Boston, the home of Phong Nguyen (CCAD 2011) and his first post-graduation job.

By Kendra Hovey

It’s Thursday afternoon and by the look of things, Phong Nguyen might think he is back in college. After all, there are pizza and video games and it’s not even six o’clock. But Nguyen, 25, is not in college. The Texas native graduated from CCAD in 2011 and soon after took his Illustration degree to a new job at Tencent Boston—where every other Thursday is Game Day. “We stop working when the food arrives,” explains Nguyen. Spouses and partners come, and the play can last all night “or whenever we tap out.”

Tencent is China’s largest and most-used internet portal—comparable to Google—and Tencent Boston (TCB) is one of its U.S. branches. At TCB, the focus is on game development, and Nguyen is a junior concept artist. “Basically,” he says, “whenever there is a question of ‘how will this look,’ concept artists provide the answer.” Getting to that answer is when Nguyen knows for sure he is not in college. “In school, I might have weeks to complete an assignment. Here at work, from thumbnails, sketches, semi-final, to final can be as short as a day.”

Most days now at Tencent Nguyen works on a Cintiq digital tablet, drawing on the pressure-sensitive screen with a stylus. When he is given a project, it comes with a code name and an “art bible.” Sometimes the creative direction in the art bible is specific—a Greek castle, say, circa 15^th century, colors muted—and sometimes very loose, like the two words guiding his assignment for a project codenamed “Ice.” All Nguyen was given was “creepy cave”—so he created a dark, damp, eerie mood with lighting that allowed the action in the game to reflect off puddles and the damp roof of the cave.

Nguyen at work.

Is it challenging? “Yes,” he says, “but I’ve learned that when you push yourself, you can do a lot you didn’t think you were capable of.” The best part of his job—even better than Game Day—and the part he never loses sight of is this: “When it comes down to it, I’m being paid to draw and paint pictures.”

In a different city and a different industry, CCAD alum Kristen Macauley has also managed to marry art and career, and she is pretty pumped about it. At Haskell Jewels in New York, Macauley is the jewelry designer for the Robert Lee Morris line. “It’s been amazing,” she says. The 23-year-old Fine Arts major works directly with Morris, whose “wearable art” has been celebrated since the 1970s and can be found in the pages of Vogue and on the wrists of stars from Iman to the Olsen twins. (Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas is partial to his silver metallic cuffs.) Morris’s style is sculptural, conceptual, and organic. “He is an artist,” says Macauley, “and he inspires and motivates me every day.”

New York City, the home of Kristen Macauley (CCAD 2011) and her first post-graduation job.

Macauley, just like Nguyen, is less than a year out of CCAD. For any graduate, that first year is often a time of finding one’s professional legs, yet both of these young artists seem to be in full stride. “In fact, it’s been crazy hectic,” says Macauley—especially in January, when the runway pieces had to be ready for Fashion Week, which is right on the heels of Market Week, when Haskell opens its doors and all its lines to buyers scoping out the newest designs.

Macauley no longer works on the fabrication end making the jewelry itself. Yet before samples are delivered to the studio, she knows exactly what each piece will look like. It’s a skill she owes to CCAD faculty member Kelly Malec-Kosak, an assistant professor in Fine Arts and the chair of Dimensional Studies. “She makes you really get your hand and mind wrapped around what the material is going to do,” says Macauley, who also appreciated her former professor’s emphasis on communication, even her “dreaded” writing assignments. “One thing CCAD does very well,” she says, “is to make you talk about your work, what it is about, and the story behind it.” Macauley believes this prepared her for the intensive interview process that got her in, first, at the large apparel and accessories company the Jones Group, and then later, in November, at Haskell.

Macauley at work.

Macauley also discovered that her degree from CCAD was a “wonderful attention grabber.” In the accessories side of the New York fashion world, most candidates come out of the Fashion Institute of Technology, and Macauley’s interviewers assumed she did, too. “I was very proud to say, ‘No, I went to CCAD,’” she says. She feels that, as a result, there was more interest in her portfolio and her education.

CCAD also played a role in Nguyen finding his job. It was a CCAD alum who told him about the opportunity at Tencent Boston. Nguyen was a senior at the time and already building his concept art portfolio; he immediately began researching Tencent so he could tailor his portfolio to the company’s needs.

From Nguyen’s first day at CCAD, his plan was to work in entertainment. The industry is recession-proof, he explains, and “allows steady income without losing creativity.” His parents were supportive of his art degree, but to him the loans were scary. He’s glad to have found that he is able to handle them now.

Macauley’s family is, in her words, a “huge supporter of the arts.” Her father is an application architect for Rolls-Royce North America. Macauley had always expected that, like her father, she would do creative work within a commercial enterprise, but exactly what kind of work that would be didn’t come together until her senior year at CCAD. “That’s when I realized I wanted to combine my interests and find a way to deliver a fine arts message with a fashion and jewelry design look,” she recalls.

Now living in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, Macauley likes to take advantage of the design scene in New York—going to events, conferences, and museums. Still, she does miss CCAD, especially the studio time. Her advice to current students: “Take full advantage, because when you leave, studio time is not cheap.” Nguyen especially appreciated the camaraderie of talented artists at CCAD, as well as the painting and figure drawing classes, and nights spent sketching and drinking bubble tea at Pochi’s. In Boston, he enjoys going to Newbury Street and Chinatown.

But both grads are well aware that they’re still getting to know their new cities. It’s no surprise; after all, it’s just the first year.

Click any thumbnail below to view images in larger, slideshow format. Nguyen and Macauley each provided images of of their work and offices. Thanks to Fernanda Medina of sydandpianyc.com for the 2011 photo of a Robert Lee Morris shop window in SoHo.

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.)