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| student: Mila Miles |
| category: Digital Arts |
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| Graduates |
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Is there life after Sessions? These
Sessions graduates give the lowdown on earning a certificate,
building a portfolio, and embarking on a new design
career. |
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| Profiles |
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Erin
Dorholt
Graphic
Design Certificate
Did the assignments in your
certificate program help you add to
your portfolio?
Yes! I have been working in product
design and development for several
years, so my portfolio was very limited
to a few product types, and did not
feature proficiency in different software
programs. Now I have an online portfolio,
www.erindorholt.com,
that shows off both my existing product
experience, as well as the print and
packaging work I have done at Sessions.
Full interview click
here |
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Brian Speers
Graphic
Design Certificate
How did you motivate yourself to
push ahead and complete your program?
I was in a hurry to get that certificate
from day one! I had plans to do freelance
work, and to apply for jobs in Des Moines
as soon as I was finished. What motivated
me was that people would have to give me
credit before they even saw my portfolio.
Full interview click
here |
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Susan Paigen
Digital
Design Certificate
What made you commit to the certificate
program versus taking individual courses?
When I started I was retraining for a new
career. My background was as a scenic artist
and theatrical designer. Since I had no
experience in graphic design or computer
graphic programs, I felt the certificate
would provide legitimacy.
Full interview click
here |
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Jonathan
Swihart
Digital
Design Certificate
What, if anything, did you do to
reward yourself upon completing your certificate
program?
As soon as I received my certificate, I
had a celebration at my home. So many people
came and it was like no other day. Not only
did I find the effort in school rewarding,
but the gifts at my grad party!
Full interview click
here |
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Tracy Craig
Graphic
Design Certificate
Has your Sessions experience helped
you find work?
Absolutely yes!!! Sessions has not only
greatly improved the quality of my work
but has given me the confidence to go after
projects that I would not have had the self-assurance
or know-how to undertake. For as long as
I can remember I wanted a career in design.
Sessions has helped me realize my dream
in a real and tangible way by boosting my
career as a freelance designer and opening
up many doors of possible employment.
Full interview click
here |
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Cher Cultrona
Web
Design Certificate
How did your Sessions education help you
in pursuit of your design career?
The courses gave me a total
technical foundation. They began with basic theory
and foundation, and then progressed to more production
in Web site design, Dreamweaver, Flash, Flash
& Typography, CSS, and so on. While the difficulty
level increased, the presentation of the material
and assignments resonated. This was the easiest
environment I have ever encountered for learning
difficult new information.
Full interview click
here |
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Lou Benjamin
Web
Design Certificate
We'd love to hear about your job experience
in the design industry. Got a horror story? A
success story? Please share!
After completing my certificate
I took on a visual identity redesign project.
My experiences with the Digital Illustration Basics
course allowed me to take some incomplete Illustrator
files that had been created by someone else, and
transform them into a complete identity package
for a new business, including business cards,
stationery, and folio jackets. My work in the
Color theory course gave me a way of explaining
the color interactions that were happening in
the logo. My client is very happy with the final
result.
Full interview click
here |
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Kayanna Nelson
Graphic
Design Advanced Certificate
Can you pinpoint a significant
change that your Sessions Certificate Program
studies brought to your life?
I've really learned how a project develops, from
the initial client meeting to the finished printed
piece. All the steps that should be followed to
complete a project that fits the customer's needs--how to research the market to know where the customer
is coming from, how to brainstorm creative and
innovative ideas. The Graphic Design Business
class was a wonderful class for me because it
was a great overview on how to start and run a
successful design business from getting customers
to paying taxes.
Full interview click
here |
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Peter Chen
Graphic
Design Certificate
Have your design goals changed since
completing your program? What were your goals
when you started the program? What are they now?
I came to Sessions with the goal of becoming a
versatile designer without sacrificing quality.
Currently my focus is on producing quality print
and Web designs. Even though I enjoy dabbling
in animation, video and even some programming,
these are not a priority. So, versatility, but
to an extent. I used Sessions pieces to create
a print portfolio in order to complement my Web
portfolio, www.designbychen.com.
I'd like to land some print jobs in addition to
Web design. I think versatility brings variety,
and variety prevents stagnation.
Full interview click
here |
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