Eye on the Future
Justin Martin, Graphic Design
Interaction Design
After completing his Associate’s Degree in Graphic Design at SMC, Justin Martin received scholarships to several arts colleges and four-year universities. After completing a year in an arts college BFA program, he found the courses less advanced than those offered at SMC, so he returned to pursue the new Bachelor’s Degree in Interaction Design.
“The Interaction Design degree caters to what’s happening now and where the field is headed,” he says. “While some people have to learn interaction design on the job, those of us at SMC will already have the edge with two years of training.”
Before starting SMC in 2012, Justin attended Art and Design High School in New York and then served six years in the Navy. “I felt the need to go back to my artistic side,” he says. “I was trying to figure out how to combine my background in illustration with the data-entry skills I learned in the military.”
Justin found the combination of graphic design and SMC to be the perfect fit. “The assignments at SMC test you artistically and creatively,” he says. “You’re not just learning the programs but how to apply them in working with clients.” He also appreciates the experience and diversity of the faculty and his classmates. “It’s a great networking pool.”
While he ultimately wants to start his own multimedia design company, Justin first wants to build on his professional experience by working for a record label or large studio. He is confident that SMC is providing the grounding he needs to achieve his professional goals.
“SMC has helped me make an enjoyable transition from being in the military to starting my career in graphic and interaction design.”
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