California State University Dominguez Hills College of Extended and International Education has announced its new Digital Arts Certificate Program set to launch February 8, featuring noted entertainment industry designers as instructors. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, employment of graphic designers is expected to grow 10 percent from 2006 to 2016, and the College of Extended and International Education is responding to the growing needs in this field.
Digital design has dramatically changed the way advertisements, print promotions, and entertainment industry designs are produced. Computer art plays an integral role in how creative projects are developed, designed, and produced. From video games to web page design, book covers, magazine illustration, and business advertising, digital art is driving today’s commercial art field.
Starting in February, aspiring artists will have a unique opportunity to learn the latest digital design techniques under the guidance of four highly regarded entertainment industry designers including:
Eric Teitelbaum— cartoonist, designer and co-creator of the new Pink Panther comic strip. His classes provide insights into the marketplace and how to develop a portfolio that will get work noticed. He believes a beginning portfolio shouldn’t contain too many visual examples. “Include no more than ten examples,” Teitelbaum advises. “If you fail to impress a client with your first few samples, you’ll surely end up boring them by showing too many.”
Robert Dillworth— new media designer with credits including Verizon-Qualcomm, Sony, Rhino Records, and designs for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dillworth is an animation specialist focusing his expertise on the Adobe Flash program. His unique teaching style gets students down to the basics right from start, often allowing attendees to leave the first class session with the ability to design and upload finished web pages.
Scott Saltsman— art director and designer. Credits include Warner, Verizon, and Stan Lee Entertainment— creator of X-Men and Spiderman. In his classes, Saltsman introduces students to special effects illustration using Photoshop. Saltsman follows a step-by-step teaching approach in his classes, allowing students to master even the most sophisticated design skills by the end of the lesson.
Jill Thayer— award-winning designer with credits that include NBC, Disney, and Buck Owens Entertainment. Thayer will introduce attendees to techniques for designing and producing corporate graphics including brochures and advertisements. She encourages students to experience the design process initially without using a computer. According to Thayer, “The computer is just another image-creating tool. A student first must develop competency using basic line, tone, color and composition, using paper and pencil. Computer special effects will then follow naturally.”
This unique study opportunity is offering students two certificate options, one that focuses on web page design, the other on computer graphics and design. Guided by the instruction of the talented team of industry professionals, students will gain hands-on experience creating simple design concepts and turning them into powerful visual messages. Upon competition, students will be well versed in electronic illustration techniques that offer them the ability to design electronic ads, brochures, and web pages.
The Digital Arts Certificate Program is open to all skill levels and anyone interested in digital design. The program will be of particular interest to business owners or entrepreneurs, beginning design students, artists looking to fine-tune their digital skills, and teachers. The courses have been scheduled on Sundays for the convenience of working professionals.
For more information on the Digital Arts Certificate Program, visit www.csudh.edu/extendeded or call 877-GO-HILLS. Interested students requiring additional information may contact instructor Eric Teitelbaum directly at
erictmail@earthlink.net.
