TAKING NOTE OF EMERGING TALENT
The Academy of Art University, San Francisco

One of the most talked about events in San Francisco was held late last month in an airplane hanger-sized building on Brannan St. It attracted some 1400 designers, creative directors, design professionals and industry insiders. So, what was inside that huge building that drew professionals from Mazda, Kodak, Cahan & Associates and American Greetings? Students. That's right, students. Or, more precisely, up-and-coming students from one of the top visual communications schools in the country.

The Academy of Art University, San Francisco, the nation's largest private art and design university, held its annual Spring Show and portfolio review featuring the work of graduating students. The Academy's Mary Scott, chair, School of Graphic Design, helped to organize the event. She reports, "This is the first time that all 13 schools within our university have been in one venue, and I think it demonstrates the outstanding quality and stature of our programs. I am particularly proud of the work from the school of graphic design, as they have mastered the craft of communication, concept development, problem solving and form giving with true aplomb. All of our graduating students, both undergrad and graduate, showed their newly minted portfolios to the visiting designers who came to scout for new talent. I'm proud of the caliber of our students' work. I'd put their work on par with some of the best designers in the country. Most of these kids could go to work tomorrow and have highly successful careers. From their reactions, I believe the attendees saw that in our Design in Overdrive area. The walls were covered in student work from floor to ceiling, and the joint was jumpin'."

This Spring Show exhibition, which opened May 24th and runs through June 29th, showcases the portfolios of 30 graduating students from each of the academy's 13 schools, including advertising, animation/visual effects, architecture, computer arts/new media, digital arts/communications, fashion, fine art, graphic design, illustration, interior architecture and design, industrial design, motion pictures and television, and photography.

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