GCOM 490: From Theory to Practice

Looking to expand your portfolio and experience? These former students speak about the amazing benefits they received from GCOM 490 which will be offered this Spring Mondays and Wednesdays from 1-3pm.

ADAC Holiday Mixer

This Art Directors and Artists Club event is a great way to meet and network with creative professionals.

December 13, 2010

6-8 p.m.
AIA Central Valley Building

1400 S Street, Sacramento

Free to members, $5 non members, $3 students.

Featuring a silent auction to benefit the Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services.
Attendees are welcome to bring donations for the Food Bank to the event.

Spring 2011 Outreach Cover Design Winners Announced!

Congratulations to GCOM students Karen Adams and Rich Palmer, winners of our Outreach Cover Design Contest for the Spring 2011 Semester. We had about 70 entries total, and Karen's composition was chosen for the Davis Center, and Rich's was chosen for the West Sacramento Center.

Rich relocated from Connecticut in the summer of 2008 and is currently a second semester, Music , Audio Production Major at the Sacramento City College Branch. He is an aspiring music engineer with the hopes of one day owning a Post Production and Multi Media Facility. Rich has a wide variety of interests such as graphic design, video editing, photography and music production.

Karen recently launched a small graphic design and communications business from her home in Davis. Her new pursuits build upon a 20-year journalism career that took her from newspapers in Southern California to the Washington Post and finally the Sacramento Bee. In 2006, she began taking classes at SCCʼs Graphic Communications Department, which gave her the skills and confidence to reshape her career. She can be reached through www.coffeebreakdesign.net, a website she created as a class project.

Robyn Waxman lecture -- Monday, Nov. 15

Hey students!

GCOM professor Robyn Waxman is doing a lecture for ADAC titled "The Next Generation of Design -- The F.A.R.M Story".

This lecture will be Monday, November 15 from 6-8 p.m. at AIA Central Valley Building, 1400 S Street, Sacramento.

Lecture description:
The Millennials (ages 18–30) are technologically savvy, participatory, positive, reluctant to criticize, and experiential. They have respect for the law and for authority, yet demand transparency and feel entitled. Many Millennials are interested in participating in sustainability movements, but... only in a manner that nurtures these sub-cultural nuances.

Design is experiencing a paradigm shift. Designers are experimenting with more interactive ways of engaging participatory culture and democratizing making. The methods in which design engages the world is expanding. My work seeks to examine the role of the next generation of designers in catalyzing their generation’s social and environmental movements.

The F.A.R.M story will serve as one way to rethink traditional activist mediums (the poster and the protest) and the role of the design activist, in an effort to more fully engage the next generation of design.

Q&A will follow after the lecture. Refreshments will be provided.

Admission is free for all ADAC members, $5 for the general public, $3 for non-member students.

If you are interested in joining ADAC, please come to the lecture and you can sign up for membership on the spot. Student membership is $29 yearly.

Hope to see you there!

Student Newspaper Designers Win First Place!

GCOM students, along with Journalism and Photography students at the Express student newspaper, won 8 top awards from the Journalism Association of Community Colleges NorCal conference this week.

The cover design work of student Victor Quintana, Casey Mar, and David Kitchell won First Place for Front Page Layout.

Mar also won a First Place for Advertisement design, and Kitchell also won a Third Place for Photo Illustration. GCOM student Lori Llanillo won a Second Place for Illustration and a Third place for Informational Graphic.

Both the print and Web versions of the Express shared General Excellence awards in their category, and the Journalism and Photography students won seven more awards, including two First Places.

Great work students!!

ADAC Kickoff Event: November 1

Hello?!

We’re here. Where are you?

What is the state of design in Sacramento?
How can we come together to make a stronger community?

We have some ideas. We want to hear yours.

Join us for an evening and lets see what we can come up with together. It’s time you became involved in a serious endeavor to connect, strengthen and promote design in this city.

This is a volunteer run organization. An organization rich in history and unique in accomplishment. The design community needs you to step up and help maintain this legacy as we forge into the future determined to make an impact.

We will be outlining a renewed vision for ADAC, present plans for the coming year, and provide you an opportunity to speak with us and each other about what we can accomplish together.

Refreshments will be provided.

Admission is free and all are welcome.

Hello!? 11/1/10
Monday 6-8:30 p.m.

AIA Central Valley Building
1400 S Street, Sacramento

Email president@adac.org for more information.

You can also visit http://adac.org for more info.

This is your chance to get a published and printed design for your portfolio. All GCOM students are welcome to submit designs.

Sacramento City College’s Davis and West Sacramento Outreach Centers need your design and artistic skills. Using Photoshop, Illustrator and/or Modo, create a cover concept or illustration for one of the outreach location's Spring 2011 class schedule and submit it for consideration by Friday, October 29.

Each cover needs to follow a specific theme. All the important details are on THIS FLYER (click to download), which is also posted in the Design Lab and T-100 classroom.

You can also see examples of past student-designed published covers HERE.

Any questions about this can be directed to Don at buttond@scc.losrios.edu or Tom at cappelt@scc.losrios.edu

Vote for the new SCC logo (designed by the GCOM 490 class)

Attention students! You will be receiving a link via your iMail account today to an SCC Logo Survey. You will have until next Wednesday to give your feedback and choose the logo concept that you feel would best represent the school.

Though there is an official Sacramento City College (the scratchy logo below), there is no consistent use of the logo on any of the school's collateral. (The school's web site uses a different SCC logo on it's home page).


GCOM 490 was commissioned by President Jeffery to concept new logos for the Sacramento City College. They were designed and developed by current and former GCOM students Charles Henderson, Christie Garcia and Lori Llanillo. The GCOM 490 class will pick the project in the spring to begin work on phase two of the project that will include the design of collateral pieces and brand photography.

Here is a sneak peek at the logos on the survey.

Former GCOM 490 Student Update: Priscilla Garcia

Happy summer everyone!

Here's a quick update from one of GCOM's former star students. You may recognize her from her GCOM 330 tutoring days or when she was the GCOM Club's president. But Priscilla Garcia shares what she's doing now and how taking GCOM 490: The Graphic Communication Learning Studio helped her land a killer job at the Sacramento News & Review.

GCOM 490 will be offered this fall Mondays and Wednesdays from 1–3pm. Sign up today!

Name: Priscilla Garcia
Semesters enrolled in GCOM 490: Fall 2008 throught Fall 2009
Current professional status/occupation: Designer at the News & Review
Best thing about being a graphic designer: If you're going to spend 40 hours a week working, you might as well be doing what you love, and I love graphic design.
Lessons from GCOM 490: You don't get real-world experience in the other GCOM classes but GCOM 490 allowed me to experience the full process of working with a client, and also other designers and photographers. It's one thing to communicate graphically, but a professional designer must be able to communicate with their client, their photographer, and their collaborators. Plus, you can't turn in projects late like any other assignment. Working with clients helped me learn how to manage my time and set realistic deadlines.

I didn't feel confident with my portfolio. But taking GCOM 490 gave me to the opportunity to work on full-scale real-world projects and studio photography.

GCOM 490 taught me the importance of networking, it's not just what you know, its who you know! In my 3 semesters in 490 I met so many local professionals from different industries and through this class I was able to get an internship at SN&R. Before the summer was over, I was hired as an employee, not just because I was capable of the job, but because I was a motivated GCOM 490 student with professional references from my teachers.

Other GCOM classes/instructors that really propelled you: Missy's Graphic design production class helped me understand basic principals of design and the creative process

Super cool infographic

Check out this great (and very, very tall) INFOGRAPHIC showing the heights and depths of the planet Earth.

Avatar Days explores online avatars in the real world

Avatar Days from Piranha Bar on Vimeo.

Check out this great short using 3D and motion capture.

BRAINSTORM Today!

Swing by the Student Center TODAY to see the winners of the Student Design Awards and to witness the infamous Iron-Chef like competition, the Face-Offs. The goodness starts at 2pm. See the schedule below!

May 17, 2010

2pm - 7pm

SCC Student Center

Schedule

(may be subject to change)

2pm Welcome

3:00pm Student Graphic Design Face-off

• John Conley
• Brian Graham
• May Kim
• Slavic Palenyy

3:45pm Faculty Design Face-off

• Don Button
• Pat Crandley
• Jenn de la Fuente
• Chris Seddon
• Aaron Winters

4:30pm Student 3D Design Face-off

5:15pm Student Motion Design Face-off

6:00pm Student Design Awards/Reception

• See who and if anyone claims the top award in each category!
  

ADAC Event: What's Next?

ADAC (the Art Directors and Artists Club) presents What's Next?, a panel featuring four Sac State graduates speaking about the different paths they've taken in the design world since graduating five years ago.

Hans Bennewitz, Christopher Lee, Rob Martin and Jeffrey Tanhueco will spend the evening recounting very different paths taken post graduation. Design degree in hand they have found homes for their particular design talents in Sacramento, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Come hear their stories of trial and tribulation and ask questions as this panel of young award winning and published designers share their relatively new found wisdom.

Event info:
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
6-9 p.m.
AIA Central Valley Building
1400 S Street, Sacramento

Event open to ADAC members and non-members.
Free admission for members, $5 for non-members, $3 for student non-members.

More info:
http://adac.org

Refreshments will be served.

It's a great event, particularly if you're a student about to finish school, but it should also be entertaining and informative.

GCOM 490 gives students access to the local design industry

Photo - GCOM 490 from White Bay Pictures on Vimeo.
Take a peak at one of our joint classes with the PHOTO 490 class.

The Creative Agency at Sacramento City College (GCOM 490) offers you the opportunity the use the skills you've learned in previous classes in real world context. Collaborate with equally talented photography students. Work for local clients.

This is the only class where students get their work critiqued and receive meaningful feedback from industry professionals such as former Art Director at The Sacramento Bee, Garth Nearents and current Art Director at Glass McClure, Darcy Self.

Refine not only your design eye, but also improve your interpersonal communication and project management skills as well-- all valuable assets in your design career.

Come be part of The Creative Agency. In addition to the fall and spring semesters, GCOM 490 will now be offered this summer from June 7 through August 7, Mondays and Thursdays from 3-5pm.

For more info information, please email Andrea Diaz-Vaughn at diazvaughn@gmail.com.

Academy of Art at SCC

The Academy of Art (San Francisco) will be on campus this Monday, May 10 from 10am – 1:00pm in the quad.

Students will be able to get information on transferring to the Academy of Art University, get general questions answered about programs and transfer requirements, fill out applications, and also register for fall 2010 classes.

For more info, visit the AA website.

State Graphics Job recruitment

The California Department of General Services is advertising a one-day filing opportunity to apply to take their Digital Composition Specialist test. Passing the test makes qualifies you for potential job openings in various state agencies.

This test may not happen again for over a year, so it's a good idea to take the opportunity now.

The one-day filing is on May 12, 2010

The written test date will be August 21, 2010.

All the info is available HERE.

Time to enter the Student Design Awards

The 2010 GCOM Student Design Awards will recognize the best student work for the 2009-2010 school year. The competition is open to GCOM@SCC students who were enrolled in one or more GCOM classes during the Fall 2009 or Spring 2010 semesters. All entries will be on display and the results announced at the Brainstorm Student Showcase on May 17.

Download the INFO FLYER & ENTRY FORM

or pick one up in the Design Lab or any of the GCOM classrooms.

SCC Outreach Cover Winners Announced!

Congratulations to GCOM students Loren Hill and Tristan Corrales.

From a very competitive field, Loren Hill's design was chosen for the West Sacramento Center, and Tristan's was chosen for the Davis Center.

There were so many excellent entries!

Brainstorm Student Showcase - May 17

GCOM@SCC and the GCOM Club present Brainstorm: the 2009-2010 Design Showcase featuring Student Awards and Face-off competition.

Stop by to view all the award-winning Student Design Competition entries and see which design will pick up "Student Design of the Year" and the "Popular Choice Award" during the Awards Reception. You will hear more about the competition next week so stay tuned.

Brainstorm will also feature an "Iron Chef-like" design competition in which four students will be challenged to create an original design in 30 minutes. There will be four different Face-off competitions: one for design, 3D modeling, motion and a faculty Face-off competition.

May 17, 2010

2pm - 7pm

SCC Student Center

Schedule

(may be subject to change)

2pm Welcome

3:00pm Student Graphic Design Face-off

3:45pm Faculty Design Face-off

4:30pm Student 3D Design Face-off

5:15pm Student Motion Design Face-off

6:00pm Student Design Awards/Reception

Adobe CS5 is Here!

Adobe released new versions of their software today. Check out whats new in Adobe CS5!

Adobe Creative Suite 5

The Creative Process model

At least a dozen GCOM student attended the Hugh Dubberly lecture and Sac State last week. The reviews we've received were glowing.

Everyone who went said how happy they were that they did, and found it truly inspiring.

Dubberly's firm has created a beautiful poster modeling the Creative Process. The students who attended each got a copy, but you can all download the PDF online.

Hugh Dubberly @ Sac State - This Friday

After print, TV, and user-centered design—what comes next? Hugh speaks about five trends in computing + five trends in design practice and what they mean for our future.

March 19th, 6:00 pm
Mendocino Hall 1005

CSU, Sacramento
Free Admission

Hugh Dubberly is a design planner and teacher. At Apple Computer in the late 80s and early 90s, Hugh managed cross-functional design teams and later managed creative services for the entire company. While at Apple, he co-created a technology-forecast film called “Knowledge Navigator,” that presaged the appearance of the Internet in a portable digital device.

For more event information and a parking pass, click here

For more info on Hugh Dubberly, click here

The Design Lab Wants Your Feedback

Got a complaint? Just want to say thanks? Well, we want to hear from you.

We want to have the best lab possible. If you have any comments or suggestions click this link and fill out the form.

Amazing!!

Check out this craze Rube Goldberg - inspired machine, all shot in one take.

And here's the INFO & VIDEO on how it was done

Design a Schedule Cover... NOW!!

This is your chance to get a published and printed design for your portfolio. All GCOM students are welcome to submit designs.

Sacramento City College’s Davis and West Sacramento Outreach Centers need your design and artistic skills. Using Photoshop, Illustrator and/or Modo, create a cover concept or illustration for one of the outreach location's Summer/Fall 2010 class schedule and submit it for consideration by Friday, March 19.

Each cover needs to follow a specific theme. All the important details are on THIS FLYER (click to download), which is also posted in the Design Lab and T-100 classroom.

You can also see examples of past student-designed published covers HERE.

Any questions about this can be directed to Don at buttond@scc.losrios.edu or Tom at cappelt@scc.losrios.edu

Cogswell College Open House

DON'T MISS THE COGSWELL POLYATECHNICAL COLLEGE OPEN HOUSE!

FEBRUARY 27th, 2010
Schedule of Activities
11:00 - Check-in and choose your schedule
11:15 - Welcome from Cogswell's President
11:30 - Learn About the Admissions Process

The Admissions team will review the application process including tips on putting together your portfolio
Special session for transfer students.
12:00 - Financial Aid FAQs

Financial Aid can be a confusing process.

Our Director of Financial Aid will lay out the process for you and make it easier to understand.
12:30 - Snack Break and Raffle
12:45-3:00 - Experience Cogswell's Programs and Campus

Choose from four Academic Program sessions,
Join our faculty as they talk about each program and show a sampling of student work.
Choose from engineering, animation, game or audio
Each session will last 45 minutes
Take a Campus Tour,
Have your Portfolio Reviewed, or
Meet 1-on-1 with an Admissions Counselor

Following the Open House
3:00 to 5:00 - Art Exhibit and Artist Reception in the Gallery at Cogswell

RSVP to MSMITH@Cogswell.edu

Happy 20th Photoshop!!

Today, Feb. 18 is the 20th Anniversary of the first public release of Adobe Photoshop.

To celebrate, the National Association of Professional Photoshop users are offering a one-day only free 6 month membership.
Sign up now for great digital imaging benefits.

Also, they have a link to a live video stream of tonight's anniversary celebration at 7:30pm pst.

Click here: NAPP Photoshop 20th

Photoshop geeks rule!

You can visualize anything!

The Flowing Data web site is a great source of inspiration for GCOM students to learn about information visualization. And just to show you that charts and graphs never have to be boring, here's the very excellent Engineer's Guide to Drinks.

Download the full PDF here.

GCOM 490 Second Saturday Recap and Photos

A big thanks to everyone who came to the GCOM 490 Second Saturday Show at Beatnik Studios. The GCOM 490 class (the learning studio and club) received a lot of support and attention. Check out more from the photo booth from that night at gcomclub.com

AND if you are looking for some real-world design experience before you venture off into the working world or to a 4-year university, think about joining GCOM 490 this semester. We meet on Mondays/Wednesdays from 1-3. We will be working on an advertising campaign that will include tv spots, print ads and outdoor boards as well as two other identity projects.

GCOM 490 Second Saturday Show this Saturday

Join the GCOM 490 class together with the PHOTO 490 class at their Second Saturday Show this Saturday, January 9, at Beatnik Studios (2421 17th Street by Broadway). Good Day Sacramento dedicated a segment this morning to our show. Check it out here!

If you're interested in getting real-world experience working with clients and photographers, GCOM 490 is the class to take. For more info, contact Andrea Diaz-Vaughn.

See work by:

GCOM Students
Maricela Alvarez
Andrew Clementi
Christie Garcia
Priscilla Garcia
Charles Henderson
Kolton Kammerer
William Leung
Lori Llanillo
Kevin Scott

PHOTO Students
Nellie Coats
Lindsay Davis
Kevin Fiscus
Adam Jantz
Heather Leggett
Rachel Lomeli
Louise Mitchell
Ron Nabity
Jessica Nicosia-Nadler
Andrew Nixon
Trachell Oliver
Priscilla Ouchida