Graphic Design

Archived News

"Weapons of Mass Creation" Festival May 22, 23
VMCAD GD students have joined GoMedia festival planning. Graphic Design students have joined an initiative to create a signature art, flim and music festival in Cleveland, titled “Weapons of Mass Creation,” produced by GoMedia. The festival will take place May 22 and 23 at Parish Hall, 6205 Detroit Ave, in the Gordon Square Arts district. There will be film screenings, punk rock and indie/folk bands, as well as talks and workshops by creative entreprenuers. The activities take place in the midst of an art show featuring artists and designers from across the U.S.

VMCAD GD grad Ryan D'Agostino published in Flash / Flex

Graphic Design graduate (2006), Ryan D'Agostino has published a tutorial in Flash/ Flex magazine. The tutorial shows Flash developers how to create a dynamic photo gallery for online presentations. Many people learning Flash take an approach to photo galleries that makes updating difficult. Ryan's tutorial explains how to structure code in such a way that the gallery is updated the next time readers visit the page. "This is a huge time saver, especially if you sell this to a client," says Ryan. "VMCAD gave me a positive mindset to handle tough situations/deadlines. With dedication and hard work, I can be the best and output great work that makes my clients happy." Ryan graduated with an Associates Degree of Applied Business in Graphic Design from VMC in 2006. http://download.ffdmag.com/en/ffdmag_03_2010.pdf

GD Grad Mike Kubinski wins COSE Young Arts Entrepreneur Award
Mike's C.L.E. Clothing Company garnered COSE attention April 28. Since 2008, VMC Graphic Design graduate Mike Kubinski's C.L.E. Clothing Company has been "Spreading Cleveland Pride, One T Shirt at a Time." Now Mike's sharp business planning and artistic excellence have been awarded by the Council of Smaller Enterprises (COSE) with its prestigous Young Arts Entrepreneur Award. VMCAD Graphic Design Department Head, Todd Saperstein, nominated Mike for the award. "I nominated Mike for his passion as a designer and his courage to follow his heart. Mike has combined a passion for graphic design and his fashion-forward sense of style, with a love for his hometown Cleveland. He’s become a champion for this region." Mike credits his fast start to their internship programs. “The college allowed me to experience the retail clothing industry first hand.” Its personalized attention helped him master his craft quickly, with classes in technique, marketing and branding, as well as, small business. Mike started the company with partner Jeff Rees. The recognition took place at the 2010 Arts Business and Innovation Awards on April 28.

John DePace, GoJo Industries, speaks May 20th

DePace talks about the marketing side of design, 9-10 am. “The Client, the Work, and Your Business: What Matters Most from the Client’s POV” is presented by John DePace, Director of Global Retail Marketing for GoJo Industries, Inc., (makers of Purell). He will speak to Graphic Design students about understanding the marketing side of design. The program runs on Thursday, May 20th, from 9-10 am in Studio 2, with a half hour lecture and half hour Q & A. John is the father to graphic design student Jeremy DePace.

BOSS Orange T-shirt Design Competition

Hugo Boss launches international design competition on Facebook. Graphic Design students have entered a t-shirt design competition launched by Hugo Boss on Facebook to help promote their new brand BOSS Orange. GD students Kyle Webber, Jesse Jusek, Cristina Munoz, Jeremy DePace, Justin Sobota, Stephanie Jones, Kate Johnson, and Travis Ankrom submitted designs that are featured in the front window at VMCAD. The competition centers on the creation of a distinctive parrot design t-shirt. The winner will visit HUGO BOSS in Metzingen, Germany, to spend a day designing with the BOSS Orange Creative Team. The finished T-shirt will feature as a special edition in the BOSS Orange 2011 Spring/Summer Collection. Submissions on the BOSS Orange fan page are due by April 30, 2010.

Check out some of the designs below!

Professionals Review GD Portfolio Presentation

GD students received helpful feedback on their portfolios from a panel of industry professionals: Michelle Seeber – Account Executive for Felber & Felber Marketing; Greg Luvison – Independent Creative Director & Consultant; and Dan Weiss – Senior Creative Recruitment for American Greetings. The panel reminded students that portfolios, not resumes, represent who they are as designers. “Be who you are and let that shine through,” said Dan Weiss. He also suggested providing interviewers with a CD form of the projects. “Show the breadth of your skills with multiple types of collateral pieces,” Greg suggested. Dan added, “Take your design to new places – slant, enlarge, crop, make each piece unique.” Michelle described the thought process of interviewers. “We‘re trying to answer ‘who are you?’ and ‘where can you fit on my team?’ ” All the students appreciated the real-world experience of presenting their portfolios and gaining professional feedback.

GD student Chelsea Harris creates 100th Anniverary logo

The 2009 fall quarter Corporate Identity class led by Nina Messina, and students selected by Department Head Todd Saperstein, accepted the challenge of Designing The City Club of Cleveland’s 100th Anniversary Logo. The City Club of Cleveland described its desire to engage a younger, more contemporary and tech-savvy audience. Carrie Miller – Public Relations & Program Manager for The City Club – stated, “The students were receptive to our desire to maintain the tradition of The City Club while adding a new, fresh component, to celebrate that we are 100 years old. We are ecstatic with the design we received. The faculty was very helpful in leading us through the selection process with our committees. We look forward to continuing to work with VMCAD through our 100th celebration and beyond. Graphic Design student Chelsea Harris is the creator of the chosen logo and will work in coordination with Carrie on all the 100th Anniversary collateral containing the new icon.

Graduate Spotlight: Jenna Kropp

You've heard it a million times… teachers tell us to work hard, don't pass up any opportunity, and work for what you want. I’ve been able to stand out in my job with those helpful tips. On the last day of my unpaid internship Home Shopping Network's Improvement Catalogs, I was offered a paid part time position! Everyday at work is something different. I get to work with the catalog itself, designing pages for the website, designing and coding emails, as well as creating postcards, mailers and hangtags.

I get to work in the studio, setting up shots for different items. I get to do everything that the creative department covers to keep this catalog and website running. Now I'm being offered a full time position for their upcoming website. I’m excited for my future at Improvements Catalog. I saw something that I wanted, I worked for it, proved myself and will soon be reaping the benefits.

VMCAD to co-sponsor AAF Event, March 25

VMCAD and the American Advertising Federation (AAF) is co-sponsoring "How Multi-Cultural Marketing Can Impact Your Business’ Bottom Line" with AT&T, and Glazen Creative. Guest lecturer will be Jennifer Jones, VP for Diverse Markets and Post Sale Communications at AT&T. Ms. Jones will discuss the importance of targeted multi-cultural marketing and the long-term successes it can achieve. Registration, Networking, Continental Breakfast – 8:30 AM, Program 9:00-11 AM. Tickets – $15 for members, $25 for non-members, $10 for students.

Click the thumbnails below to see photos from of this event.

Student Art Show

Attention students! This year’s student art show is fast approaching!

The show will take place on Friday, May 14th, 2010 from 6:30-8:30 at VMCAD. All students are welcome to submit work that showcases their technical and creative skills. Guest judges from the community will be in to review all the student work.

First place finishers will receive $200, Second and Third place finishers will receive $100 and $50 respectively, and the Best in Show winner will receive $500!

Students can submit work in the following categories:

Fashion Design/Fashion Illustration
Fashion Merchandising/Visual Display
Graphic Design
Interior Design
Drawing/Graphic Illustration
Digital Media and Photography

Guidelines for submissions are available at the front desk. Deadline for all student work is May 2, 2010.

VMCAD Animation Camp

Sign up now! The animation camp consists of 4 sessions, each only $25. The instructor, Dave Fleischer, has created puppeteering software for Nickelodeon, and has been lead animator on theme park rides for Disney.

He now teaches at VMCAD and happily spends the rest of his time developing animation for TV. Click the image to the left to see the flier or you can click here to download the PDF.

Student Art Show

Attention students! This year’s student art show is fast approaching!

First place finishers will receive $200, Second and Third place finishers will receive $100 and $50 respectively, and the Best in Show winner will receive $500!

Students can submit work in the following categories:

Fashion Design/Fashion Illustration
Fashion Merchandising/Visual Display
Graphic Design
Interior Design
Drawing/Graphic Illustration
Digital Media and Photography

Guidelines for submissions are available at the front desk. Deadline for all student work is May 2, 2010.

VMCAD to co-sponsor AAF Event, March 25

Click the thumbnails below to see photos from of this event.

GD student Chelsea Harris creates 100th Anniverary logo

Professionals Review GD Portfolio Presentation

BOSS Orange T-shirt Design Competition

Check out some of the designs below!

John DePace, GoJo Industries, speaks May 20th

VMCAD GD Graduate Michael Kubinski is a finalist for COSE Award April 28.

Kubinski is a finalist for the Young Arts Entrepreneur Award. VMCAD GD Graduate Michael Kubinski, C.L.E. Clothing Co., is a finalist for the COSE 2010 Arts Business and Innovation Awards are April 28th, 6:00 pm at Cleveland Public Theater.

Portfolio Review for GD students, March 12th

Graduating GD students present to industry professionals.

From 12:00 – 2:00 PM, graduating GD students will present to a panel of guest reviewers, which include: Dan Weiss, Senior Creative Recruitment (American Greetings), Greg Luvison, Creative Director for over 19 years (Stern Advertising), and Michelle Seeber, Account Executive (Felber & Felber Marketing). Students present in the last week of their Portfolio Presentation class in order to obtain vital feedback and develop their interviewing and professional presentation skills. The open and relaxed environment allows students to "Fail Forward," or learn from their mistakes. The panel is designed to help students become confident and well prepared.

Where are they now?

Graphic Design graduate Todd Rayner’s first love was comic illustration. Like most graphic designers his dream was to someday work for Marvel, DC, or Image comics. And while that’s a lofty dream, anything is possible with hard work, talent and passion.

Just a few weeks ago Todd sent VMCAD a very special email. Todd Rayner had not given up on his dream and his passion had finally found him!

The email read, “Just wanted to let everyone know that you can now purchase issues 1 and 2 of “The Elite” – my first published comic book colors! It’s a longtime dream of mine to have accomplished this and I just wanted to share my excitement.”

This is proof once again that dreams do come true. And VMCAD helps students develop the skills and nurture the passion to make it all happen. VMCAD is so proud of Todd’s accomplishments. Congratulations, Todd! Your hard work paid off!

Click the comic book cover to take a peak inside!

Students and Faculty Network at American Advertising Foundation (AAF) Luncheon

GD students, Kyle Webber, Cristina Munoz, Jesse Jusek, were specially selected to attend a networking luncheon with faculty at the American Advertising Foundation Luncheon on January 20. “Students best understand professional networking by experiencing it, first hand,” said Todd Saperstein, GD Department Head. Students observed how a networking event flows and how professionals interact with each other. “The lecture topic was ‘Jedi Copywriter, or Everything I Needed To Know About Advertising I learned From Star Wars.’ The Sci Fi metaphors rang true for these students and all had a stellar experience!

Ohio Venture Association (OVA) selects VMCAD for Re-Branding Project

The Winter 2010 Portfolio Preparation class has just accepted an exciting challenge – the redesign of Ohio Venture Association’s (OVA) logo, amplifying OVA’s brand and new, more focused mission. The design team includes GD Department Head, Todd Saperstein, and graduating GD students: Alicia Alexandria, Nathan Damm, Amy Dennis, Jason Monroe, and Trena Saunders.

The Ohio Venture Association, based in Cleveland, is the leading organization in Northern Ohio, focused on bringing investors and entrepreneurs together to accelerate the progress of the business community. To gain a clearer sense of the company’s identity and mission, the class mingled with OVA staff at the January 8th luncheon, “Accelerating CleanTech Venture Activity in Ohio.”

Lecture & Internship Opportunity for GD and DM students on February 11, 9:00am – 11:00am in the VMCAD Auditorium

Author and entrepreneur, Gary Schoeniger, will share his story and present VMCAD students with an opportunity to participate in creating print and multimedia promotions that will be included in their global outreach program. Mr. Schoeniger is the Founder and CEO of The Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI), an organization dedicated to providing interactive, multimedia online entrepreneurship education programs for individuals and organizations worldwide. ELI’s online learning programs are currently being distributed throughout Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia with students enrolled in 23 countries throughout the world.

01.29.2010 – American Greetings' Dan Weiss to speak to GD students!
Dan Weiss, Head of Talent Acquisitions for American Greetings, will present a guest lecture to Graphic Design students on Friday, January 29th at 3pm. He will talk with students about how to effectively brand themselves, make their most marketable qualities shine, and get the job!

12.25.2009 – Sports Illustrated Features John Kenney!

VMCAD Photography Instructor published in this month's Sports Illustrated! Check out VMCAD Photography Instructor John Kenney's photographs in this month's Sports Illustrated! Mr. Kenney took the photograph of 1973 Heisman Trophy winner John Cappelletti on the field at Penn State. The photograph was originally taken in 1973 but was published in the December 2009 issue of Sports Illustrated for the 75th anniversary of the prestigious Heisman Trophy Award.

The photograph is unique not only because of the challenging winter weather conditions, but also because it is a shot of Cappelletti coming off the field late in the game. His helmet is off, and after rushing for more than 200 yards that game, the halfback looks weathered. Instead of a typical action shot, this photograph shows Cappelletti's determination and personality. Support Mr. Kenney's work by picking up a copy of this month's Sports Illustrated!

12.11.2009 – One Silent Night – Neil Zaza Event

VMCAD's Graphic Design students have signed on to be a part of local guitarist Neil Zaza's holiday show, One Silent Night at Playhouse Square. Students Lauren Suter and Brad Jira designed t-shirts and a new logo for this year's holiday show. Neil Zaza is an internationally renowned guitarist and will be playing holiday classics infused with his own unique style. The concert took place on Friday, December 11th at 8:30pm at the Palace Theater in Playhouse Square. Visit www.neilzaza.com for more information!

12.24.2009 – GD Final Fall Portfolio Presentations!

Congratulations to our Fall Quarter 2009 Graphic Design Graduates- Brad Jira, Jenna Kropp, Demetrius Reddick, Lauren Suter and Sarah Wuebbenhorst- who presented their final portfolios to a panel of industry professionals including: David Rosenberg, President of Rosenberg Advertising, Deborah Zadnick, Creative Director for Pulsar Products, and Susan Adamic, VMCAD Graduate and Graphic Designer for Felber & Felber Marketing. Our panel did a wonderful job of building our students' confidence while sharing the reality of industry expectations and demands in the field of Graphic Design. Our students presented beautiful and professional portfolios and responded to panel questions in way that substantiated their knowledge of graphic design principles and software. To view graduate portfolios, click here!

11.16.2009 – WNWV 107.3 The Wave – Cleveland Playhouse Festival of Trees

This year three of VMCAD’s students designed the Christmas Tree for 107.3 The Wave as part of The Cleveland Playhouse’s Festival of Trees. The Cleveland Playhouse lines its lobby with more than 70 Christmas trees designed by organizations throughout the community. The trees come in all shapes and sizes and will be on display through New Years.

Sarah Wuebbenhorst (Graphic Design), Jazmine Nosseir (Fashion Design) and Cristian Brooks (Fashion Merchandising) designed the tree for 107.3 and put the tree in place on Monday, November 16th at the Cleveland Playhouse!

12.10.2009 – GD Final Critiques this Week!

Good luck to our Graphic Design students in Portfolio Prep who will be presenting their portfolios to a panel of industry professionals this week on Thursday from 6-8pm in Computer Lab 2!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Graphic Design Guest Speaker Amanda Destro of Pulsar Paper

Come hear VMCAD's own Graphic Design graduate Amanda Destro speak about "The Creative Process for Developing Ideas that Sell."

Amanda will be speaking on November 20th, 2009 from 4:00pm – 4:45pm.

For more information contact GD Dept Head Todd Saperstein at 216.221.8584