J. Jason Smith
Creative, Art & Design Director
jj (at) graphicology (dot) com
Being somewhat of a nomad, Jason has worked in Richmond, VA; Chicago, IL; Washington DC; New York City; Pittsburgh, PA; Phoenix, AZ; San Francisco, CA; South Carolina and now in the United Emirate City of Dubai. Jason strives to bring an intellectual and inspired approach to his projects. He believes in uncovering an idea that will work for his clients and then designing the appropriate 'clothes' for that idea. He also enjoys referring to himself in the third person.
Some of his client experience includes projects for Nintendo, US Airways, Pioneer Electronics, California Pizza Kitchen, Einstein Bros. Bagels, The Arizona Office of Tourism, Google, Denny's, Verizon, The Wall Street Journal, Fortunoff Jewelry, The Virginia Lottery and his first client, Loafers Bread Company. Loafers was Jason's first client when he was a partner in a small design firm / ad agency in Pittsburgh, and he is very proud to say that they are still a client.
Some of Jason's short-term goals are to finish the typeface he started designing last year, to take the week-long Letterpress Workshop offered by the San Francisco Center for the Book, to pinstripe someone's hot rod, to find a potty-trained italian greyhound puppy, and to see the Mets win the World Series again.
Teaching Experience:
Miami Ad School (Final Portfolio, creative concepts), Art Institute of Phoenix (creative development and portfolio prep), Anderson University (graphic design and web design), and Furman University (advertising design, graphic design and typography.)
Education:
Graduated with a Masters Degree from the VCU AdCenter and had the privilege of learning the ropes from Jelly Helm, Coz Cotzias, Jerry torchia, and Mark Fenske.
Ross McClain
Associate Professor of Art
Furman University
ross (at) graphicology (dot) com
Ross McClain began teaching graphic design courses at Furman in the fall of 1999. He is currently an Associate Professor of Art at Furman. He did his undergraduate work at Western Kentucky University where he received a BA in Advertising and Graphic Design. He received his MA and MFA in Design from the University of Iowa.
Ross maintains an active commercial presence. His freelance work includes two-dimensional design, web design and volunteer work for non-profit organizations.
Teaching Philosophy:
With the onset of the “information age” modern culture relies increasingly on graphic design to communicate ideas and concepts that shape public perception. Ironically, faced with an increasing flood of visual information, it has become easy to take for granted the standards by which we judge effective graphic communication. Now, more than ever, in today’s graphic design there is need for clear, objective and ethically responsible graphic communication.
The computer is the primary tool for the creation and dissemination of visual information. There is an obvious need for graphic design students to be familiar with the technological advance related to the field. Given the there has been a recent trend in design education to focus primarily on technological training. I feel that it is a mistake to focus on the computer at the expense of more fundamental and theoretical design concepts. The computer is essential in today’s design environment, and should be an integral part of any design program, but it is still only a tool-one that can be used poorly or well.
The traditional role of the designer as a problem solver has evolved into a more demanding and complex role of problem identifier. It is no longer appropriate to ask a student to solve a given problem without also allowing the opportunity and environment to investigate and define the nature of that problem. To do so, encourages preconceived and formulaic solutions that may address only superficial design needs. A broad base of design principles and techniques must be examined to provide students with extensive knowledge and comprehension of the field of design, as well as and understanding of design’s historical relationship to fine art. Through assignments and critiques, I encourage students to develop a clear sense of individual process, providing a solid conceptual foundation that can be applied to a variety of media. Each student eventually begins to realize that he or she thinks about design problems and solutions in a very personal way.
I make it clear to my students that I learn as much from them as they from me, fostering an atmosphere of confidence and trust where ideas can be shaped and discussed freely. By approaching design problems in a way that is technically and historically informed while retaining individuals’ personalities and experiences, students are able to develop, with confidence, design solutions which are unique and appropriate for today’s world.