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

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.)

Most people don’t think of an art college as an economic driver for a community, but James E. Kunk begs to differ. Kunk, regional president of Huntington Bank and treasurer of CCAD‘s board of trustees, believes that CCAD has made Columbus a more vibrant, diverse, and interesting place to live and work, which are all key elements for building a strong economy.

Since 1988, Huntington has made significant investments in CCAD to help create facilities and common spaces, making the campus more attractive for student life and business opportunities. These include contributions to CCAD’s Design Studios on Broad and the Loann Crane Center for Design.

“CCAD has created a true campus setting that engages and enhances the community,” says Kunk. “They’ve also transformed the area around the campus, creating a distinct art district on the fringes of downtown Columbus.”

Huntington’s most recent investment was the lead gift in support of the college’s new MindMarket, a creative hub where students and alumni will engage with entrepreneurs and the business world (search “MindMarket” on the CCAD blog for more about the MindMarket initiative). This generous donation further reflects the bank’s commitment to economic development and education in Columbus.

“CCAD’s MindMarket is a transformational program that will continue to position the college as a cutting-edge leader,” says Kunk. “It will provide students with real-world business education from industry experts, all while preparing them to enter the workforce upon graduation. Whether it’s a team of designers developing websites and company portals or the next wave of fashion to hit the runways, students can learn about business development and processes in real time.”

Huntington has also provided individual opportunities for CCAD artists and designers. In 2011 the bank sought out local artist and CCAD alumna Kirsten Bowen (Illustration 1989) to create a painting to augment Huntington Bank’s “Welcome” brand positioning. The painting, which was featured at the 2011 CCAD Senior Fashion Show, is currently displayed on the executive floor of Huntington’s headquarters in downtown Columbus.

In addition to the painting, Huntington leveraged Bowen’s artistic skills to create a scarf design for the bank’s colleague career apparel line. The result has received great feedback from Huntington associates for adding a fun and stylish piece to their work wardrobe.

“There has always been a prejudice that you can’t make a living as an artist,” says Bowen. “Having strong partnerships with businesses like Huntington Bank provides students and alumni with opportunities and helps us shake our bohemian reputation.”

Huntington also employs CCAD graduates in a variety of capacities from branding and advertising to developing its web presence, allowing the bank to engage with its customers both online and offline in creative ways.

“Huntington is an advocate for what CCAD is creating,” says Kunk. “The college is a true catalyst for Columbus’s creative class, and we are proud to be partners with such a driving force in our community.”

Alireza Massoumnia

By Alireza Massoumnia

Throughout history, fashion has always evolved—not only in style but also in accessibility to the masses. Just as the invention of the sewing machine during the first Industrial Revolution affected the speed and ease of garment construction, today’s advanced technology is pushing fashion to new heights in both affordability and quality, making it easier for consumers to obtain the most current fashions at affordable prices.

And technology isn’t just making production faster and cheaper. Now that high-fashion runway shows are immediately and widely available on the web, so-called “fast fashion” companies can produce and ship similar products at a much lower price and at a faster pace than the original designers. It’s true that high fashion and fast fashion cater to different types of customers, but it’s important to realize that each influences how the other is perceived.

Fast fashion brings new challenges for designers, who not only must (as usual) stay relevant to the ever-changing world of fashion, but also must keep their products desirable and different in this new context. As a designer, I find these challenges exciting. It has made me approach the creative process much differently than I did before. From the moment I pick up a pencil to the final result, I’m pushed to be more creative and to think outside the box. I’m more interested in the elements that make a high-fashion collection special, from craftsmanship and exquisite textiles to innovations in shape and construction.

However, this way of thinking is neither new nor unique; it has always existed for designers whose creations have stood the test of time.

In the winter of 2006 I was fortunate enough to be able to go into the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute archives and do hands-on research on 10 pieces from Christian Dior’s 1948 Zig Zag and 1954 Lily of the Valley collections. In those few hours, I realized how much thought and creativity had gone into every piece. In each garment, every detail had a purpose, from darts to seams. All the components were special—demonstrating a unique vision while at the same time pushing the boundaries of tailoring of the era.

That experience forever changed how I see fashion and made it clear to me why some creations are kept as treasures in museums around the world. It also made me appreciate and acknowledge contemporary designers such as Azzedine Alaïa and Rei Kawakubo who have always worked in this way.

My hope is that the flood of inexpensive, on-trend fashion options will be a wake-up call for high-fashion brands—helping them see, as I did, that fast fashion creates a greater opportunity than ever for unique and exquisitely made clothing.

Bio: Alireza Massoumnia is a New York City-based fashion designer who was born in Tehran, Iran, and grew up in San Francisco and New York. After earning a degree in fashion design he spent several years honing his skills with women’s wear brands in San Francisco before launching his own collection in New York in 1998. For seven years, the Alireza collection garnered great reviews and editorial coverage in many U.S. and international publications, including Vogue, W, Bazaar, WWD, and Elle. Since 2005 Massoumnia has worked with some of the most iconic names in fashion, such as Calvin Klein, Thierry Mugler, Zac Posen, and Isaac Mizrahi, as well as creating costume designs for stage and film.

Click on any thumbnail below to open a slideshow and view larger images of couture details from vintage Christian Dior garments in the Historic Costume & Textiles Collection at Ohio State University. Photographs by Lian Dziura (CCAD 2012).

Jeannine Kraft stands in a castle door.

By Kristen M. Foley

Jeannine Kraft’s imagination has been directed across the Atlantic Ocean ever since she was a young girl. Staying true to her earliest interests, the CCAD Liberal Arts assistant professor and History of Art and Design chair has fashioned a lifelong career from her ever-evolving passion for all things Irish.

Kraft’s childhood fascination was with medieval literature and mythology from throughout England, Ireland, and Wales. As a graduate student at Ohio State University, she focused on medieval Irish art, but over the past few years she has expanded her exploration of Irish art and culture. She’s currently investigating the expression of identity in the country’s art and how it reflects the history rooted in its breathtaking landscape.

An untitled print by Robert Ellis from his series "New Line." (© Robert Ellis)

“There are these layers of history that mark the landscape,” says Kraft. “When you [first] think of Ireland you think of the castles, the high crosses, and the standing stones, and how they became an embedded part of their cultural identity—but I’m interested in how they are reflected in the visual arts.”

During her sabbatical last summer Kraft used a CCAD Faculty Enrichment grant to make her eighth trip to Ireland. “I’m so passionate about the culture that when I do get to go somewhere, I choose there,” she muses. “I should probably diversify a little, but I love it so much.”

Even with eight trips behind her, Kraft still learns something new about the country and its people every time she visits. During last summer’s trip she chose to deepen her research on modern and contemporary art. What she uncovered was somewhat of an artistic struggle, as contemporary Irish artists try to embrace their heritage and the landscape without being drowned out by stereotypical views of their country. Kraft observes that the art of today is in contention with images of the past over which should serve as the authentic voice and vision of Irish culture.

An untitled print by Robert Ellis from his series "New Line." (© Robert Ellis)

“It’s a really loaded question for contemporary artists, because there is a tourist stereotype and kitsch image of Ireland, and they struggle with that legacy and cultural baggage,” says Kraft. “That’s really where I’m moving forward with my research, to this idea of the duality of the expression of Irish identity: the constructed mythology of the landscape versus contemporary artists striving for an authentic engagement with the landscape and its legacy.”

Kraft credits CCAD with assisting her in pursuing her work and allowing her to share it with her students, who are already fascinated with Irish art. She notes that students are curious about how the art has trickled down into contemporary pop culture via the use of Irish and Celtic symbols in tattoos and fashion patterns.

One final note brings Kraft’s childhood passion full circle. Her love for Ireland and for her young son have inspired her to write Liam the Valiant-Hearted Warrior, a children’s book set in Ireland and illustrated by CCAD Illustration alumnus Patrick Butler. She’s currently shopping it to publishers; we’re all looking forward to the results.

Above: The middle and last images are contemporary archival inkjet prints by Irish artist Robert Ellis from his series New Line, which documents the space inhabited by a small alternative community in the west of Ireland (both images Untitled, 40 x 47 inches, © Robert Ellis). The gallery below (click any image to view in larger, slideshow mode) includes snapshots from Kraft’s recent visit to Ireland.

From the Pipeline Project video directed by Erich Burchfield (with Meghann Pearson, Jen Stefanski, Dan Zimmer, Greg Browe, Philip Matthews, and Andy Robinson)

In film and video, there are a million ways to tell a story. With CCAD’s newly designed major in Cinematic Arts, you can find the right way (or ways) to tell yours, as well as learn the latest tools and tricks of the trade. Students in the program, which was officially approved last fall, learn the whole filmmaking process: storyboarding, production design, cinematography, directing, and post-production.

“The Cinematic Arts major grew out of a previous program, Media Studies, which was more general in nature. The recent name change reflects curricular revisions to offer a more focused major,” says Kevin J. Conlon, CCAD vice president for academic affairs. “This program prepares students in all cinema-related areas, but I think what distinguishes it from a typical film program is that, while the traditional skill sets are there, our program is all digitally based. Students won’t be working with traditional film—they’ll be working with 21st-century tools and techniques. We wanted to think ahead and think more broadly about preparing CCAD students for a variety of cinematic experiences.”

Conlon notes that students who pursue this major will dive deep into the roles of director, screenwriter, cinematographer, video editor, motion graphics designer, and sound designer. Throughout their coursework, they’ll be exposed to the latest film and editing technology and have the opportunity to spend time outside the classroom shooting on location. By the time students finish their senior project and put it on the big screen, they’ll have both a remarkable demo reel (including cutting-edge commercials, broadcast graphics, music videos, and short films) and a portfolio to showcase their talents.

Prospective students who are interested in the Cinematic Arts major should contact the CCAD Admissions office. Current students should contact One-Stop Student Services and make an appointment with an advisor.

In the gallery below, some student work by recent Cinematic Arts students.

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!

Tim Rietenbach's plan for "Grazing"

Columbus, OH, is turning 200 and to celebrate the city has gathered 56 international, national, and local artists including CCAD alumnus and professor Tim Rietenbach to create in public art projects around the city.

The entire series is called FINDING TIME: Columbus Public Art 2012. It will consist of 14 individual projects ranging from an LED light display on the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) building to new carillon chime compositions at a downtown Columbus church.

The projects explore the common theme of time, including its passage and measurement, along with notions of temporariness and permanence.

Rietenbach (CCAD 1977) is working on a piece called Grazing to be installed June 1, 2012. The art work consists of steel-rod cows that will appear to float on the Scioto River in downtown Columbus. The cows will have multiple moving parts that will be engaged by the flow of the water. Rietenbach said the cows will represent a time when farms were smaller and cows were able to roam the fields in close proximity to the city.

“The cows will, in appearance, be defying the laws of gravity (walking on water). Needless to say that is where the idea began and if realized will be the most gratifying artistic tool,” Rietenbach said. “My hope is that when finished I will have constructed a living gesture drawing that is as much phantom as it is real.”

Some of the art projects will blend in with Columbus’ urban landscape, while others may cause some head scratching, according to a Columbus Dispatch article.

“I think head scratching is OK,” said Columbus Art Commission Chair Diane Nance in the article. “It challenges people to think about what art is and what art should look like in a public space.”

Starting in 2010, the initiative has received grants from several organizations including the National Endowment of the Arts and The Ohio State University.

The projects will be documented as they are installed at www.columbuspublicart.com.

"Tangled Ever After," movie still (Disney Enterprises)

Alumnus Nathan Greno (CCAD 1993-1996) has brought back to life the beloved characters from Disney’s box-office hit Tangled in the newly released animated short Tangled Ever After.

Greno co-directed both animated movies with Bryon Howard, the first being released in 2010.

In a recent LA Times article Greno said that “the [first] movie kind of buttons up, but the one thing we didn’t do in the movie was a wedding. There’d be a beautiful wedding of Flynn and Rapunzel, just like the royal wedding. It would be this big, grand event. And Byron and I thought, ‘Well that’s not entertainment. Maybe little girls would like to watch that, but that’s about it’.”

The new animated short features two sidekick characters, Maximus and Pascal, in a comical chase around the kingdom trying to catch Flynn and Rapunzel’s runaway wedding rings while the wedding service is being performed.

“We figured out a way to give [the audience] exactly what they wanted, so there is a beautiful grand wedding in the short, but what happens pretty quickly, [is that] those two goofballs Maximus and Pascal lose the wedding rings. It turned into this big, zany, cartoony, fun, action-packed short,” Greno said.

Greno and Howard shared with the LA Times that the two side characters were inspired by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. The animators were able to do a lot of slapstick comedy in the short that didn’t make it into the original feature film.

Tangled Ever After is shown before Beauty and the Beast 3D, which was recently released in theatres.

Greno has worked with Walt Disney Animation since 1996 on films such as Mulan, John Henry, Brother Bear, Meet the Robinsons, and Bolt.

The exhibition features selected work from prominent female photographers. Bik’s photographs are of Hong Kong’s historical and notable landscapes and come from a body of work she developed in the 1980s.

“I paid particular attention to landmarks or buildings that were not considered ‘built heritage,’ but carried historical significance or were once frequented by locals,” Bik said in a recent artdaily.org article. “Because their demolition was inevitable, the only thing I could do was to document them photographically.”

The exhibition is open through Apr. 2, 2012.

To read the artdaily.org article, click here.

Christoff's dress design as constructed by Andrianna Papell

Alumna Genoveva Christoff (CCAD 2009) is a finalist in the E! Live from the Red Carpet Design Contest.

According to a recent Columbus Alive article, the Fashion Design alumna heard about the competition on Facebook and quickly put together a design for a floor-length chiffon gown for her entry. Christoff’s design was one of 670 entered; after a public voting process 25 designs were selected.

Adrianna Papell, a popular dress designer, then chose the top five designs as finalists and constructed one example of each.

The dresses are on display online where the public can vote for their favorite. The winning design will be worn to a Hollywood red carpet event by a celebrity, and its designer will receive a $2500 cash prize and a trip to Hollywood. The winning dress will also be included in the Adrianna Papell Spring 2012 Collection for E! Live from the Red Carpet, which will be available at Lord & Taylor.

The voting ends Jan. 22. To vote, click here. The winning dress will be revealed on E!’s Countdown to the Red Carpet Academy Awards special on Feb. 26, 2012.

To read the Columbus Alive article, click here.

The Inheritance Trilogy, from the author's website.

Once again a stunning illustration by CCAD alumnus John Jude Palencar is gracing the cover of a New York Times best-selling novel.

Published in November, Inheritance by Christopher Paolini is the fourth in a series, and it is holding steady at number three (at the time of this posting) in the New York Times best-selling children’s series list.

The series, which  follows a young boy named  Eragon and his dragon Saphira, includes the novels Eragon, Eldest, Brisinger, and Inheritance.

From the beginning, Palencar wanted to challenge what people expected from the cover art of a fantasy novel.

“Many readers wanted me to focus on the boy, Eragon, riding his blue dragon, with the dragon’s body displayed in all its glory,” said Palencar.

Instead, he opted to create portraits of the dragons featured in the books. He focused on the personality traits of each dragon, adding detailed expressions to the illustrations and shying away from bared teeth and fire.

“I wanted to do a simple portrait, something that would be instantly recognizable and could continue throughout the series,” said Palencar, an illustration major who graduated in 1980. “I prefer to create symbols instead of visually dictating the content to the viewer, since curiosity will entice the viewer just as much.”

Palencar didn’t stop with the portraits; he also created the title font. In an original sketch he wrote the name Eragon beneath the portrait; this hand-drawn font was then used on all subsequent covers.

Palencar’s professional relationship with the author has evolved into a good friendship over the course of their collaboration. The relationship began when the creative art director for the publisher of the series hired Palencar—without knowing that Paolini was a fan of Palencar’s work and had named Eragon’s birthplace, Palancar Valley, after the artist.

“You could even say it was divine providence or serendipity that brought us together,” said Palencar.

Palencar has been freelancing since the age of 15. He did work for American Greetings, Ohio Magazine, The Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine, and others while a student at CCAD. In his senior year, he won the top cash award at the Society of Illustrators student show. His success grew rapidly as he accepted book contract after book contract.

He has illustrated hundreds of book covers in more than 30 countries. His work has graced the jackets of books by well-known authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley, Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Ursula Le Guin, and more. He also has worked with national publications including National Geographic, TIME magazine, and Smithsonian magazine.

Currently Palencar is working on new, personal work that he plans to exhibit within the next year.

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.

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.’”