Portrait Projects Completed by Julio’s Graphic Design Students
Platt Teacher Spotlight: Julio P Frizza Talks About Creative Inspiration and What He Loves About Teaching
Platt College Graphic Design teacher Julio P Frizza has been working in the industry since 1998 and we are blessed to have him teaching our Term 2 Illustrator class. Julio took some time to speak with us and answer questions about what makes an effective graphic designer and where to find inspiration.
Interviewer: Julio, what is your background and industry experience?
Julio: When I’m not teaching Illustrator at Platt, I am a busy freelance graphic designer, artist and illustrator. My line of work includes original art and illustrations, art production and printing, website design, designing book covers, printed collateral, identity development and video editing. My work is done combining computer graphics and traditional media to produce original design and art. I have doing art all my life, but decided to put my art to work around 1997, when I began designing for local clients. Since then, I have completed hundreds of projects including websites, book covers, printed collateral and trailers, for clients nation wide, and continue to exhibit my art at local venues.
Interviewer: What would you like to achieve with the Portrait project?
Julio: The objective of the portrait project is to familiarize the students with the Adobe Illustrator tools, while producing compelling portfolio pieces. As we work on the portraits, we learn about tracing and coloring approaches, how to work with the vector drawing tools, and we understand how to use shapes and effects. I want the students to get creative and expressive as they discover these new digital techniques, and to open their minds to the possibilities of illustrations as an image resource for commercial design.
Vector Portrait by Platt College Graphic Design Student Seth Coronado
Interviewer: What makes a good effective graphic designer?
Julio: In my experience, clients are always looking for reliable people, original work and well-resolved jobs; professionally executed designs within the given guidelines, and of course, projects completed in time.
Dita Von Teese Vector Portrait by Platt College Graphic Design Student Tanisha Rose
Interviewer:Where do you seek your inspiration?
Julio: My creative work is informed in art as well as photography, and design; the new and the old. Also, current fashion and design trends inspire me, the public media (TV, movies, and the internet), nature, literature, music and technology, all goes into the pool of inspiration and ideas.
Heisenberg Vector Portrait by Platt College Graphic Design Student Nicholas Nicolet
Interviewer: Is there any book, blog or periodical you recommend for our future graphic designers?
Julio: I really believe we learn by seeing how other artists and designers work. Design magazines are great sources of inspiration and information. Communication Arts, Dwell, How, Art Forum and Art in America, are a few of the ones I read regularly. A few online blogs I visit frequently are www.grainedit.com, www.bookcoverarchive.com, www.underconsideration.com/quipsologies/, and www.noupe.com to mention a few … my collection of bookmarks is endless.
Interviewer: Why do you like teaching graphic design?
Julio: I see teaching as a way of sharing my experiences with younger generations. In this exchange of information, both, the student and the teacher gain and learn. Every day we learn something new … I love the school life! Working and helping students keeps me updated and current, it is a very satisfying and rewarding activity.
Interviewer: Why do you like to teach Platt students?
Julio: Platt College is very close to my heart, since I finished my Graphic Design and Multimedia studies in these same classrooms. Coming back as a teacher is a privilege and an honor; it is a great pleasure to be working with such a talented and dedicated group of people.
Beautiful Work by Julio P Frizza
Be sure to check out Julio’s Personal Website showcasing his work at jfrizza.com.