988). Obituary here.
Kathryn A. Gough, (CCAD, 1990). Obituary here.
Lacey L. Pope, (CCAD, Industrial Design, 2002). Obituary here.
Christine Salisbury, (CCAD, Media Studies, 2005). Obituary here.

Designed by CCAD students, Taylor Hicks and Danielle Williams

As fall semester gets into full swing, CCAD students will start seeing the fruits of some labors that began last year. The Market (CCAD’s dining hall) is going green.

“It began with a zero landfill concept,” said Dwayne Todd, vice president of student affairs and dean of students about the Student Government’s work to turn the Market into a sustainable dining center.

“Before we went ahead with any decision about sustainability within the Market we discussed the idea in an open forum with the Student Government last spring,” Todd said.

Danielle Williams, a sophomore Advertising & Graphic Design major and member of the Student Government, was involved with the committee that helped initiate the program.

“I see friends who are at universities that have all these sustainable options and to-go containers, so I figured it was time for our school to initiate a program,” Williams said.

Last year CCAD diners threw out roughly 250 to-go containers a day. This year the Styrofoam to-go containers and wax-lined paper cups are gone and the dining area is trayless and using china plates. The Market has also adopted biodegradable to-go products made out of plant materials instead of synthetics.

CCAD’s dining services recycle cardboard, aluminum, glass, and even grease. The dining service also uses biodegradable trash bags. This means that the trash bags will open and breakdown in a landfill, allowing the contents inside to break down sooner.

“It is great that we had an idea and and presented our feedback and research to Dwayne Todd and he ran with it and helped our idea become a reality,” Williams said.

But the process wasn’t all smooth sailing when they had to reach a decision about funding the project, in particular the to-go containers. A higher level of sustainability comes at a higher cost for the college. So how did they compromise?

The student government worked out a plan for the students. Instead of charging every student a higher fee for their meal plans, they decided to charge 25 cents per to-go container. The extra cost of the new containers is a total of 50 cents per container, so the college is covering half of the cost. In addition, each diner, upon purchase of a meal plan, is offered five free to-go containers.

“The Market was designed to be a social environment and this charge encourages the students to interact in the dining hall, but does not punish those who may need to take their meals with them,” Todd said.

“As a freshman, I remember our trash cans in our dorm would overflow with the old to-go-containers because everyone would just go back to their room to eat their food. With the new facilitates and initiative it will hopefully help foster interactions within our student body and college community,” Williams said.

“I am really excited to watch this initiative progress; we will continue to gather feedback from the program and make adjustments where need be. As a long-term goal, I hope to work towards gaining appropriate recycle bins in the dorms and work study areas,” Williams said.

The green initiative for the Market hopes to be completely rolled out by the end of September. The final piece is the composting dumpster. Then, student-created marketing materials will go up around campus to help explain the new sustainable changes.

So keep your eyes peeled and those sustainable minds conscious!

The Chapman Family

Jen Chapman (CCAD, 2004) and her company Redsnapper Baby & Toddler will be featured in the upcoming issue of HOW design magazine.

Redsnapper Baby & Toddler is a company which provides unique and trendy baby clothing. Chapman and her husband, Rob Chapman, launched the company about 18 months ago.

“After the birth of our first daughter, we realized how easy it was to mis-snap the three snaps on a onesie,” Chapman said.

The onesie design that the Chapman’s created has a red snap in the middle to help parents color code the order. The button also only snaps to itself.

Chapman, an Advertising & Graphic Design major, worked on the identity of the brand and designed the website, marketing materials, and clothing. Her husband works along with Chapman coming up with the quirky sayings such as their popular onesie, “Zombie Proof.”

The magazine article will feature Redsnapper and the concept and design of the company.

For more information, visit their web site here.

Dancing to Way Yes

This past Friday (Sept. 2) CCAD’s Student Programming Board put on their first event of the season, the annual back-to-school staple, WelcomeFest. Kicking off the year in its shiny new location right under the Art sign, WelcomeFest was bigger and better this time around with musical appearances from Way Yes, Yellow Light Maybe, and Jonathan Hape. The guys from Make Believe Monsters and FDZ Clothing were there too doing their thing. Oh and did I mention The Cheesy Truck? It was there. In all of its $100 caviar grilled-cheese glory. Yeah. Just saying.

The night was described as “very welcoming” by many students, so, you know, the name is fitting. SPB members Blake Roberts and Lacie Daley (both juniors in Advertising & Graphic Design) were thrilled with the greater turnout of the event this year, mostly credited to its new location right in the heart of campus. Blake also mentioned that this time there was a more relaxed vibe than past years with friends catching up on the quad, playing cornhole, foursquare, skateboarding, biking, and lazily laying in the grass (this girl), which is what they’ve always shot for.

Besides their usual annual events like WelcomeFest, Family Weekend, Big Boo, and Winterfest, SPB is also throwing out a few wild cards this year that you should watch out for. I prodded them into giving me the skinny on what they’ve got brewing and the upcoming event you should pencil in is CCAD’s Got Talent offering cash prizes to the winners and a guaranteed good time, obviously, for everyone. Auditions are this Thursday, Sept. 8. at 9:30 p.m. in the Crane Center, and the final show is Sept. 15 at 9:30 p.m. in the auditorium. Don’t forget to sign up for an audition slot this week on the front desk of Crane. See you there!

Image courtesy of Anthony Nesossis

A Columbus nonprofit organization has a new look, thanks to the design work of a CCAD alumnus.

Anthony M. Nesossis (CCAD 2000) recently completed a rebrand of various materials for The Educational Council, a confederation of 16 public school districts in Franklin County.

As creative director and graphic designer, Nesossis, who majored in Advertising & Graphic Design, created a new logo, tagline and website presence, along with supporting graphics for an electronic email campaign to announce the rebrand and the council’s new website.

Nesossis said the primary color for the new logo and the four complementary colors embrace the four key components of the organization’s mission statement “to create opportunities for students to engage in healthy, creative, and innovative activities giving them the skills needed for success.”

Screen capture from alumnus Gabe Shultz's music video, "The Girls."

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Gabe Shultz (CCAD 2004) created an experimental multimedia project and music album Day Glow Freaks using only samples from the music of rock band Steely Dan.

Consisting of 12 original songs, Day Glow Freaks is accompanied by a website where listeners can visually explore the composition of each song.

“This homage, built from hundreds of samples of the band’s 82 studio tracks, is the result of a yearlong personal endeavor and is an expression of gratitude for a career of captivating music,” Shultz writes on the project’s website.

Click here to listen to Day Glow Freaks and see the music video for song, “The Girls.”

Starting in back left corner: Jeong Woong Lee, Eunji Paek, Sun Young Park, President Griffith and wife Beth, Christopher Maslon, Jeong Hoon Tony Lee, Mose Jeung, Seo Yeon Hur, Kyung Rim Vicky Kim, Gaeul Oh, Jonathon Neeley, Seon Mi Bae, Min Young Alice Lee, and Eun Hae Bae.

During a recent trip to Asia, President Denny Griffith met with two decades of CCAD alumni in Seoul, Korea to catch up on life and remind the graduates of the pride CCAD has in them.

In attendance were student Jeong Woong Lee; Fashion Design alumnae Seo Yeon Hur (CCAD 2010) and Kyung Rim Vicky Kim (CCAD 2009); Illustration alumni Eun Hae Bae (CCAD 2004) and Eunji Paek (CCAD 2008); Interior Design alumni Sun Young Park (CCAD 2010), Yong Ah Shin (CCAD 2008), and Jeong Hoon Tony Lee (CCAD 2005); Media Studies alumna Min Young Alice Lee (CCAD 2005); Fine Arts alumnus Christopher Maslon (CCAD 1996); and Advertising and Graphic Design alumni Seon Mi Bae (CCAD 1997), Gaeul Oh (CCAD 2008) and Mose Jeung (CCAD 2004).

“It was great to find that most of the alumni with whom we met were working in their fields,” said International Admissions Officer Jonathon Neeley who joined President Griffith on his trip. “Hur and Kim both work in the fashion industry. Eun Hae Bae is currently pursuing her Ph.D. and teaches art to undergraduate students. Paek is a freelance illustrator and designer.

“Park, Shin, and  Jeong Hoon Tony Lee are working interior designers. Seon Mi Bae teaches children’s art classes at the Korean Church of Columbus. Oh and Jeung both work at advertising firms, and Jeung received his Master’s degree from Hongik University.

“Maslon is the first foreign elected official appointed to Daejeon Health and Sciences College board for the Executive Committee of Liberal Arts (ECLA). He has also published two books to assist Korean students with English language issues and study abroad advice.”

View more pictures from the gathering here.

Interior Design alumna Jessica Katterheinrich joined WD Partners after graduation.

Every year, more than 200 students join the ranks of the 10,000 CCAD alumni living around the world. But we don’t send them out into the world unprepared. Beginning in freshman year, students work with Career Services and their professors to develop portfolios, resumes, and cover letters. They meet with alumni in mock interviews and experience the rigors of the Directions Career Fair. For some, all of this hard work results in a real-world job lined up before the ink on their diploma is even dry. So we asked them: What’s it feel like to graduate with work lined up?

Dayna Carli Smith, Advertising & Graphic Design
Where she’s headed: GSW Worldwide
“I am so excited to see how dreams can come true. I’ve been working hard for so long it’s amazing to see how it all pays off. It makes me want to work even harder, like I have been given a gift that I do not want to squander. And it makes me happy to make my parents proud, knowing they were worried about me going into a field so difficult to get a job in. I’m glad I can look at them and tell them I made the right decision and have proof to back it up with.”

Ryan Richmond, Fashion Design
Where he’s headed: Abercrombie & Fitch
“It’s a wonderful feeling, having work lined up before graduating, and quite honestly, I wasn’t expecting this outcome. I’m extremely grateful, however, not only for being hired while still a student, but also for the support and instruction I got from my teachers at CCAD; they truly care about the success of their students and make it a point to push us to be the best designers and artists we can be. I’m excited for what my future holds and can only thank CCAD and the people I’ve grown close to over the years!”

Kristen Macauley, Fine Arts
Where she’s headed: The Jones Group
“Honestly, it’s nerve-racking. Looking back on freshman year, I never knew I would be here today. I am about to move into a world filled with creative individuals looking for a moment to shine, and I can’t wait for mine. When I first started to apply for jobs, I thought most of them were a long shot. Then I had an interview with Jones New York and the next thing I knew I started packing for New York City. I feel very fortunate that the Jones Apparel Group provided me with such a wonderful opportunity. Not only do I have a job, but it is in my field of choice. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

Jessica Katterheinrich, Interior Design
Where she’s headed: WD Partners
“It makes all the nights I slept on the studio floor instead of my own bed feel worth it.”

Taehee Lee, Media Studies
Where she’s headed: Left Channel
“I am relieved and excited to work on something I really love doing. It just feels great. Most of my Korean friends are probably a bit jealous. My main focus was always going to graduate school, and I did get accepted, but I was offered a job and made the last minute decision to accept it over graduate school.  When I was offered the job, all I could think was, I need to seize this opportunity because grad school will always be there but this may not.”
Editor’s Note: Taehee was also this year’s Media Studies Outstanding Senior. You can read a full interview with her here.

Illustration alumnus David Breaux worked as an animator on feature film "Thor."

We do our best to get most of the news you submit to us onto the CCAD News Blog, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, not everything can make it into the blog. We’re glad to have another venue where we can share everything with you—this newsletter’s classnotes.

You, too, can submit classnotes via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from February-May 2011.

Ron Miller (CCAD 1970) has provided cover and interior art for Astronomy, Sky & Telescope, Scientific American, and Geo magazines. His work has also been featured on two Scientific American sites and on the cover of a new science fiction novel. Miller has also written and illustrated three new young adult books for Lerner Publishing and is working on a coffee table art book for Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux. Read more on the CCAD News Blog.

Kurt Fondriest (CCAD 1985) partnered with the Brookfield Zoo to provide a learning experience for his students at Misericordia Home North through expressive art. Read a complete article and see the amazing footage here.

Lisa Horkin (CCAD 1985), Marty Husted (CCAD 1979), Ryan Orewiler (CCAD 2004), and Denise Romecki (CCAD 1976) all exhibited in Face 2 Face: 25 Years of Art and Community, which opened Friday, April 15. Read an article about this show on the CCAD News Blog.

Tracy Hayes (CCAD 1990) has opened a new Skuba Design Studio location on Magazine Street in New Orleans. Click here to learn more.

Peter Wachtel (CCAD 1990) has published two new e-books—Kid Toyology and The Wonderous World of Wonders. Read more here.

Hilary Frambes (CCAD 1992) was chosen as the Ohio Delegate to Parenting magazine’s Mom Congress, April 10-13. More information about her trip is available in the CCAD News Blog.

Celene Hawkins (CCAD 1992) was awarded a 2010 Aid to Individual Artists grant through the Summerfair Foundation in Cincinnati. Read more here.

David Breaux (CCAD 1995) completed animation work on Iron Man 2, Tron Legacy, Real Steel, and Thor. Read an interview with Breaux on the CCAD News Blog.

Tiffany Liss (CCAD 1995) has accepted the position of marketing communications specialist manager for Rexford Industries, LLC, in Indianapolis.

Christopher Maslon (CCAD 1996) was the first foreign elected official appointed to Daejeon Health and Sciences College’s board for the Executive Committee of Liberal Arts. The college is located in Daejeon, South Korea. Included in his nomination was a move by the board to add more arts and design courses to the college’s curriculum. Maslon will head the arts courses offered. Read a complete story about his appointment in the CCAD News Blog.

Anthony Anselmo (CCAD 1998) recently returned to CCAD to provide mock interviews to current students. He shared this album from his self-guided tour with us.

Justin Shady (CCAD 1998) wrote about Joshua Peters (CCAD 2008) on his blog. Peters recently designed a poster for Billy West’s appearance at Packrat Comics in Hilliard, Ohio. Read the blog here.

Michael Guinane (CCAD 2000), Marc Lincewicz (CCAD 1992), Ryan Orewiler (CCAD 2004), Michele Ulmer (CCAD 2005), Molly McNitt (CCAD 2004), and Jurate Phillips (CCAD 2002) participated in the German Village Art League exhibition The Language of Art. Learn more on the CCAD News Blog.

Anthony Nesossis (CCAD 2000) worked as creative director and graphic designer—along with MediaFLOW’s Vincent Blake—to create a new logo, tagline, and web presence for the Educational Council Foundation of Ohio.

Beth Dean (CCAD 2003) has accepted the position of director of user experience at Ongo.

Anousone Panyanouvong (CCAD 2007) received a $10,000 grant from Microsoft to launch her urban forest plan as part of the company’s Make it Great competition. Read more about her project (and how CCAD helped to make it happen) on the CCAD News Blog.

Chelstin Ross (CCAD 2009) exhibited her work during the 2011 Columbus Arts Festival. She was one of 10 central Ohio artists selected to participate in this year’s Emerging Artists Program. She was also featured in the Columbus Dispatch. Read the article here.

Nick Cavalier (CCAD 2010) directed the Felix Culpa’s Our Holy Ghost music video, which debuted at Alternative Press magazine and was featured on Absolute Punk and Blank TV (and the CCAD News Blog). The video has also been entered into the Chicago Underground Film Festival and the Chicago, NY, and SF United Film Festivals.

Katrina Seitter (CCAD 2010) was promoted from freelance designer to graphic designer at Stonefly Communications Group in central Ohio.  She has also taken up a freelance position with the Creative Good, which was started by CCAD alumnus Brian Greenwood (CCAD 1999).

Have news you’d like to share? Click here.

Photo courtesy of Our State magazine.

Associate Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Jon Hair (CCAD 1976-1978) was recently featured in North Carolina’s Our State magazine.

The article details Hair’s entire career, including his first major sculpting job. “He secured his first major commission at Miccosukee Resort and Gaming in Miami, Florida, after sitting in the waiting room for an entire week hoping for a few minutes to pitch his idea to the chairman. Two days after his initial meeting with the chairman, he came home with a commission and a check for $110,000. His Miccosukee Boy with Egrets, which stands at the entrance to the Florida resort, was one of his first large pieces.”

“In the 11 years he’s worked full time as a sculptor, Hair has created 79 pieces on commission,” Lori K. Tate wrote in her piece, Think Big. “From 2003 to 2008, he was the official sculptor for the United States Olympic Team and the United States Olympic Committee. His Olympic Strength sculpture, which depicts four bodybuilders holding the world in an Atlas fashion, stands 35 feet tall in front of the United States Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. His work is on display throughout North Carolina and the United States and as far away as Beijing, China.”

Read the article in its entirety here.

To learn even more about Hair, visit his website.

Alumnus Michael McAteer recently earned his Masters of Journalism from Marshall University.

Advertising& Graphic Design alumnus Michael McAteer (CCAD 2001) recently earned his masters in journalism from Marshall University’s W. Page Pitt School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

“I studied Ad/Graph while at CCAD, and I feel that what I learned there really informed and influenced my graduate thesis: Analyzing Teens Attitudes toward Health Messaging on Branded, Prepackaged Food,” McAteer said.

“Special thanks to Mr. Burleigh and Mr. Hazelrig for their influence on my career as a scholar in Mass Communication and Advertising analysis.”

Learn more on Michael’s website.

Mike Shirley leads a group of children at Camp Moss Hollow. Photo from the camp's Facebook page.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Mike Shirley (CCAD 1972) was recently featured in the Washington Post for his involvement with Camp Moss Hollow, a summer camp supported by Washington Post readers.

Shirley has been attending Camp Moss Hollow since it opened its doors in 1966. Today, he serves as the camp’s director in addition to his teaching position at Crossland High School in Temple Hills, Virginia.

Each year, the Washington Post asks its readers to make a donation to their Send a Kid to Camp campaign, running through July 29. Their goal this year is to raise $500,000 to help underprivileged children attend the summer camp.

Donations are accepted online at www.washingtonpost.com/camp.

“The camp was to create an atmosphere where the poorest of the poor had a place to come,” Shirley said in the article. “And it’s not just throwing out a ball and playing with them. It was a place to prepare us for the American dream, a place we can call our own, feel comfortable, feel safe, and just keep on developing.”

Read the article in its entirety here.

Members of the Senior Class Gift committee presented a banner to President Griffith as a symbol of their donation to the college.

At the beginning of the school year, 2011 class president and Advertising & Graphic Design major David Merz (CCAD 2011) asked his classmates to help make a mark as the first CCAD class to leave behind a class gift. And it was a pretty simple ask. “Leave a little, leave a lot. We’re leaving a legacy. Our class participation shows that we believe in CCAD and in ourselves. So give $20. Give $2. It’s not about the money. It’s about our symbol of support.”

At the Senior Picnic hosted by President Denny Griffith, Merz and his fellow Senior Class Gift committee members presented a class banner to President Griffith to represent their gift. Signed by the members of the class of 2011 and featuring the class’s slogan (go forth and be awesome), the banner will hang at all of the group’s future alumni gatherings.

Through the 100 Days until Graduation event and the production of a class video, the class of 2011 raised funds to benefit technology and facilities upgrades; scholarships; professional development for CCAD faculty members; and lectures and studio visits by creative professionals.  Five percent of the graduates participated.

“Five percent is a lot—but we’d like to see that number grow,” said Merz. “We want the class of 2012 to beat our participation rate, and the class of 2013 to beat theirs, and so on and so forth. We want to leave behind a legacy of philanthropy—fueled by a bit of healthy competition of course.”

Senior Jordan Edwards was named the 2011 Outstanding Senior for Advertising & Graphic Design.

At the end of the academic year, a graduating senior from each major is named the Outstanding Senior for that department. Today in part eight of our 10-part series, we interviewed senior Jordan Edwards (CCAD 2011), who was named Outstanding Senior for the Advertising & Graphic Design department.

Q.) What was your biggest achievement while studying here?
A.) Being Outstanding Senior is great—don’t get me wrong—I love this, and I’m very proud of it. But I really liked seeing how the Student Programming Board has grown. I started with them my sophomore year. We did a few small events here and there and some people would come. Obviously Big Boo! was kind of our shining achievement. But this year we’ve really been taking on a new structure, we have a really great team, and our events have really started to get a lot of attention. So I’m glad that I got to be involved with that and see what it has become.

Q.) Did you ever have that feeling of “ugh, why do I have to learn this” that eventually led to, “wow, this is so important?”
A.) Color Concept. I remember going into class and being like, “Color concept?!? I know how to mix colors, I already know what this is.” But I really didn’t understand all the intricacies of it and how you can use colors to affect the mood of the piece. So I think that’s the stuff that I employ the most that I thought was the most bogus at the time.

Editors Note: at this point in the interview Director of Career Services Cynthia Gravino came to table. “He’s awesome. Seriously, quote me. This kid is awesome.”

Q.) You’ve landed some really big projects. How’d you do that?
A.) Mostly, it’s just badgering the right person.  One of the big projects I’m working on now is Leakycon, a Harry Potter fan conference that is being held in Orlando this summer. The group that planned the conference held another one in 2009 that I went to and after I left I said, “I have to be a part of this somehow.” And, you know, you start following the right people on Twitter, and you pester them—and pester them, and pester them—and then finally they’ll say, “okay, fine.” I started out as just a graphic designer but have now risen up and am now creative director for the whole conference, which means I’m leading a team of other designers to make everything for the conference.

Q.) The dream job. Everyone has one. What’s yours?
A.) My ultimate goal is to head to California and work for Walt Disney Imagineering. That’s my long time, pie-in-the-sky dream. My parents took me to Walt Disney World when I was five, and I didn’t know what Imagineering was, but I knew that it was really cool that somebody got to make this stuff for their job. It’s always been floating around in the back of my mind, but I never took it seriously until I came here and realized that this is a legitimate possibility and I am learning the stuff now that it takes to get there.

Q.) What’re you going to miss the most?
A.) The community of support. If you’re working on a piece, there is this huge group of people you can tap into for inspiration, support, and motivation. There will always be teams in the future, but we’ve got a pretty strong group here, and I will miss it tremendously.

Q.) If you could go back and tell your 17 year old self anything about CCAD, what would it be?
A.) You’re going to learn more than you ever thought you would. You’re going to meet people who are so similar to you that it is scary, and they are going to be your best friends. And you’re going to get opportunities that you’ll never get again. You’re going to love it—so don’t be scared.

Q.) Finish the sentence. Graduating feels like…
A.) Ripping off the Band Aid. It’s going to be painful, but once it’s off, it’ll be really gratifying.

Learn more about Jordan on his website.

2010 graduates and families outside The Ohio Theatre

In honor of the 233 students who will receive diplomas at CCAD’s 132^nd annual spring commencement, we’ll be counting down the days to commencement by publishing interviews with our 10 Outstanding Seniors and we’ll be announcing the class valedictorian(s).

And while we don’t know who is at the top of the class just yet (final grades are yet to be submitted), we do know who has been named the outstanding seniors for 2011. They are: Jordan Edwards, Advertising & Graphic Design; Chelsea Mummert, Animation; Carolyn Martin, Fashion Design; Kenneth Aschliman, Fine Arts; Graham Erwin, Illustration; Phong Nguyen, Illustration; Ryan Slicer, Industrial Design; Justin Highlander, Interior Design; Taehee Lee, Media Studies; and Sean Blanton, Photography.

Also coming along for the commencement ride is alumnus Mike Altman (CCAD 2000), who will deliver the commencement address. Altman worked as a technical director in modeling and articulation on Pixar’s Academy Award winning Toy Story 3 and was also responsible for modeling and articulating all the 3D characters for Day & Night, the short at the beginning of the film, which was also nominated for an Academy Award. Learn more in our blog, Alumnus, Pixar Animator Slated to Deliver Commencement Address.

Check back Monday, May 2 as we introduce you to Illustration senior Graham Erwin. We’ll publish one a day (on school days) through Friday, May 13.

A portfolio review at Directions

There was ample evidence at Directions, CCAD’s annual career fair, to indicate that more than 160 soon-to-be graduates are eager and prepared to enter the workforce.

Armed with faculty-juried portfolios, polished résumés, branded business cards, ready smiles, positive attitudes and a few cases of nervousness, the seniors and some December graduates networked with nearly 200 employer representatives in the Canzani Center.

Small, large and international companies, including McGraw Hill, American Greetings, Abercrombie & Fitch, Interbrand, Columbus Idea Foundry, LimitedBrands, and LPK, attended the April 20 career fair, which opened with a preview hour for employers to privately review student portfolios.

Cynthia Gravino, director of Career Services, said several factors indicate that the job market looks good for creative individuals. Her office currently is receiving more full-time job descriptions than it has in the recent past and salary ranges, in some cases, are $10,000 to $15,000 higher.

Kristen Macauley was the sole Fine Arts senior participating in Directions. Her burgeoning love for design compelled her to register for the annual career fair.

“It’s exciting to see interest in my work. I expected to be ignored but it has been very rewarding to describe my work and jewelry designs.” Macauley is heading to New York City after graduation for a three-month paid position with The Jones Group. During the career fair the Idea Foundry approached her about conducting jewelry workshops in Columbus.

Justin Highlander, a senior in Interior Design who is an intern at Asset Strategies Group, LLC, confessed to being a bit nervous but said his goals for Directions include getting his name circulating among potential employers and creating an impression that helps retail design and commercial design firms to remember him.

“Directions is helping me understand what companies expect from an entry-level designer,” said Highlander, who is willing to relocate and is looking at opportunities in Seattle, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. He said preparing for Directions taught him how to memorably brand himself, how to explain his work and to convey his personality. “I feel prepared for any interview in the future,” Highlander said.

Several CCAD alumni were among the employer representatives networking at Directions. Tom Studer (CCAD 1993-97), digital strategy director at LPK in Cincinnati, said he loves the diversity of projects at the event. “This is an opportunity to create interest in LPK. A job opportunity might be a year from now but it’s still important to make a memorable connection today,” he said.

Studer’s co-worker, Steve Bowling, a talent acquisition specialist at the global design agency, said he participates in Directions because he respects the talent. Bowling and Studer, who studied Fine Arts at CCAD, are especially interested in students who can cohesively story-tell across multimedia.

Interbrand’s representatives teamed up to review all the available portfolios. Jamey Wagner, creative director, and junior designers Katie Carter, Susan Burke (CCAD 2010) and Jen Rossignol (CCAD 2009), summed up their impressions by describing the students as eager, the vibe as good, and the work as strong. Both Burke and Rossignol studied Advertising & Graphic Design at CCAD.

Jennifer Chema, who describes herself as a research designer, talked to seven companies at Directions. Participating was a “no brainer,” she said. “I want to learn about people’s mindsets and to network. You learn more from interacting with people than from a website.”

One project featured in Chema’s portfolio, completed as a senior capstone project in CCAD’s Honors Program, included a redesigned federal income tax form. Jim Lutz (CCAD 1978), an instructor in Visual Communications who majored in Advertising  & Graphic Design, served as her project mentor as she researched the history of the form, its current design, gathered feedback and tested new designs.

The Advertising & Graphic Design senior said her future design work will involve “turning something negative into something positive.” Her portfolio reveals just such plans for nuclear power plants.

Students working at the phonathon.

By  Kyle Franklin, Advertising & Graphic Design and Media Studies Freshman

If every student got to experience what I did through the phonathon, they could learn so much about our school. It fits in right between taking a class and doing an internship: because you’re talking to alumni, they’re providing you with something personal about this school, and because they’ve found a lot of success in their careers, they give you tons of advice. Here’s what I learned:

1. I made the right choice in coming here. Hearing about the alumni’s success and stories from being a student hit really close to home for me. Someday I will find the same success—and I’ll get to have the same amount of fun along the way.
2. You can never know enough about what classes to take and what professors to take them with. The alumni offered me so much advice about their majors, down to recommending classes and teachers. So I’d sit their writing down a bunch of things—pretty much everything they said. (Side note: I got three internship offers!)
3. The hard work pays off. A lot of them said that they have people who apply for jobs who don’t know how to work the Adobe programs, and their portfolios are just, uggh. I spoke with one alumna who does a lot of hiring at Limited Brands, and she said she can always tell when someone is a CCAD student because there is a certain work ethic and talent level that is so identifiable.
4. Giving back means paying it forward. A lot of our alumni received scholarships while they were here, so that’s why they give back. They even said that they couldn’t have done what they had without the scholarship they received. I’m the same way, so that’s why I’ll give back once I graduate.
5. We’re a part of one great big, growing family. Some people go to college strictly to get an education, but here it feels a lot more personal, like you and CCAD chose each other. I don’t know one student here who isn’t passionate about what they do, and when I talked to the alumni they were exactly the same way. It’s pretty cool to know that there are thousands of people in the world who have the same experience I do.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The student callers’ efforts paid off in a big way: in 2010, giving from alumni who graduated within the last 10 years increased by more than 1,000 percent.

David Merz

By David Merz III, Advertising and Graphic Design Senior and President of the Class of 2011

When I came to CCAD, someone gave a gift to the college that the college then passed along to me in the form of a scholarship. That single financial donation has given me the opportunity to pursue my passion and hone my craft. It has allowed me to work alongside some of the most talented people around and to have those same people turn from classmates to friends. And now that I’m a senior on the brink of graduation (aahhh!), it’s giving me the opportunity to make the same reality possible for someone else.

The idea to leave a Senior Class Gift to the college was pretty simple. The idea to raise money together as the Class of 2011 and donate it to the school’s scholarship fund was even easier.

After all, the point isn’t the amount of money we raise (though raising a lot won’t hurt anyone); it’s the act of doing something together as a class to better the future of the college we all love.

The truth, though, is that we students are broke, and that makes asking for money tough. But we would all be far more broke and have thousands more to pay back (with interest!) if it weren’t for the scholarships we received. So we’re starting small, asking for a dollar here and another there, hoping it will add up to make enough of a difference. And during all the fundraising events we get to hang out together in our final days as CCAD students, which makes the money out of our pockets totally worth it.

This is a small tradition that we’re starting, and we hope the classes of 2012 and thereafter can take and improve this initiative, so the tradition get stronger and better. But my senior class, the Class of 2011, can take pride in being the founders of it all.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Want to add to the scholarship money the Class of 2011 is raising? Visit www.ccad.edu/donate or call Development and Alumni Relations Coordinator Stephanie Stover at 614.222.6188 to make a donation today.

REFLECT: by James Lutz Associate Professor, Advertising & Graphic Design, & Mark Burleigh, Assistant Professor, Advertising & Graphic Design

By Duncan Snyder, Associate Professor, Photography and Graduate Studies, and President of Faculty Council

Over the past year, the faculty of CCAD has worked together to describe in detail the processes we use for teaching and learning here on campus. The last step in this work was to hone all that description and detail into a sort of manifesto we call the Learning Goals. It’s just seven simple words.

Create – Communicate – Connect – Reflect – Master – Risk – Impact

Whether you attended CCAD decades ago or are studying here now, whether you’re a member of the CCAD family or a distant associate, we think you’ll recognize these words (and more importantly, the actions behind the words) as a representation of who we are, what we expect, and what we aspire to at CCAD.

I personally think of the Learning Goals as a tool—a rudder, a shield, or even a Swiss Army knife. Whether in the classroom or the individual studio, in collaboration with others or out in the community, students and professors alike can use these goals to foster the CCAD spirit. Across campus, students and faculty are discovering the power of using these ideas on a daily basis and beginning to build a collective discussion on their experiences.

But even if you never set foot on campus, I think you’ll find the Learning Goals coming to mind the next time you meet a CCAD graduate. What makes them just a little bit different? It’s these seven words.

EDITOR’S NOTE: CCAD faculty members were invited to contribute images to represent each learning goal (all images are reproduced with permission). Click any image below to see it in full.

Works by alumnus George Carruth are considered to be some of the most sought-after collector’s items in the US.

Renowned sculptor and Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus George Carruth (CCAD 1976) made a scheduled appearance at Waterville, Ohio’s Garden Smiles on April 16, 2011 to sign copies of his original pieces, greet fans and collectors, and meet with members of the media.

“Ever since the first artist signing back in 1992, we knew we wanted to continue this tradition,” said Deb Carruth, who is George’s wife and business partner. “Meeting fans face to face allows us to really get to know them, as well as get their feedback on the art pieces. We take the time to listen and talk to anyone who has something to say.”

Carruth’s works are considered to be some of the most sought-after collector’s items in the US. His works can be found in The National Cathedral in Washington D.C., on the White House Christmas tree, on Home and Garden Television, and in the Botanical Gardens.

Garden Smiles is the gift shop and gallery at Carruth Studio’s, and is the only place to find the complete collection of his sculpted designs—more than 250 pieces. Garden Smiles is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Saturdays from 10 a.m.–5 p.m. EST and Sundays from noon–5 pm. For more information, click here.

"Botanica 3.1" by President Dennison W. Griffith is on display in "Blossom!" an exhibition at Hammond Harkins Gallery.

Blossom!, The Art of Fruit and Flower, an exhibition featuring the works of CCAD President Dennision W. Griffith and numerous alumni, opens Friday, April 15, from 5–8 p.m. at Hammond Harkins Galleries in Bexley, Ohio. Showing alongside President Griffith are Fine Arts alumnus Mark Bush (CCAD 2009), Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus James Mason (CCAD 1971), and Illustration alumnus Paul Hamilton (CCAD 1988).

Besides being our fearless leader, President Griffith  is the recipient of artists fellowships for painting from the Greater Columbus Arts Council (1996), the Ohio Arts Council (1987-88 and 1989-90), and an Arts Midwest/NEA Regional Fellowship in 1990-91. His work has been included in more than 80 solo and group exhibitions and is represented in the collections of such institutions as the Butler Institute of American Art, the Southern Ohio Museum and Cultural Center, and the Columbus Metropolitan Library as well as corporate collections ranging from Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City to ARCO in Los Angeles.

Bush has received numerous scholarships and awards from Ohio and across the country. After placing second for the nation in a painting contest for the National Society of Arts and Letters, Mark was featured in the fall 2007 edition of American Artist Watercolor magazine as an emerging artist.

Mason is best known for the topiary interpretation of  Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Ile de la Grande Jatte that he created at the Columbus Deaf School Park. His work can be seen in private and public collections throughout North America. In addition to creating exquisite topiaries and wooden figures, Mason has been an instructor at Columbus’ Cultural Arts Center from 1978 to present.

Hamilton’s resume includes a long list of gallery and museum shows for his painting, sculpture and installation media. A few of these locations include the Franklin Park Conservatory, the Decorative Arts Center, as well as three exhibitions with David Findlay Galleries in New York. Paul’s work is also in private collections throughout the United States, Venezuela, Mexico, and Great Britain.

Hammond Harkins Galleries is located at 2264 East Main Street in Bexley. More information about the gallery can be found on its website.

Photo courtesy of The Columbus Dispatch.

Major Columbus College of Art & Design supporter Loann Crane, after whom the Loann Crane Center for Design is named, was honored yesterday for her community involvement and achievement at the YWCA’s annual Women of Achievement Awards.

In an interview with WBNS-TV anchor Andrea Cambern, Crane said that growing up during the great depression has contributed to her need to give back. “I can remember my father coming home and saying in a kind of defeated way, ‘A good man can’t get a job,’” Crane said. “The kind of philanthropy that my parents were involved in was they had to slip somebody a couple of dollars.”

Watch Cambern’s interview of Crane here.

Crane served on CCAD’s board of trustees from 1998–2009, bringing her wisdom and leadership to the college during a transformational period of growth. She was among the lead donors of the college’s Creative Drive campaign and included her family in the Creative Drive gift that named the Loann Crane Center for Design.

Chavilah Bennett, a junior majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design and CCAD student body president-elect, was in the audience when Crane received the Lifetime Achievement Award. She said, “I’m in that building all the time and see her name every day. It’s amazing to see her in person—and knowing more about her really inspires me to do something as significant with my life as she has done with hers.”

Crane has diligently worked on behalf of many organizations, including the Columbus Museum of Art and the Greater Columbus Arts Council. She was a founder of the Women’s Fund, where she has promoted women’s issues and quality of life, serving the interests of more than 800,000 women and girls in Central Ohio.

Learn more about Loann Crane and the rest of the Crane family on the Crane Group’s website.

Works by alumnus Jon Hair are on display worldwide.

The Spring 2011 newsletter from Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Jon Hair (CCAD 1976-1978) hit our desks hard—which makes sense seeing as it details the sculptures he’s completed for Lenoir-Rhyne University, The Bridge Street Conference Facility, University of Cincinnati, California State University, and High Point University.

Hair carved the world’s largest sculpture of Martin Luther (12 feet tall and 14,000 pounds) from a single block of gray granite for Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, North Carolina. The Bridge Street Conference Facility near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is now home to three 8-foot tall bronze statues created by Hair. The statues of an Apollo astronaut, Army Ranger, and helicopter pilot “are a tribute to the men and women of the armed forces and Computer Sciences Corporation’s long-standing commitment to excellence in providing its services to the US military establishment,” the article said.

Hair’s other recent creations: a 15-foot tall, two-ton bronze Bearcat for University of Cincinnati; an 8-foot tall matador which will be unveiled in August at California State University North Ridge; and 12 bronze bench sculptures of prominent historical figures (among them Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, and Leonardo DaVinci) at High Point University. He is currently completing a commission for Appalachian State’s “Aspire” sculpture.

Hair’s sculptures appear in galleries, private collections, and on a growing number of corporate and college campuses from Beijing to Hollywood. His work has appeared in Southwest Art, Scultpture Review, Art & Antiques, Wildlife Art, Robb Report, and Art World News magazines. To learn more about Hair, visit his website.

Alumna Sharon Hynes styled this set for the latest Arhaus catalogue.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumna Sharon Hynes (CCAD 1990) just completed set design for the latest Arhaus catalog through her company Style Scout Co. {SSCo.}.  An interview with Hynes was also featured on indie design blog One Sydney Road.

“I had no idea that photo styling existed while I was studying photography and advertising at Columbus Collage of Art & Design,” Hynes said in the interview. “After graduation, I saw a job posting for a photo stylist, and thought the job sounded like the perfect combination of my education, skills and more importantly, it sounded like fun! Lucky me—it was! I was a full time photo stylist for American Greetings for many years, working on catalogs, and other advertising pieces as well as trying my hand at display design for Anthropologie for a while also. And then, after being laid-off twice, I decided to start my own business. That’s when Style Scout was conceived.”

{ SSCo. } is a unique full-service design, planning and production company that elevates ordinary styling projects into highly creative, extraordinary collaborations. The company does everything from tabletop to wardrobe in its photo styling projects.

Before opening the Style Scout doors in 2009, Hynes worked as an American Greetings’ Trend Lab and Color Marketing Group team member and a creative visual display manager at Anthropologie. {SSCo.} clients include Anthroplogie, American Greetings, Lowe’s, Target, Smucker’s, and Walmart among others.

Click here to learn more about {SSCo}.

Read the entire interview with Hynes here.

During his lecture, Chris Cole discussed what it was like to work with early Macintosh computers.

Advertising & Graphic Design alumnus Christopher Cole (CCAD 1989) returned to campus to share his advertising expertise with CCAD students Monday, February 28 in Canzani Center Auditorium. Through the telling of his story—from graduation to his current position as senior vice president and creative director at global advertising powerhouse BBDO—Cole shared his advice for success.

Enjoy “stepping stone” jobs. These jobs are meant to build experience, to serve as a chance to fail (which means, they are chances to learn).

Don’t be a jack of all trades. During interviews, focus on what you want to do and what your interviewer wants you to do. Tailor your portfolio to your interviews.

Be smarter. Something CCAD grads have going for them is the ability to be smarter, to apply their work to the real world.

Be a “go to” person. Be the person in the office who the company can’t afford to get rid of. Win awards, solve problems, bring in and relate to clients. When you start a job, ask yourself, “What do I have to do to make myself invaluable?”

Cole has worked on advertising campaigns for Duracell Batteries, Pespi, General Electic, Mountain Dew, Mitsubishi, AOL, Cingular Wireless, and Hyatt—among others. He was nominated for an Emmy for the commercial, Cingular Wireless, Raising the Bar.

His lecture was presented as part of the Visiting Artists Series, which is sponsored in part by the Skestos Endowment Fund for Visiting Artists & Lecturers, the Ohio Arts Council, and Downtown Columbus’s Renaissance Hotel.

For more information about upcoming presentations in the Visiting Artist Series, visit the CCAD Event Listings.

View Cole’s work on his website.

Photo courtesy of Epstein's blog.

“To the world of knitters,” Charleston Daily Mail reporter Monica Orosz writes, “Nicky Epstein’s name is about as well known as that of Madonna or Mick Jagger. She is a rock star, only with string and sticks rather than a microphone and guitar.”

As an Advertising & Graphic Design alumna, Epstein (CCAD 1974) launched her fashion career after winning a McCall’s Needlework design contest in 1979.

The article continues, “Ever mindful of what other designers were doing, however, Epstein said she was inspired to constantly challenge herself to come up with something different. ‘I just had to keep reinventing myself,’ she said. She designed flowers and other embellishments. She created unusual constructions for scarves and sweaters – such as scarves made of knitted circles.

She is now a world renowned knitwear designer, teacher and author of more than 20 bestselling books. She has won the National Independent Book Publisher’s Award for Best Craft Book Of The Year three times.

Her award-winning designs have appeared in every major knitwear magazine, in museums and on television, and she has taught classes to knitters around the world and hosted many Vogue Knitting Tours overseas as well as others. She has also designed her own beautiful line of silk scarves, buttons and clasps.

Learn more about Nicky on her website.

Read the entire article here.

Collaborative project "Think. Do." won two advertising awards recently.

CCAD’s collaborative project with Columbus-based branding agency Ologie was recognized recently when the college’s “Think. Do.” piece received two advertising awards.

“Think. Do.” received a silver award in the ADDY Awards Competition, a three-tiered national competition conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation. The ADDY Awards Competition is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition for creative excellence.

The piece was also recognized and honored by HOW magazine’s 2011 International Design Awards, garnering a merit award, which is featured in the March 2011 issue.

Owned by board of trustee member and alumna Bev Bethge (CCAD 1982-1986), Ologie is an award-winning branding agency that serves national and international clients. Ologie’s mission is to build brands that are clear, compelling, and consistent so they will be better known, better understood, and completely unique.

Ologie won a total of fourteen ADDY Awards in AAF District 5 for its engagement with CCAD, Capital University, Houghton College, Nationwide Insurance, and Purdue University.

Learn more about the collaboration between CCAD and Ologie in the 2010 spring and fall issues of IMAGE magazine.

Click here to see a video version of the publication.

2011 Class President David Merz interviews classmates for commemorative DVD.

The Class of 2011 is making plans to refresh their memories years down the road via a DVD compilation of their favorite CCAD memories.

Today, senior students met in the Loann Crane Center for Design to be interviewed by class president and Advertising & Graphic Design major David Merz. In a Facebook message to classmates, Merz asked them to reflect upon even the smallest details about their time at CCAD.

“Think of your time in the dorms. You’re time in figure drawing class when you saw your first nude model and you weren’t sure what to draw first without raising questions. Think of the times when you were standing in Design Hall, wondering why such an ugly building existed, but then they knocked it down after our freshmen year, and you thought maybe you’d miss it. Think of those times when you and your friends went down to the old cafeteria and couldn’t find a place to sit, and you always had to listen to the crappy radio rock that the cashier wanted to listen to. “

Merz continued, “Think of [this], then come talk about it with me, and let me record it. I’m not doing this for me; I’m doing this for us, and for the future us who will shed a tear when we pop this DVD into an old Macbook someday.”

For more on what else the senior class is doing in its final days, read Merz’s blog, The Final Semester.

Edmund Kuehn (CCAD 1938) and wife Liese Kuehn met at CCAD and currently reside in Columbus, OH.

CCAD has educated young artists since 1879, so we’ve got a lot of history—not to mention more than 10,000 living alumni. We just can’t resist dipping into their wealth of untold stories. Most recently, we delved into our records to identify a graduate from every decade for which we are lucky enough to have a living alum. We asked them all just one question: What was CCAD like when you were a student?*

Edmund Kuehn (CCAD 1938)
Unfortunately Edmund was a bit under the weather when we went to do our interview, but we had the pleasure of speaking with his wife, Liese Kuehn (who also studied at CCAD), about his time here.
“Edmund had teachers who knew he was unusually talented and helped push him that way. But his fascination with art developed entirely on his own. At CCAD, he studied all the movements and got to know them well. He just took what suited his style.”

Roy Doty (CCAD 1942)
“My teachers at CCAD wanted me to be a great artist, but all I wanted to be was a cartoonist. I hung in there, didn’t change, and it was tough. People will try to change you, and you may not make it. But be yourself and dedicate yourself to something you think is worth it, even if it’s oddball—especially if it’s oddball! I only do me. And I’ve outlasted everybody.”

Joseph Grey (CCAD 1950)
“In the ’40s and ’50s, the school was much smaller, so students could spend a lot of time after classes sitting around and ‘chewing the fat’ with the instructors. It was like a close-knit family that could discuss all types of creativity—dance, music, art, theater, etc. Every student at the school had his or her own vision of how they saw their field—be it fine art, sculpture, architecture, advertising—and how the school provided the means to achieve their dreams.”

J. Luray Schaffner (CCAD 1962)
“We were all kind of free spirits back then. No real worries, although we thought we had the weight of the world on our shoulders. Nothing compared to today. We were extremely lucky.”

Bing Lee (CCAD 1977)
“In four years of college life, I spent most of my time in the V-Hall, a new concrete building, where the classrooms, workshops and the library were under the same roof. I had no problems working on my photographs, ceramics and prints inside a room without windows, I even enjoyed working long hours in such environments that I rarely paid attention to time. On the other hand, I did admire the huge windows in the library. I spent many hours there looking out those windows enjoying the sun and cleansing my mind. The CCAD extra-curricular programs added another dimension. For one year, I got a work-study job as archive assistant at the Columbus Museum of Art and had the opportunity to take close looks at the works of George Bellows and the Ashcan artists. For another year, I joined the CCAD VanArt program, which was sponsored by the Post Office with their donation of two mail trucks. I drove the VanArt II filled with art supplies to teach drawing in nursing homes. (This service is now considered art therapy, but CCAD was experimenting with it more than three decades ago.) Ultimately, the most memorable event was my first Thanksgiving at CCAD. It was like an intimate family dinner in a big office. Since I became a part of the CCAD family, when people asked me ‘Bing, where are you from?’ I said, ‘CCAD, I grew up there in the seventies.’”

Kellie Lewis (CCAD 1989)
“It was the bridge of time where things were going from handmade to computer generated. I got to stand in both worlds.”

Bruce Hull (CCAD 1998)
“I lived through [all the major] technological changes while going to CCAD. Sometimes it was a mixed blessing. On one hand, homework projects could be completed a little faster. On the other hand, the projects could be completed faster only if you had the computing power to do it. There were more than a few times when the computer would crash because a file was too large. And of course it only happened in the middle of the night before it was due. As computers became more prevailent, I saw more students foregoing handwork for digital work. Our instructors would constantly remind us that the computer was just a tool – like a paintbrush – and not to rely too heavily on its use. You gotta love ‘Undo’ though.”

James Griffin (CCAD 2005)
“We were fortunate enough to have all sorts of great new software and computer labs, but also have teachers adept at teaching a great variety of traditional techniques.”

*Ok, actually we asked a lot of questions, but we can’t tell you everything at once! Stay tuned for more from these fascinating interviews.

Alumnus Dean Mitchell (CCAD '80) exhibited at the Canton Museum of Art in Canton, OH.

One of the big changes we’ve made recently is to take Alumni Classnotes out of IMAGE magazine and bring them to you on our CCAD News Blog. We do our best to make sure most of the news our alumni submit to us ends up there, but since there are more than 10,000 of you making news all over the world, it’s a tough job to keep up with it all. Ultimately, not everything can make it into CCAD News. What doesn’t, ends up here.

We’ve also changed how you can submit classnotes. Now when news happens, let us know via the easy-to-use form on the alumni landing page. We only post career-related successes, awards, exhibitions, and publications, but we’d also love to know when you move, get married, or have children—just use that same form.

Now, without further ado, your classnotes from July-December 2010.

Career successes and awards
KATHLEEN (RIVERS) LANDES ’77 is a July 2010 artist in residence at the Santa Fe Art Institute, Santa Fe NM.

JON HAIR ’79 was recently honored by the city of Shanghai for his artistic contribution to the city’s efforts to revitalize its downtown theater district. In addition, his contemporary sculpture “Lucky 8” was commissioned by the city of Beijing and the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee and is now permanently installed at the Beijing International Sculpture Park.

JIM WEITZEL ’79 recently launched a new website and completed a steel sculpture for the grounds of Cooperris, a community based mental health program in western NC.

MATTHEW KASER ’84 received a multi-year Interpretive Design contract from the Texas Historical Commission for two historical sites. M. Kaser & Associates, Inc., was also awarded a contract with the US Army Corp of Engineers to design and produce an indoor and outdoor interpretive program at the Port Allen Navigation Lock in West Baton Rouge Parish LA.

KURT FONDRIEST ’85 had a selection of poetry published in the Winter 2010 issue of the Expressive Art Therapy Journal.

SANDRA (KESSLER) KAMINSKI ’93 recently accepted a position at the Pittsburgh Project located in Pittsburgh PA as visual arts instructor. Check out our blog for more information on Sandra.

ALYCIA (PARKER) YATES ’99 recently received her teaching license in Art Education from Ohio State University and is working toward her Master’s degree.

DAVID CROSLAND ’00 was selected as one of the winners in ArtSlant’s sixth juried Showcase of 2010 for his collaborative art piece “Booty & The Beast.” David also illustrated Yo Gabba Gabba! Comic Anthology. Find out more here.

MARIANO SANTILLAN ’00 had his comic book Seven Citadels released as a mobile comic by Robot Comics for iPhones, iPads and Droid devices.

KRISTI VALIANT ’00 has illustrated the recently published picture books The Goodbye Cancer Garden, Do You Love Me More?, Oliver’s First Christmas, and Dancing Dreams. She has also recently become the Regional Advisor of the Indiana region of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).

ELIZABETH WEISSBROD ’04 received a MA in Medical Illustration from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in May 2010. She now works for the Corbin Company as a medical illustrator/animator at the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences – Simulation Center in Bethesda MD.

STEVEN WEINZIERL ’05 recently completed projects for Nickelodeon, MTV, Discovery, and HBO through his Art Directing position at Click 3X. He also worked on Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” music video.

ALEXANDER KWAPIS ’06 recently accepted a position as Creative Director at Fusion Packaging, located in Dallas TX.

HAZEL TARR ’07 assisted with Shadowbox’s first three-week Summer Intern Bootcamp, Sketch Comedy Fest, and collaborative, “Seven Deadly Sins.”

MICHELLE DICK ’08 created custom hair accessories for the Vera Wang trunk show in July 2009. Her company, Mimi’s Closet, sells items at Big Rock Little Rooster in Columbus’s Short North.

EDEN (HUTCHINSON) WHITSETT ’08 currently owns and operates a tattoo and body piercing shop in Marion OH called Bettie’s Body Shop: Custom Tattoos and Body Piercing.

NICHOLAS CAVALIER ’09 accepted an editor position at Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago IL.

BARBARA BENAS ’10 is part of the official selection of artists featured on Cartoon Brew TV’s first annual Student Animation Festival, with her short Always, Only, Ever. The festival features work by emerging talents from around the world. The film has also been accepted into the Animation Block Party at Rooftop Films in Brooklyn NY. The Animation Block Party is New York City’s premiere animation film festival.

BERNADETTE CARSTENSEN ’10 was selected as to receive a full-ride scholarship to attend IlluXcon 3 in Altoona PA in November 2010.

KARTIKA MEDIANI ’10 has been accepted into the Animation Block Party at Rooftop Films in Brooklyn NY with her film, “Breath.”

Exhibitions
BERNARD BEN PEARCE ’70 Trinidad’s National Musuem, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

KATHLEEN (RIVERS) LANDES ’77 Istvan Gallery, Oklahoma City OK.

WALTER KING ’81 Walter King: Midwest Dialog, Fort Hayes Shot Tower Gallery, Columbus OH.

DANIEL DAY ’86 Colosseum Fine Arts, La Jolla CA.

PAUL HAMILTON ’88 Paul Hamilton: Poetry of Place, Decorative Arts Center of Ohio, Lancaster OH.

CHRISTOPHER GASTON ’90 and DOUGLAS BLACK ’90 Three Roads to Mashiko, MIDORI, Mashiko, Japan.

SANDRA (KESSLER) KAMINSKI ’93 State of the Art, State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg PA.

JAMIE SNELL ’94 Star Wars Celebration V, Orange County Convention Center, Los Angeles CA.

ROBERT ENGLERT ’96 Edge of Art New York State Artists Series: Designed to Scale, Everson Art Museum, Syracuse NY.

ROXANNE HOLONITCH ’97 Core Fitness Studio, Columbus, OH.

JONATHON REESE ’98 and SALEM REESE ’08 The Reunion Show, Art Outreach Gallery, Youngstown OH.

JAMES BAKER ’02 Wild Thing, Roberts & Tilton, Culver City CA.

RYAN OREWILER ’04 The Language of Art, Carnegie Gallery at Columbus Metropolitan Main Library, Columbus OH.

MANJARI SHARMA ’04 Elements of Water, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Fort Collins CO; PAANI, Richard Levy Galley, Albuquerque NM; SULTRY II, DUMBO, Brooklyn NY.

ANDREW STATTMILLER ’05, Mischief, Studio Gallery, San Francisco CA.

ANDREW INA ’06, BORYANA RUSENOVA INA ’06 Landing, Art Access Gallery, Columbus OH.

MICHELLE DICK ’08 ArtPrize 2010, Peaches Bed & Breakfast, Grand Rapids, MI.

MALLORY McCLELLAN ’10 Savage Gardens, Franklin Park Conservatory, Columbus OH.

EMILY RICKARD ’10 Material Collections, Wild Goose Creative, Columbus OH.

In the news
DEAN MITCHELL ’80 “Paintings by Dean Mitchell,” recave.com.

LAURA (PATTERSON) SANDERS ’88 CMH magazine.

MANJARI SHARMA ’04 Pdnedu magazine.

Poster designed by Class of 2011 President David Merz.

CCAD’s Class of 2011 kicked-off their last 100 days at CCAD with a fundraising concert in the Loann Crane Center for Design Thursday evening. All funds raised during the event will go toward the senior class gift.

This marks the first senior class gift in CCAD’s history. Seniors will raise funds during the remainder of their time here and donate all proceeds to the school’s general scholarship fund.

“Giving the gift of a scholarship was pretty much a no-brainer,” said Class President David Merz a senior majoring in Advertising & Graphic Design. “And getting to spend time with our classmates during our last days on campus makes giving back totally worth it.”

Emceed by Merz, the event opened with sets from local band Good Buddy and CCAD Advertising & Graphic Design senior Steven VanScoy. Columbus-based, nationally-touring band Yellow Light Maybe rounded out the evening.

Want more? Check out photos by emcee Merz on his very cool “the final semester” blog.

Make a donation toward the Senior Class Gift here. Include the words “Senior Class Gift” in the comment box.

Collier's workplace was named to Entrepreneur’s 2010 Great Place to Work Rankings

Digital marketing agency Bridge Worldwide was ranked sixth among medium workplaces on Entrepreneur’s 2010 Great Place to Work Rankings. Several alumni work for Bridge Worldwide, including associate copywriter Alexander Collier (CCAD 2010).

Collier has contributed to the copywriting on the websites of Folger’s, Dunkin Donuts, and Millstone Coffee. He also serves as the head copywriter for two monthly newsletters, The Folger’s Wakin’ Up Club and Folger’s Office Coffee.

“These [newsletters] are great experiences—writing for a primarily female audience, you really have to learn what they’re like, what they do, and what’s important to them,” said Collier. “This is vital in triggering an emotional response.”

“I owe a great deal to my mentor, CCAD instructor George Felton,” Collier said. “He taught me everything I know about Advertising. My Ad/Graph instructor, Doug Fisher instilled what it means to be a professional in every walk of life. I’ll never forget these guys who looked out for me. They’re one in million.”

Collier has also contributed on projects for Fixodent, Pringles, Charmin, and Puffs Tissues. To view his artwork, visit his personal webpage. Check out the work Collier created while a student at CCAD.

Bridge Worldwide is a leading digital and relationship marketing agency based in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a New York City office. Bridge Worldwide is a member of the WPP network, the second-largest agency holding company in the world. The agency’s client list includes several FORTUNE 500 companies, such as Procter & Gamble, Abbott Nutrition, ConAgra Foods, and Kroger.

For the complete ranking of Great Places to Work, visit Entrepreneur.

Alumnus Mark Riedy recently redesigned Budweiser's symbolic clydesdales.

Alumnus Mark Riedy (CCAD 1979) recently teamed up with creative firm Switch to redesign Budweiser’s logo. Through his employment at Scott Hull Associates, Riedy worked as illustrator designer on the project, developing and illustrating the classic logo.

“Whenever you are asked to work on a long-standing iconic image such as the Budweiser Clydesdales, the biggest challenge is striking a creative balance,” Riedy said in an interview on the company’s blog. “The art already has a name for itself. You want to add your own personal point of view while always considering the equity of the images that came before me.”

“The Budweiser Clydesdales are a symbol that is recognizable and loved by all ages,” Riedy continued. “The goal was to update the logo so that it would be more relevant and appealing to current Budweiser consumers.”

Scott Hull Asscoiates is owned by CCAD alumnus Scott Hull (CCAD 1977). In its 30 years of business, Scott Hull Associates have worked with more than 8,000 companies including Microsoft, Hasbro, Time magazine, Johnson & Johnson, and American Red Cross.

“We are helping companies understand the value of illustration and how to use it,” Hull said. “In a lot of cases, we can problem solve to get the strongest visual identity for that company. “

To learn more, visit the company’s website .

This post was included in the spring 2011 issue of IMAGE Magazine.

Green vase by Molly J. Burke

The old adage  “if you want a job done, ask a busy person” describes the students and alumni who make CCAD’s annual art sales successful events.

Consider students Chavilah Bennett, Michiella Sturiano, Dion Utt, and alumna Molly J. Burke.

Between the four, they work 10 part-time jobs and one full-time position. In their spare time they create art for CCAD’s Art Sale, held this year on Dec. 4 in the Loann Crane Center for Design.

Burke, a Graduate Admissions officer and adjunct instructor at CCAD, offers blown glass sculptures, vases, and ornaments, which she specifically makes for the art sale.

Sturiano is making glass, cut paper, and relief prints. Although she has helped coordinate past sales, 2010 is the first year she’s selling her nature-related and abstract art.

An Ad & Graphic Design junior, Sturiano is weighing input from experienced participants. She’s been advised to not underestimate the value (selling price) of her art and to “reasonably bargain” if a customer loves a piece but can’t afford it.

“This shows you’re passionate about your work and not just out to make a quick buck,” Sturiano said. She’s selling not only for profit but also to network and to be active within the CCAD community.

Portrait by Chavilah Bennett, class of 2012

Bennett, a junior majoring in Ad & Graphic Design, and Utt, a Fine Arts major, are sharing their sales space. Bennett already knows of people coming to the art sale specifically to buy her small 3D fish necklaces and keychains. The third grade teaching assistant in the Saturday Morning Art Classes (SMAC) program also is advertising examples of her portrait work and hopes to obtain a commission.

Utt, also a SMAC teaching assistant, is making metal and wood earrings and small sculptures for his first sale.

As a first-time participant Bennett is fulfilling a promise she made to herself as a freshman. She spent the past two years observing the holiday and spring sales, taking notes, and asking questions.

Bennett describes the sales as festive and fun. “It’s incredibly rewarding to sell something that I’ve made. I currently view graphic design as my future career, and my drawing, 3D, and illustrative skills as my hobby. I don’t have the stress of being forced to rely on selling my drawings and 3D art, so the CCAD art sale is fun for me,” she said.

A veteran participant, Burke (Fine Arts, ’06) reflects on how she has grown professionally as an artist. “I know what to prep for the sale and how long it takes to set up. I remember scrambling at times as a student but now it’s only a little added stress. I have yet to come up with the perfect way to display the ornaments so I may break down and build something this year. I have to admit it’s hard to find the time for that when sometimes its hard to even have time to make the artwork.”

The artists aren’t immune to some shopping of their own. At past sales, favorite buys have included jewelry, scarves, vases, a stuffed animal, and purses. And if funds are tight a plethora of wanted items can still be found.

Burke confesses to some occasional end-of-the-day exchanges. “Sometimes I will trade with people at the end of the sale. It’s a lot of fun that way. I usually trade for something smaller in size. I have this thing about not wanting to carry out more weight than I came with,” she said.

Image from www.foodandwineaffair.com

Chad Hughes (CCAD, ’10) is the first-place award winner of the art and poster contest held by Columbus Food & Wine Affair Grand Tasting.

Columbus Food & Wine Affair has sponsored an art and poster contest for CCAD senior Advertising and Graphic Design classes five times throughout the event’s eight-year history. When started in 2003, event organizers took notice of how other cities doing similar events incorporated the art community. “We wanted to do something better. We have seen art and wine as a natural connection from day one,” said Greg Maurer, event co-founder.

For the latest competition, three participating CCAD classes learned the history of the event, important elements that should be reflected in their entries, how their designs would be used, requirements for black & white and color usage, and the importance of representing food and wine equally  with an international and contemporary flavor.  Students made presentations using a variety of mediums.

Hughes’ winning artwork will be featured through all elements of the event, which takes place Sept. 24 at Franklin Park Conservatory. In addition to Hughes’ first-place cash prize, CCAD receives $1,250 toward its scholarship fund. Second place and a cash prize went to CCAD student Kaleah Horton with honorable mention awards and cash prizes going to Kaylynn Arnold, Corey Lucius and Jodie Erickson.

Hughes contemplated designing his presentation using computer graphics but eventually decided on photography. “I’ve been taking photos a long time. Using photography, I could bring my design to life,” he said. “Also, when I see things I can use for photo props, I save them. I have a lot of silverware and antique bottles to choose from.”

For additional coverage on Hughes and his winning design go to www.foodandwineaffair.com.  Or, check out his website at www.lifebulbdesign.com.

To see 2010 contest entries from CCAD students and past winning designs click here.