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My Teaching

A unique approach to pedagogy within the creative industry
By the Numbers | Student Work | Pedagogical Approach

It’s through mistakes that you actually can grow. You have to get bad in order to get good.

Paula Scher
Throughout my career, I have discovered a deep-rooted passion to help fellow creatives conquer the often-paralyzing process of manifesting truly inspired work. My pedagogy focuses upon design principles, disciplined research methodologies and a fervent understanding of the student’s own point of view. Teaching affords a clarity within design philosophy, creative research, consumer habits and the contemporaneous design order around us.
It is one thing to bring to reality a design vision using one's own hands and entirely another to mentor that creative vision that allows others to produce it. Perhaps one of the most challenging is to instill new skills within the new designer. In their execution of academic assignments, you can witness these talents. Below are tangible results where a vigilant focus on creative learning while encouraging an individual student point of view.

Student collaboration instills a real-world team environment.

Agile branistorming allows for student innovation.

Peer interaction allows for respectful feedback.

Idea sharing ensure students communicate effectively and confidently.

Quick exploration of ideas allows for increased cognition and better solutions.

User testing allows for targeted and effective outcomes.

By the Numbers

Official Student Ratings
510
Overall Instructor Rating
490
Encourages Interest in Topic
500
Instructor Availability
470
Overall Coursework Rating
570
Upholds Respect, Diversity & fair Treatment
510
Overall Experience
NOTE: All ratings are out of a possible total of 600

Student Work Examples

How my pedigogical approach manifests itself
All Samples Design Studio 1 & 2 Digital Design IxD 1 & 2 Type 1 & 2

Pedagogical Approach

With a pedagogy that brings over 20 years of proven real-world methodologies from the advertising and design studio industry, the applied use of market and visual research remain at the very core of every analytical and skill-based design decision made by my students. The same techniques employed within the modern sciences, most specifically the scientific method, are adapted and employed as a formalized system applied to the creative process. When this approach is used effectively, it allows the student to push past the anxiety and feelings of inadequacy that plague most young creatives. This allows for the effective management of design outcomes based upon research insights.

Hypothetical Claims

Within this preliminary stage, claims and hypothetical concepts are conjectured that are opened for scrutiny through the vetting & experimentation process. Here the visual creative is encouraged to put forth not only big picture concepts, but also more tangible tactics like possible color palettes, target audience attributes and the postulated tone of a design solution.

Experimentation

With the claims from the initial step, the visual creative can then use various techniques-through-experimeintation to give precedence to their hypothetical conjecturing. Tactics include brainstorming techniques, research approaches and design principles and methodologies that allow the discovery of possible evidence. These include agile thumbnail sketching, rough sketching, mood board development, competitive audits and user personas that help guide the designer away from mediocre solutions and towards design success.

Evidential Proof

Here the visual creative begins to discover supporting evidence for their design decisions. As the crucial set of evidence that become critical in convincingly making the case for a design outcome, proof becomes the foundation onto which a solid design execution can stand. This set of evidence becomes the basis for a disciplined methodology that ensures proper feasibility in evoking a response from the target audience and, finally, a financially viable design model.

Course Objectives

The courses for which I have built curriculum, taught and mentored, as published within institutional course catalogue
Business of Art
COURSE NUMBER: FINE4000
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: This professional practice course explores the critical elements of creative business practice. The class combines professor lead lectures video, online discussions, course assignments and projects, and guest speakers. Topics covered include an exploration of the following topics, but not limited to: Business entities, Freelance contractor vs employee, Customers, Pricing & Accounting, Products & overview of Manufacturing: Sourcing; Distribution; Cost Analysis, Values, Marketing, Sales, Business Plan Development and more. Introduction to several types of organizations will be covered - for-profit, not for profit, public good, professional practice and sole practitioner.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2021-Present

Design for Web & Mobile
COURSE NUMBER: FINE3400
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: This course provides an overview of the concepts, theories and principles of website design and front-end development. Topics include: Photoshop, Wireframing, HTML, CSS, JavaScript (jQuery Mobile), Bootstrap, and website hosting.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2022-Present

Design Research 1
COURSE NUMBER: FINE3417
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: This seminar-style course and it examines methods and processes used by designers to better understand the content they are asked to communicate while addressing increasingly complex social, technological and economic problems. Class topics will include: user interface and experience design, demographics, storyboarding, branding, and concept mapping. The intent of this course is to orient students to a full spectrum of research -- both creative process approaches and in marketing objectives -- that will introduce students to tools to better understand the context of design challenges and create more meaningful solutions. The course will encapsulate and stimulate learning through exploring, synthesizing and applying. Design processes along with visual and marketing research techniques will be studied in readings as well as put into practice in projects throughout the course. In additional to course projects, students in the this seminar will explore, though readings, discussion, guest lectures, and assignments, the processes and strategies for researching and creating successful human experiences.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

Design Studio 1
COURSE NUMBER: FINE3417
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: In a design laboratory students learn to turn ideas into visual solutions through the application of design principles. Through lectures, writings, readings, discussion and critiques of projects assigned students will build visual literacy in relation to digital design.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

Design Studio 2
COURSE NUMBER: FINE3646
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: In a studio environment, students will develop advanced projects using animation, interactivity and motion graphics to create innovative solutions to design problems. Students will learn to apply design theory to practice through discussion, critiques and assigned projects.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

Games, Story, & Society
COURSE NUMBER: FINE2406
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: By investigating various methods and theories, this course will examine how stories are crafted to fit the interactive aspects of video games, their resemblance and dependence on traditional stories, and how unorthodox plots, characters, and impact game play.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2024-Present

Intro to Digital Art
COURSE NUMBER: FINE2406
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: A project-based exploration of vector, raster, and motion-based digital media. Through project critiques, discussion and demonstration students will create projects explore the creative and expressive potential of digital media.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2022-Present

Intro to Digital Design
COURSE NUMBER: FINE2405
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: This class is conceived and configured as a workshop-laboratory that uses a project-based exploration of the design potentials of vector, raster and motion-based digital media. Through project critiques, discussion and demonstration students will create projects that examine technology as an art medium and as a design strategy. To these ends we will spend some time learning and discussing the interrelationship between design, process, technology and the roles each plays in effective communication.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

Interactive Media 1
COURSE NUMBER: FINE3417
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: A course exploring how interactive media can be used to convey a message and deliver information. Through critiques, discussion and research, students will learn principles of user interface design, aesthetics and structure including their potential cultural impact.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

Interactive Media 2
COURSE NUMBER: FINE3444
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: An intense course devoted to using interactivity as a medium for communicating ideas and information. Through creative investigations, readings and discussions, students will create projects that explore active viewer participation using vector/ raster animation, non-linear editing and viewer interaction.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

Photography
COURSE NUMBER: ARTS2090
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: This course is designed to develop a basic foundation in photographic practice for the artist/designer, with a focus on highly creative, compelling images. Making images with the 35 mm camera and using basic blackand-white darkroom techniques and digital photography disciplines to produce consistent, highly conceptualized images will be the key to exploring the possibilities the photographic image brings to your work as an artist. Selected reading and research will supplement a hands-on investigation of the media with a focus on the history of photography, a discussion of the use of the photographic image in visual communication and an understanding of the camera as a valuable tool for the artist/designer.

INSTITUTION: Anderson Unviersity

ROLE: Adjunct Instructor, College of Fine Art, Department of Art & Design

TENURE: 2000-2011

Typography Studio 1
COURSE NUMBER: FINE2415
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: Students will learn the importance of typographic form in a design process including print, interactive design and motion graphics. Projects will be assigned throughout the semester focusing on relationships, hierarchy, meaning and design principles related to typographic form.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

Typography Studio 2
COURSE NUMBER: FINE3404
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: A design laboratory that teaches advanced principles of typography including multiple page documents and complex typographic systems for print and screen.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

User Experience 1
COURSE NUMBER: WNM120
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: User-centered design is where it all starts. It’s a process consisting of: research, personas, user journeys, use cases, wire-framing, and more. You’ll start with defining and empathizing with the user then use design techniques to create visually appealing prototypes.

INSTITUTION: Academy of Art University, San Francisco

ROLE: Curriculum Developer, Department of Web & New Media

TENURE: 2018

User Experience 2
COURSE NUMBER: WNM290
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: User experience is the heart of everything we do as designers in tech. You’ll follow the information architecture process to make a product that is usable, intuitive, and a delightful solution for the user.

INSTITUTION: Academy of Art University, San Francisco

ROLE: Curriculum Developer, Department of Web & New Media

TENURE: 2019-2020

Visual Culture
COURSE NUMBER: FINE1450
CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION: How does Hip-Hop influence Wall Street? How does a music artist become a commoditized brand? What does high-end fashion have to do with the bargain bin at WalMart? Why would someone expose once-vulnerable insights into their personal life on Snapchat? Who cares if the Nike swoosh or Starbucks logo is more recognizable than a map of the Middle East? Must everyone in a democracy have an equal right to his or her own cultural expression? How has art and fashion become democratized? Through the lens of visual culture, this class examines issues of ethics, beauty, cultural inclusion, branding, economics, and radical opposition all the while asking what role does media, content-creation and human emotion play in our post-industrial, hyper-visual society.

INSTITUTION: Univeristy of Colorado Denver

ROLE: Professor, College of Arts & Media, Department of Visual Arts

TENURE: 2017-Present

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