Graphic Design Faculty

Position: Instructor

Industry Credits:

• Over 35 years of experience as an art director and graphic designer in the entertainment industry.
• Awards for design excellence from Print and Graphis Magazine, The New York Type Directors Club and Impressions Magazine.
• Work showcased at a celebration of emerging artists at CBGB’s in New York City, at The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, ArtRock Gallery in San Francisco, The Museé de la Publicité, Les Arts Décoratifs in Paris, and is included in the permanent collection at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
• 30 years as the Art Director for Disney and Lucasfilm consumer products.
• Graphic Design instructor at The Academy of Art University for 20 years.
• Have given presentations over the years about my journey at: Apple, The Walt Disney Company, CalArts and the AIGA.

Position: Part-Time Instructor

Industry Credits:

David Blankenship has worked with a number of respected companies and branding/design firms in Los Angeles and New York. He has created and directed elegant and effective visual identities, environmental graphics, books and communications systems for a diverse roster of b2b and consumer-facing clients. Obsessed with detail and technical considerations, David provides a keen critical eye and crucial expertise when it comes to brand implementation and successful project completion. With relevance, functionality, consistency, aesthetics, resourcefulness and surprise in mind, his meticulous nature ensures that everything works as intended.

David’s experience includes work for The Monacelli Press, BMW Designworks, Landor, Lee Denim, The Studio Museum in Harlem, EYRC Architects, United Talent Agency, William Morris Endeavor, Lexus, The Museum of Modern Art New York, Siegel + Gale, Merz North America, Art Center College of Design, The Broad Foundation, Participant Media and the Qualcomm “What If?” museum experience.

For BMW’s high performance M series, David led the development of driver personas and corresponding visual styles. Leveraging this foundational work, he designed the instrument cluster and navigation components that appear in the newest generation of M series vehicles.

Position: Part-Time Instructor

Industry Credits:

Fiona Blankenship has worked in design in New York and Los Angeles for 25 years. She founded the creative firm Collective in 2006, and in the last eighteen years, she has created identities and brand systems for a diverse range of clients. Before establishing Collective, Fiona worked as a Design Director and Creative Director at Siegel + Gale for five years, where she helped reinvigorate established brands and launched new ones in the healthcare, entertainment/media, technology, fashion, consumer products, and non-profit sectors. Fiona has a knack for conceiving complex, rich visual systems and then directing their successful implementation so every touchpoint reflects the intent of the brand strategy.

Her work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, Dwell, and The Wall Street Journal and she has received numerous awards including one from Communication Arts for excellence in packaging design.

Fiona has taught as a professor at Art Center College of Design for both undergraduate and graduate students and she shares a patent for the design of the BMWi logo.

Fiona’s client engagements include Paradigm, BMW, BMW Designworks, The Walt Disney Company, Air Products, Lakeside Produce, Saudia Airlines, William Morris Endeavor, United Talent Agency, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), HP, Staples, Amgen, Coca-Cola, Elizabeth Taylor Trust, American Express and Sony Playstation.

Position: Part-Time Faculty

Industry Credits:

Founding Partner, nonGPT — a web-based platform to authenticate originality in documents, and gauge the level of AI integration, to help protect writers and artists.

Principal and Creative Director for 20 years, A. C. Broadbent Graphics — worked on print campaigns for clients including American Express, Chevron, Schwab Institutional (Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.), Levi’s, Pacific Bell, Delta Airlines, United Airlines United Vacations, Coldwell Banker, Century 21 Contempo Realty, Fugazi Travel Agency, KNBR, Wells Fargo Bank, Glaucoma Research Foundation, Diocese of Oakland, Lateral Communications, Frames Rickards (England), Bernd Luz (Germany) and TTI (Taiwan/Belgium), Solar Publication Corporation (Philippines). Managed collaborative design and production work for advertising agencies from print, billboards, illustrations, photoshoots to camera-ready artwork for Young & Rubicam (Ford Motors, Inc. weekly national ads; Chevron ad campaigns), Burston-Marsteller, BBDO, Ogilvy & Mather Direct, Foote Cone & Belding, DDB Needham, Grey Advertising, J Walter Thompson, McCann Erickson, and Ketchum Communications (Raisin Board claymation characters; Potato Board).

Art Director, Ogilvy & Mather Direct — Responsible for the development and art direction of direct mail campaigns for American Express, Pacific Bell, and Diet Center accounts.

Publications:

Published: International Biographical Centre, England; Marquis Who’s Who Publications; California Who’s Who; San Francisco Business Times; Contra Costa Times and several magazines.

Position: Instructor

Education:

• BFA, Graphic Design, Eastern New Mexico University

Industry Credits:

As an ardent advocate for the transformative power of AI in branding and design, I blend academic rigor with real-world application to elevate projects from good to groundbreaking. In my current role as an educator at the Academy of Art University, I not only teach the next generation of designers and brand strategists but also continuously explore the evolving landscape of AI technologies and their potential to redefine our industry. My journey has been one of continuous learning and sharing, from participating in a weekly AI discussion forum to contributing my insights as a speaker at conferences and guest lectures. My expertise lies in navigating the complexities of AI application in branding and design, where creativity meets cutting-edge technology.

Position: Part-Time Instructor

Industry Credits:

• <Peter’s efforts have been recognized by the AIGA, the Art Directors Club of New York, Graphis, HOW, Print Magazine, Communication Arts, and the London International Advertising Award. His work has also been featured in university textbooks, further showcasing his impact on the industry./li>
• Peter is a Design Partner at Lippincott, where he brings a wealth of experience in corporate identity systems, packaging, and experience design.
• Committed to fostering the next generation of designers, Peter teaches one class each semester, focusing on helping students refine their ideas, deliver professional quality work, enhance their storytelling abilities, and integrate real-world experiences to better prepare each student for their careers.

Master of Arts, Universidad San Pablo CEU (Madrid, Spain, Graphic Design)

Position: Part-Time Instructor

Industry Credits:

• Numerous awards from GDUSA, HOW, & Vertex.
• Creative lead behind Nestlé’s Wonka brand & packaging redesign which was used as a benchmark by the client for other creative vendors.
• Creative lead behind the Safeway Select packaging redesign which received multiple creative industry awards.
• Creative lead behind Safeway’s Snack Artist packaging redesign which received multiple creative industry awards.

Position: Instructor

Industry Credits:

• Exhibited in the typography exhibition at the Vienna Künstlerhaus (2003).
• Featured in the books Type Specific: Designing Custom Fonts for Function and Identity and Poster-Art: Innovation in Poster Design by Charlotte Rivers, published by Rotovision (2005-07).
• Designed typefaces for Director Wes Anderson’s film The Darjeeling Limited (2007).
• Featured in The History of American Graffiti by Roger Gastman and Caleb Neelon (2011), Harper Design.
• Vice President, Design Director at Deutsch LA (2012-2018).
• Featured in Offerta Art publication – No. 1 (Autumn/Winter 2021).

Position: Instructor

Industry Credits:

I worked in a variety of institutions and corporations specializing in branding systems, information graphics, environmental and interactive design. Clients ranged from corporations, international publications, fashion, retail, architecture, hi-tech, and nonprofit.

I have received numerous awards for design, typography, and photography—including a utility patent—and have had work published in major publications such as Print Magazine and Communication Arts.

Sandra Isla received her MFA in Graphic Design from the Academy of Art University in 2010. She began to teach graphic design at AAU at the graduate level in 2013 and since then has worked both onsite and online with both graduate and undergraduate classes. Design-wise, she strives for effectively creating meaningful communication between a design and its viewer, and beyond that, to raise a dialogue in which the viewer affects design and vice versa. As an educator, she is committed to helping students to discover their own design processes and helping them develop the mental tools that it takes to initiate a concept, develop a strategy, create a system and produce a competent and convincing piece of work.­­­­

Bachelor of Fine Arts, Academy of Art University (San Francisco, California, Graphic Design)

Position: Online Instructor

Industry Credits:

• Designer-in-residence at the Cranbrook Academy of Art, Michigan during the digital revolution of the 90s, with the pioneering graphic designer, the late P. Scott Makela. Our studio, Words + Pictures for Business + Culture, produced print and new media for clients such as Nike, MTV and Warner Bros.
• Awarded the AIGA medal in 2000.
• Taught experience design at the Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, Stockholm, Sweden.
• Became the first designer-in-residence at USC’s Roski School of Art and Design in 2020.
• Designed the book and exhibition speechless: different by design for the Dallas Art Museum.
• Featured on Debbie Millman’s podcast Design Matters.
• Since moving to the Nevada desert in 2017, I have dedicated my practice to creating a meaningful and intimate online experience for the design students at Academy of Art University.

Position: Instructor

Industry Credits:

• Won 8 Promax Awards: 3 Gold, 5 Silver.
• Work published in Typography Annual, Print Regional Design Annual, and HOW Magazine.
• I was on Wheel of Fortune and won.
• My primary language is English, and I speak Spanish, French, Italian and German with differing degrees of competency.

Position: Instructor

Industry Credits:

Thomas McNulty is a graphic design practitioner and design educator with over 30 years of experience and holds an impressive career path working for renowned graphic designer Robert Miles Runyan, Los Angeles, Enterprise IG, San Francisco CFNAPA, Napa Valley, Neworld Associates, Dublin, Ireland and co-founder Profile Design, San Francisco. Thomas has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design & Packaging from the Art Center College of Design, Pasadena CA and recipient of the prestigious RitaSue Siegel Humanitarian Award.

He has successfully managed and directed many multinational clients such as Anheuser Busch, Apple, Charles Krug Winery, The Hershey Company, Oracle, Scharffen Berger Chocolate, Kraft Foods, Logitech, Lynch Vineyards, Mariani Nut Co., Mileeven Fine Foods (Cork, Ireland), Mrs. Fields, Safeway Stores and Trinchero Family Estates, winning awards and recognition for design excellences.

• Co-founder / Principal of Profile Design, San Francisco
• RitaSue Siegal Humanitarian Honors Award / Art Center College of Design
• GDUSA Publication / Educators to Watch

Feature Awards & Publications:

Communication Arts, CMYK Publication, Creative Quarterly, Graphis, Type Directors Award, Clio Awards, GDUSA, HOW Publication, PRINT Regional Publication, Dieline.com, Packaging of the World.com, and Packaging Inspiration.com.

Position: Online Adjunct Instructor

Industry Credits:

A Creative Director with over 20 years of design experience, I specialize in brand experiences for lifestyle, wellness and tech brands.

An award winning interactive art director while working at B-reel.com NYC.

Position: Online Adjunct Faculty

Industry Credits:

• My freelance and contract clients have included GE Healthcare, W. L. Gore & Assc. Medial, Cardinal Health, The Grand Canyon Association, and Nike, to name a few.
• My most recent design award was 2023 GDUSA in the Health+Wellness category for my design company Artifact, LLC.
• My icon designs for Lance Armstrong/Nike were published in Juxtapoz magazine.

Position: Adjunct Instructor

Industry Credits:

• 24+ years, teaching graphic design, illustration, Adobe software, color theory and art history classes for high school and college settings.
• 31+ years in the industry and professional background comes from previously owning a graphic design, illustration, and printing business in Southern NH.
• Founder of multiple creative events. For the past 13 years, and 37 past events he has focused on drumming, bass soloing and ensemble music competitions, along with art shows and craft shows.
• Published over 30 books on various topics, including heavy metal music, screenplay writing and surrealistic style poetry writing.

Position: Instructor

Education:

• MFA in Design/Visual Communications from Virginia Commonwealth University
• BFA in Advertising Design from Boise State University

Industry Credits:

John Nettleton has extensive experience in both academia and professional practice. He previously served as an Associate Director for the School of Graphic Design at AAU, as Chair of the Graphic Design Program at OCAD University in Toronto and as an Assistant Professor at Oregon State University. Prior to moving to the Bay Area John was the Creative Director for a Seattle Area design studio. He has also practiced as an Art Director and Designer in Washington DC. His design work constitutes a wide range of projects and experiences ranging from corporate communications, branding, identity systems, environmental design, publication and UI/UX design. Clients have included: Nike, Microsoft, Filson and The National Academy of Sciences. His research examines design process, methodology, systems and design education. His design work has received numerous awards and has been shown at a number of venues. John has also presented at numerous national and international design and visual communication conferences.

Position: Instructor

Industry Credits:

• The accomplishment I am most proud of would have to be my two children, both creatives in their own right. Witnessing them exercise their creativity in the visual and performing arts is my greatest joy.
• I also love to see my other babies out in the wild, weather it is a billboard, bus back or retail packaging, it is very satisfying to see my creative endeavors shared with the public.

Bachelor of Fine Arts, California College of Arts and Crafts (Oakland, California, Graphic Design/ Painting)

Position: Adjunct Instructor

Industry Credits:

• Design Director @ IDEO (2004-2006)
• Design Director @ Banana Republic (2001-2004)
• My visual-design work has been featured in numerous books and publications such as Print, How, Critique and Wallpaper magazines.
• My design/build work has been featured by Dwell, CA-Modern, ApartmentTherapy, DesignSponge, IkeaHackers, DWR Design Notes, and West Elm’s Front+Main… and it’s a bit weird how often I find myself re-pinned via Pinterest.