Academic
Returning to my college program as a teacher has been an immensely gratifying experience, enabling me to interact with the new generation of designers and fostering my growth as a design mentor and an individual.
Drawing from my own experiences, I aim to provide the support I wished for during my student days, offering insights into design trends, in-demand skills, and guiding students through exploration of various design industries. Print graphics, a cornerstone of our program, has proven invaluable as design trends extend into packaging, UI/web, motion, and experiential design, with some of my most cherished student works emerging from print and packaging projects.
I take joy in emphasizing honesty during critiques and tailoring feedback to each student's unique strengths and traits. Striking a balance between delivering tough yet constructive criticism is an art, and understanding each student's characteristics enhances the efficacy of the critique process. While crafting syllabi may not be a favorite task, I relish the freedom of developing new projects that resonate with students' interests. Despite scheduling challenges, integrating real-world projects into the curriculum has proven immensely rewarding, allowing students to refine their presentation skills and make impressions as emerging professionals.
Conducting group projects is a key focus, mirroring the collaborative dynamics of design firms. Managing time, strategically dividing tasks, navigating diverse ideas, and handling disagreements become crucial soft skills for future design professionals. One notable semester involved experimenting with augmented reality projects, a nine-week endeavor encompassing in-depth exploration of AR technology. This included uncovering 3D space layers, optimizing projection distance, anchoring images in the X, Y, Z axis, and creating mobile, cost-effective sculptures with integrated motion, sound, and 3D assets. The outcome was nothing short of remarkable, showcasing the students' ability to navigate complex challenges in a condensed timeframe.
The project, referred to as V.22 (Version 22), received recognition as a finalist for the 2023 SEGD Global Design Awards.
