School Of Visual Arts announces Design Courses in Spanish: ¿Hablas Diseño?

The Division of Continuing Education at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) will offer a new series of advertising and graphic design courses, from beginning to advanced levels, taught entirely in Spanish. The faculty members, all native Spanish speakers, are practicing creative professionals who have lent their talents to such clients as Burberry, HBO, IBM, The New York Times, Nike, MTV Networks, Random House and Target, among others.

“With this program, New York’s Spanish-speaking community and those seeking heightened marketability within the growing Spanish-language media gain access to a choice of studio-based, career-enhancing classes taught by respected art directors and designers,” says Joseph Cipri, executive director of the Division of Continuing Education at SVA. José Luis Ortiz Tellez, a longtime SVA faculty member and award-winning design consultant, “This program reflects the global outlook SVA has always embraced, by aiding designers that are transitioning into the Spanish-language market, and those seeking an immersion into U.S. design culture.”

Geared towards an audience of both practicing and aspiring designers, brand managers and copywriters, ¿Hablas Diseño? is structured to allow students the flexibility to pursue as many courses as suit their professional needs and experience level. The program offerings include: Color, which investigates the practical applications of color in design and visual communication; Basic Graphic Design, which introduces the formal elements of design-texture, structure, movement, scale, rhythm, proportion, line and mass-along with color, format and typography; Digital Design: Photoshop and Illustrator, which concentrates on the fundamentals of these two programs and their use in illustration and multimedia; Digital Layout and Desktop Publishing: InDesign, which explores the uses of the program to create brochures, advertising and promotional materials; Branding, which addresses the creative techniques, symbolism, and critical evaluation used in successful brand design; Copywriting, which delves into the processes and techniques for creating clear and succinct copy; Project Management, which explains the various stages of developing and coordinating an account, along with legal requirements, and technical and human resource issues; Dreamweaver, where students will explore the program’s capabilities and create their own functioning Web site; Editorial Design, which examines the design process and layout techniques; and Create a Winning Portfolio, where students will be guided in the design of a personal portfolio. Courses are scheduled to meet either in the evenings or on weekends.

?Hablas Diseño? will provide students with the opportunity to study with a group of accomplished Hispanic professionals in advertising and graphic design. Faculty members will include:

Rafael Esquer, principal and founder of Alfalfa Studio. Clients include: The New York Times; Nike; The City of New York; Tommy Boy Records; IBM; Target; Scholastic; MTV Networks. Publications include: Graphis; HOW; Creativity; Print; Communication Arts; Metropolis. Collections include: Olympic Museum, Lausanne; Library of Congress; Denver Art Museum. Awards include: Gold and bronze awards, IDEA; National Design Award, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; Art Directors Club; Type Directors Club; AIGA; Communication Arts.

Gabriela Mirensky, director of competitions and exhibitions at AIGA, America’s leading professional association for design. Coordinator of projects in collaboration with: Chermayeff & Geismar; Gensler; Milton Glaser Inc.; Pentagram. Publications include: The New York Times Magazine; HOW; Print; I.D.; Folk Art. Awards include: AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers.

José Luis Ortiz Tellez, communication design consultant. Clients include: thetrade.com; Picaro Magazine; Beth Israel Hospital; Ford Foundation; Oxford Development Group. Publications include: Lucida; Official Signs & Icons 2; Disenadores Mexicanos; Barrio Streets Carnival Dream. Collections include: Library of Congress; School of Visual Arts Foundation; Museo. San Carlos, UNAM, Mexico; Art Directors Club; Canal 41. Awards include: Presidential Design Award, National Endowment for the Arts; AIGA; Art Directors Club; Graphic Design USA; Graphis; Award Teponaztli; Unicef.

Jessica Perilla, creative director at Jessica Perilla Design. Clients include: Partnership for a Drug-Free America; Art Students League; GabbeGroup; The College of Westchester; 3Rings Media; St. Barnabas Hospital; Cold Front Productions; Devon Sproule; Richard Perry Architect; Random House.

Carlos Pion, associate creative director and head designer at Concrete Brand Imaging Group. Clients include: Burberry; Gerber; Ann Taylor Loft; Samsonite; MasterCard; HBO. Awards include: Graphic Design USA.

Alfredo Rico, graphic designer and educator. Clients include: Columbia Artists Management; International Creative Management; Macy’s; Bloomingdales.

Fedora Rivas, assistant art director at People en Español. Awards include: first and second place awards, National Association of Hispanic Publications, USA.

To register for ¿Hablas Diseño?, please contact Paloma Crousillat, advisor, Division of Continuing Education, at 212.592.2057 or pc*********@sv*.edu.

The Division of Continuing Education at SVA offers a broad curriculum for personal enrichment and professional development encompassing visual communications, entertainment media, and fine arts, as well as corporate training and courses for undergraduate credit. Each semester, an average of 2,400 continuing education students come to SVA to choose from a selection of courses in advertising, animation, computer art, drawing, film and video, graphic design, illustration and cartooning, interior design, jewelry, painting, printmaking, photography and sculpture. The Division of Continuing Education also offers: Summer Residency Programs, which give participating artists access to studio space, faculty critiques, guest lectures and gallery tours; Pre-College Programs, intensive three-week courses for high school students to explore their fields of interest; Art for Kids, children’s classes that incorporate a wide variety of materials and techniques; Summer Institute in the Berkshires, a joint program with the Darrow School in New Lebanon, NY, offering one-week and weekend intensive artists’ workshops; Arts Abroad, which offers students the opportunity to study and practice art in Europe; and Ralph Appelbaum’s Filmmakers Dialogue, where participants preview new studio and independent releases and meet the actors, directors, producers and writers involved.

School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York City is an established leader and innovator in the education of artists. From its inception in 1947, the faculty has been comprised of professionals working in the arts and art-related fields. SVA provides an environment that nurtures creativity, inventiveness and experimentation, enabling students to develop a strong sense of identity and a clear direction of purpose.