City Tech’s Department of Advertising Design and Graphic Arts Will Hold Third Annual Portfolio Review on May 24

The Department of Advertising Design and Graphic Arts (ADGA), New York City College of Technology (City Tech), will conduct its third annual student portfolio review on Thursday, May 24, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. The review will take place in the Times Square offices of Adobe Systems Inc., the host of the event.

More than 90 graduating ADGA students will present their work to City Tech faculty and industry professionals in a series of 45-minute sessions. ADGA hopes to attract enough outside attendance so that each student’s portfolio can be critiqued by two or three experts in related fields.

“As in previous years, one of our goals is to gather information that will help us keep our curriculum relevant to the current needs of industry and its employing companies,” said M. Genevieve Hitchings, assistant professor, ADGA. “Portfolio reviews also let students practice their interview skills and receive honest feedback on their work in a non-competitive environment.”

“Most important, portfolio reviews also give senior-level students an opportunity to network with potential employers,” Hitchings said.

The reviews will begin at 3:30 p.m. and run at 45-minutes intervals until 7:15 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., ADGA will announce three winners for the most outstanding portfolios.

Industry members wishing to take part in the reviews should RSVP to MHitchings@CityTech.Cuny.Edu. Pre-registration is necessary for admission to the space being provided by Adobe at 1540 Broadway, New York, NY, on the 17th floor (entrance on 45th Street).

ADGA has promoted the event with a postcard (above) designed by one of its students, Alfredo Lopez, who specializes in web and mobile design, online advertising, and brand identity. Printing was provided by Duggal Visual Solutions, which ran the job on an HP Indigo 5500 digital color press at its production center in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Duggal, a supporter of City Tech, also has hosted field trips that introduce ADGA students to many of the latest technologies for graphic imaging and reproduction.

ADGA held its first portfolio review at the Openhouse Gallery in SoHo  in December 2010. Last year, the event took place at the Type Director’s Club in midtown Manhattan.

With an enrollment of about 1,300 students, ADGA is the largest academic department at City Tech. It offers degree programs in the career tracks of advertising and graphic design, interactive media, broadcast graphics, illustration, and graphic arts management.

ADGA graduates have gone on to successful careers at Condé Nast, The New York Times, Hearst, Essence Inc., Deutsch, EURO RSCG, DraftFCB, Grey Advertising, and many other firms.

Gamma Epsilon Tau Fraternity Will Honor Keenan and D’Onofrio at “Gold Key” Ceremony

Gamma Chapter of Gamma Epsilon Tau, the national graphic arts honor society, will honor Vicki R. Keenan and John D’Onofrio at its 2012 Gold Key Awards ceremony in New York City on May 30.

For nearly two decades, Keenan has been one of the most influential figures in printing industry affairs in the New York – New Jersey metropolitan area. She currently serves as vice president of Printing Industries Alliance and manager of its NY/NJ metro office in Westfield, NJ.  Headquartered in Amherst, NY,  Printing Industries Alliance is a regional trade association representing the $20 billion graphic communications industry in New York State, northern New Jersey and northwestern Pennsylvania.

Keenan, who joined the organization in December 2006, formerly held a number of executive positions with the Association of Graphic Communications (AGC), a metro area trade group. She was with AGC for 13 years and served for a time as its president. At Printing Industries Alliance, she is responsible for directing advocacy efforts in both public and media relations and in federal, state, and local government affairs programs. She also is the primary coordinator of the association’s annual Franklin Event.

Keenan has more than 35 years of advocacy experience in corporate and association management. She relocated to her native New Jersey from Washington, D.C. where she served in lobbying and senior positions at Bechtel Corp., American Consulting Engineers Council, and National Newspaper Association. She was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for her participation in its “Common Sense Initiative” and was awarded the Hammer Award for Public Service by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.

D’Onofrio is vice president of commercial sales at DG3, a global print and communications business. The position, which he has held since his company, Mirror Graphics, Inc. was acquired in 1999, includes sales, estimating, production, and billing for the major accounts he serves.

D’Onofrio also was a partner and vice president of sales at Seville Graphics, a New York City trade printer, and Mercury Bindery, a New York City trade binder. During his tenure at Seville Graphics, the company became the first printing business on the East Coast to install a MAN Roland 700 sheetfed press.  Working with Pinnacle Technologies, he and his partners helped to develop a biodegradable, VOC-free, vegetable-based ink that was adopted at Seville Graphics ahead of the industry’s general push for more earth-friendly consumables.

D’Onofrio has been a member of Gamma Epsilon Tau for 40 years. He was inducted into Gamma Epsilon Tau, Gamma Chapter while attending New York City Community College, the predecessor of New York City College of Technology, from which he graduated with honors. He also attended Baruch College.

Gamma Epsilon Tau is a national, coeducational, collegiate printing fraternity in which students of printing and publishing can meet and interact in a professional and social atmosphere. Its members are enrolled in graphic arts programs at many colleges, technical institutions, and universities.

Gamma Chapter of Gamma Epsilon Tau is located at New York City College of Technology (NYCCT), part of the City University of New York. Recent Gold Key honorees include Bob Sacks, Annette Wolf Bensen, Michael Cunningham, Florence Jackson, Diane Romano, and Russell K. Hotzler.

The 2012 Gold Key Awards dinner will be held on May 30 at Club 101, 101 Park Avenue, New York City. For more information or to purchase tickets, contact NYCCT’s Frank Adae at (718) 260-5833 or by e-mail: fadae@citytech.cuny.edu