Alumni Profile: Bekka Palmer

Bekka Palmer-Photo by Julia Robbs

I moved from San Diego to Brooklyn, New York and started working for the blogger Swiss Miss at her brand new temporary tattoo shop, Tattly. I've been there for two years, growing with the company (which had three employees when I started and now has eight). I work as the Ambassador of Fun overseeing all our our events and sponsorships. I've also been putting my energy into creating photography.

My biggest takeaway from City College is that you have to be discriminating about your own work. If you want to be a designer, only show work that you are proud of, and if you want to be a photographer understand that probably 90 - 99% of your images will never been seen by the public. Taking the portfolio class at City College also taught me to tell a good story. People will react and remember you if you weave a narrative around your imagery. At the end of the day if you want to do what you love make sure that's the kind of work you put out in the world.

Open Lab Hours: Fall 2013

The lab is located in Room T309 on the San Diego City College. The free lab is available to registered students on the following days:
Thursday  4:30pm-9:30pm
Friday  11am-7pm
Saturday 11am-7pm

Lab technician Eugene Brown: ewbrown@sdccd.edu

Profiling Alumni Illustrator Charles Glaubitz

SDCC alumni Charles Glaubitz was born in Tijuana and grew up in Rosarito Beach. His family lived a block away from the beach and so he of course surfed, rode a bmx bike and drew since he was a kid. His dad was a German American from Nebraska who became a karate champion in Mexico, and his mom who was from Sinaloa, ran a pharmacy. Charles used to take an hour taxi ride to Tijuana from Rosarito, a bus ride from 3rd ave to the border and a 55 minute trolley to school and did that for 3 and a half years to earn his associates degree at City College. He then got his bachelors degree in illustration at CCAC in San Francisco and for many years, Charles taught illustration at San Diego City College.

Charle's clients have included Rolling Stones, Nickelodeon Magazine, Complot Magazine (Mexico), Timken Museum, San Diego Trolley, Converse, United Airlines, San Francisco Examiner, Seattle Stranger, and the Los Angeles Film Festival.

His dynamic work has been shown in galleries in NY, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Paris, Madrid, Mexico City, Tijuana, San Diego, and Seattle. He created a huge mural/installation at Museo Carrillo Gil museum of contemporary art in Mexico City and his work was exhibited at the San Diego Museum of Contemporary Arty in a Tijuana artist group show called "A strange new world"

Charles has received awards and recognition from How magazine, American Illustration 21, 22, 23. Communication Arts Illustration annual 2002 fresh section and received the 2005 FONCA (similar to the NEA) young creators grant.

You can view more of his work at Charles blog and website.

Fall 2013: San Diego City College Graphic Design Schedule

At San Diego City College Graphic Design we have a large selection of classes that meet days and evenings, on campus, fully and partially online. We have some exciting new courses to explore including Intermediate Digital Media 126 with Julie Warren where students can work with motion graphics, interactive files and comprehensively use digital tools in the development of projects published to both print and web platforms. Students who have passed Digital Media 125 are eligible for this class.Lisa Starace will be teaching the new Portfolio Process class 148C designed for advanced students who want to build process and production skills and spreads for their finished portfolio.

Sean Bacon and Candice López will be co-teaching the exciting Centennial Branding 151 class for intermediate/advanced students. This class will operate like a design studio and we will actually be designing, producing and printing four color graphics for the college centennial in 2014. Students will have the opportunity to get printed samples for their portfolio.

BEGINNING LEVEL

85395  Basic Design 100:Andrea Singer-Mon/Wed 9:35am-12:45

01749  Typography 106: Amy Becraft-Mon/Wed 9:35am-12:45    

85806  Typography 106:MaeLin Levine-Tue/Thurs 5:50pm-9:00 

97639  Book Arts 1 174A:Andrea Singer-Mon/Wed 1:00pm-4:10  

76157 Design History 118:Candice Lopez-Fully ONLINE

76179 Design History 118:Candice Lopez-Fully ONLINE

76166  Design History 118:Candice Lopez-Fully ONLINE

98562 Design History 118:Candice Lopez-Tue/Thurs 9:00am-10:25 

52803  Digital Media 125:Julie Willis-Tue/Thurs 1:00pm-4:10

57535  Digital Media 125:Julie Warren-ONLINE

INTERMEDIATE LEVEL

52812  Web Page Design 144:STAFF-Mon/Wed 6:00pm-8:30

62067  Int. GD 2: 124: Sean Bacon-Mon/Wed 9:35am-12:45   

01761  Int. Digital Media 126: Julie Warren-Mon/Wed 1-4:10

68156  Int. GD 2 133:Candice Lopez-Mon/Wed 8:50am-12 

53698  Type 206:Amy Levine-Mon/Wed 5:50pm-9 

01755  Travel by Design: Centennial Branding Class-Mon/Wed 2:05pm-5:15

                                                 Sean Bacon and Candice Lopez

ADVANCED LEVEL

74959  Portfolio 148A: Partially Online and Tue 1:00pm-4:10 

                                                Sean Bacon and Rafael Lopez

40200  Portfolio Building 148C: Partially Online and Tue 5:55pm-9

                                                Lisa Starace

Visit this link to view the requirements for the San Diego City College graphic design certificate and associates degree

Please visit this link to view the portfolios of our 2013 Portfolio Class.
Happy to report that our graduates have been snapped up by firms like Digitaria, Mth Degree, Parker White and Vitro Robertson.

Alumni Profile: Mike Stivers

SDCC Alumni Mike Stivers

This month we are profiling alumni Mike Stivers, whose skills are focused in the area of advertising art direction. He works as a freelance art director, creative director and designer.

In college I studied television/film, creative writing and photography. So naturally I spent my 20s bartending, rock climbing and leading kayak trips in Baja. Eventually, I wanted to get creative again so I took graphic design classes from the AMAZING Candice Lopez at City College and started as a production artist at DiZinno Thompson advertising. I quickly became an Art Director then Creative Director working on brands such as San Diego Tourism, The Padres, Upper Deck, Miller Brewing, Birch Aquarium, Croce's, Walking Co and Hewlett Packard to name a few.

I left to freelance in 2004 and have continued to work on various national brands: Adidas, TaylorMade, Callaway Golf, Jaguar, Toshiba, Kawasaki, Cleveland Golf, Odyssey Putters, Yamaha, Newcastle, among many others. I have particular appreciation for great writers but enjoy collaborating with anyone who is passionate about what they do.

I am interested in the unique and always strive to create messaging that is relevant, honest, emotional and visually striking. Samples of my work can be viewed at www.mikestivers.com 

San Diego City College Graphic Design Class of 2013

At the American Institute of Graphic Arts San Diego Portfolio Review the hard working, passionate students in our 2013 portfolio class pulled out all the stops to take home top honors. As a community college our students competed at this event with San Diego four year universities and private art and design schools.

Students from San Diego City College took first, second and third place overall.
Their vibrant work was also recognized by judges from the professional design community winning 14 of the 16 awards given. Their portfolios were judged as best in the following categories:
Advertising, Cross Cultural Design, Design for Good, Environmental Graphic Design, 
Identity and Branding, Illustration, Packaging, Publication Design, Sustainability and Typography.
Our students were also awarded by their peers all three Student's Choice honors and both Portfolio scholarship honors from Academy of Art San Francisco.
Please take a look at the incredible portfolios and websites of our 2013 SDCC Graphic Design Portfolio Class in alphabetical order...

JOAQUIN ALANIS

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner: 
First place overall.
Best Identity and Branding.
Academy of Art San Francisco Portfolio Scholarship.
Student Choice Award: 2nd place.

Joaquin Alanis Portfolio
Joaquin Alanis Website 

TERRI CAO

Terri Cao Portfolio  

PAULINE CAPOTE

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner: 
Best Design for Good.

Pauline Capote Portfolio
Pauline Capote Website

ETAH CHEN

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner: 
Third place overall.
Best Typography.
Student Choice Award: 1st place.


Etah Chen Portfolio

MAX DOLBERG

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner:
Best Photography.

Max Dolberg Portfolio
Max Dolberg Website























LEANNA JONES

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner:

Best Cross Cultural Design.

Leanna Jones Portfolio
Leanna Jones Website

HEBER MIRANDA

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner:
Best Environmental Graphic Design.

Heber Miranda Portfolio
Heber Miranda Website

APRIL MITCHELL

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner:
Best Illustration.

April Mitchell Portfolio
April Mitchell Website

FRANCIS DWIGHT NICHOLS

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner:
Best Publication Design.

Francis Dwight Nichols Portfolio
Francis Dwight Nichols Website

CHASE NUTTALL

Chase Nuttall Portfolio
Chase Nuttall Website

CINDI O'HANLON

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner:
Best Advertising.

Cindi O'Hanlon Portfolio

JASON PRICE

Jason Price Portfolio
Jason Price Website

NORMAN RAMOS

Norman Ramos Portfolio
Norman Ramos Website

VINA RATHAKOUNE

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner:
Best Sustainability.

Vina Rathakoune Portfolio

JULIANA TIPTON

AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review 2013 Winner: 

Second place overall.
Best Packaging.
Academy of Art San Francisco Portfolio Scholarship.
Student Choice Award: 3rd place.

Juliana Tipton Portfolio
Juliana Tipton Website

RICK WAGNER

Rick Wagner Portfolio
Rick Wagner Website 

Thanks to the San Diego design community and many scholarship sponsors of this event for their time, support, dedication to students and contributions to the 2013 city wide portfolio review. Appreciation to event sponsors Art Center College of Design and Savannah College of Art and Design. Special thanks to AIGA Education Chair MaeLin Levine for her innovations in organizing this year's dynamic review. Thanks to Mary Scott at Academy of Art for awarding special scholarships at the event in recognition of student work.

San Diego City College 2013 Portfolio Class

The SDCC Design portfolio teachers are Sean Bacon and Candice López. Lisa Starace teaches our portfolio process class. A shout out to contract faculty member Andrea Singer and our adjunct instructors, Amy Becraft, Amy Levine, MaeLin Levine, Rafael López, Julie Warren, Julie Willis and lab technician Eugene Brown.


Special thanks to our colleagues in the photography department for all their support, David Eichinger, David King and George Tubon. We thank department chairs June Richards and Alicia Rincon and Dean Trudy Gerald for their generosity and leadership. Congratulations to all the students and educators from San Diego area programs who keep our design community strong.

Lining up for the AIGA San Diego Portfolio Review

Next Saturday May 11 is the big event. Jasmine Jimenez snapped this shot of San Diego City College students lining up last week to select reviewers. Fifteen stellar students will be putting their work out there next week. Students will participate in 30 minute interview/reviews with top tier industry professionals and will compete for cash scholarships. We are exceptionally proud of the hard working 2013 class and students, friends and family can attend the event for a $20 registration fee. To sign up or get more information please visit this link. AIGA San Diego 2013 Review