CCS Spring Alumni Magazine

COV E R TO COV E R Fresh off the largest park expansion in Disney history, an Industrial Design alumnus shows what it takes to make it to the galaxy’s edge.

Six alumni in Transportation Design and Product Design break away from the ordinary. One Entertainment Arts alum – a legend in game design – takes us behind the scenes of World of Warcraft. An illustration alum, creator of a hit Disney animated series, breaks down 10 months of work in 10 minutes. And a Crafts alumnus shows us the handcrafted ethos behind his company’s award-winning commercial spaces.

THESE ARE CCS ALUMNI. ONE DAY, YOU WILL BE ONE OF THEM.

COLLEGE FOR CREATIVE STUDIES offers 11 undergraduate majors and a Teacher Certification program, but as you’ll see, the possibilities are limitless.

2019 GT E-DH Concept, Electric Downhill Mountain Bike Jordan Recchia ‘11, Transportation Design Major, ‘13, Product Design Minor Lead Industrial Designer, GT Bicycles, Cycling Sports Group

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THE NEXT EPISODE T H E CO - C R E ATO R A N D E X EC U T I V E P R O D U C E R O F D I S N EY T V ’S B I G C I T Y G R E E N S , C H R I S H O U G H TO N B R E A KS D OW N H OW E AC H E P I S O D E G E TS M A D E . H E R E ’S 10 MONTHS IN 10 MINUTES. WHAT’S A NORMAL DAY LIKE? CHRIS HOUGHTON (’10, Illustration): I have yet to have one! Every day is completely different, but I wear a bunch of hats: I oversee design, story, the writers’ room, post-production, music, sound effects and actors.

I’m an actor myself; I do the voice of Cricket. My job is not to do everything, but I am responsible for everything. I really enjoy recognizing talent in other people, hiring those people to do their jobs, and then trying to get out of the way.

HOW DO YOU CREATE AN EPISODE OF BIG CITY GREENS ?

Each episode takes about 10 months. We start in the writers’ room: We talk about funny things that might have happened to us in the past week or struggles we have had or something we saw or heard. Hopefully, it leads to about one story per week because that’s the deadline! We then turn those ideas into a three-and-a-half-page summary of the story, which gets handed off to a storyboard artist team — kind of like a comedy writing team — for about five weeks. The storyboard then goes to the episode’s director, who cuts the thing down to 10 minutes and 30 seconds.

Every episode has to be that exact length. We make sure it’s still funny. The character has a want and a need, and we have a mental checklist we go through. We want every episode to feel cohesive when you look at the big picture.

From the writers’ room (opposite page, left) to postproduction (see Chris Houghton voicing Cricket below), every episode takes 10 months of teamwork to create. Above: Alumna Kassandra Heller (‘10, Illustration), Color Supervisor and Houghton’s wife.

We have to design the episode — every character, prop and background — then animate it. Post-production is probably month seven. We do sound and music design. We cut it down to time again, because it’s usually not exactly 10:30, and at some point in there, we record the actors. And at about 10 months, our producer knocks on the door,

HOW DID CCS PREPARE YOU?

“Hand over the episode! It needs to go on the air!”

The best thing students can learn at art school is a jack-of-all-trades skill set. I learned a variety

FINAL THOUGHTS?

of different skills, including drawing, painting,

Embrace being a student. Learn as much as you can

collaborating and design. In my current position,

about a variety of different subjects. There’s always time

I need to know a little bit about a lot of things.

to specialize and narrow your focus later.

I may not be the best painter, but I need to be able to talk to painters. So, I feel like CCS gave

How did Chris Houghton make it to the Big City? For more,

me a really broad education.

visit collegeforcreativestudies.edu/chris-houghton.

©Disney

F I V E T H I N G S YO U S H O U L D K N O W A B O U T STO RY T E L L I N G A N D H O W DESIGNERS MOVE BRANDS FO RWA R D.

W H AT THE FUTURE LO O KS LIKE

©Disney

Top row (left to right): The planet Batuu and its Black Spire Outpost. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run is an anchor attraction, putting guests behind the controls of the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy. The entry to Be Our Guest restaurant in Fantasyland. Bottom: The Droid Depot in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge invites visitors to Batuu to construct and modify their own astromech droids.

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Designers are futurists,

is and starts immediately being about ‘Can

SCOTT MALLWITZ

you give us a creative solution?’”

(’86, Industrial Design),

Mallwitz led creative direction for Star Wars:

Executive Creative

Galaxy’s Edge at Disney Hollywood Studios,

Director for Walt Disney

Walt Disney World Resort, which was completed

Imagineering, says. And

in late 2019 and is the largest park expansion

it is their responsibility

in the history of the company. The project took

to understand the many

more than four years to execute, employing

perspectives and in-

thousands of designers, architects, engineers,

fluences on the client’s

fabricators, contractors and more. Partnered

business — marketability,

with Lucasfilm, Mallwitz’s team designed an

projected trends, budget —

immersive guest experience — “the sights, the

and use design to solve

smells, the tastes, the textures” — that lives

a business problem. “You

comfortably within the Star Wars universe

don’t have the economics

yet is a completely new narrative.

credential. You don’t have

Mallwitz is passionate about storytelling

the engineering credential.

and visual communication, shared experiences

You’re just the guy they

and shared vision. He’s also passionate about

turn to when they want to

encouraging young designers to become better

know what the future looks

at telling their clients’ stories. Call it what you

like. So when they turn to

want: advice, observations or just the know-

you in the context of that

how gathered from a successful career. Here

meeting, it stops being

are five things current and future designers

about what your pedigree

should know.

©Disney

©Disney

DRAW. AGAIN .

LEARN TO PITCH .

DON’T BE A HERO.

IT ISN’T (ALWAYS)

BE ABOUT THE

No software can make

Be able to present and

Create a narrative in which

ABOUT YOU.

BUSINESS.

up for a lack of apprecia-

defend your design and

your audience becomes the

There are a lot of folks on

It doesn’t make us any

tion and understanding of

be prepared to change

hero of the journey. That’s

the design team that we

less creative. It’s actually

form, scale and texture.

it based on the audience.

how things get sold. They

have to inspire or inform.

more creative to answer

And, it’s a crazy important

Do you understand the

don’t get sold when you’re

Branch out, think bigger,

the challenges of busi-

tool to communicate

emotion that we want to

the hero. Take people to a

be more connected. Think

ness, the market, pro-

with people who don’t

create? The call to action?

new place, a new solution,

of it this way: It’s what

duction costs, physical

necessarily see the world

Do you understand our

somewhere different.

creative directors do. We

space, the medium. Great

the way you do. The ability

market? Do you under-

Show them a future that

can do wonderful creative

creative work answers

to quickly interpret thoughts

stand where we want

is exciting, that they can

work of our own, but we

those challenges in

and communicate visually

to go?

understand, and are free

should strive to inspire

a compelling and

to interpret and explore.

that work in others.

meaningful way.

is key.

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WHE N I GROW UP I WANT TO BUILD A WORLD S E N I O R W O R L D B U I L D E R DA M A R C U S H O L B R O O K IS LIVING — AND DESIGNING — HIS DREAM. A game developer for more than 15 years, DAMARCUS

they’re in, and I’ll find photo references.

HOLBROOK (’02, Entertainment Arts) has spent the last

That’s usually my go-to, and I figure out the

six years at Blizzard Entertainment building an impressive

ecology, different biomes and environments.

body of work as a Senior World Builder, most notably for

As a world builder, my number-one goal is to

World of Warcraft. “Battle for Azeroth.” “Warlords of

tell a visual story without words. Number two

Draenor.” “Legion.” Hardcore gamers will recognize these

is making sure it’s fully playable and explorable.”

titles and more. For those of us who aren’t gamers — but

Then the fun begins: Holbrook fleshes

still marvel at the skill and imagination it takes to be a

out the concept with paintings, concept art

great game designer — we wondered how the worlds

and photos just to get a feel for the universe

in these now famous video games were born.

he’s creating, the people and creatures that

“The first thing that happens is we get a ‘lore’ dump:

inhabit it and how they live. The hard part

Where in the world are we, in space and time? Where did

is pitching the idea to the art and creative

the players leave off in the story?” Holbrook explains.

directors and the executive producer. But

“Then I start my research. I think about the region that

once the idea is approved, just like that,

Time to create the next battle scene for World of Warcraft!

Your boss says …

“Battle for Azeroth” – Lore Dump

Research

Where in the world are we? What

Photo references shape an ecology

world are we? Where did the story

from the ground up. Who are the

leave off? “When last we met ...”

beings and creatures that inhabit this space? What are their habitats?

Holbrook is in charge of a continent. (A continent is the game’s world with, maybe, five or six zones. And each zone is a biome — an enchanted forest or a mythical city.)

A concept art team builds out Holbrook’s vision, and an environment team creates the visual assets, filling in the look and texture of things like trees, the ground and foliage.

It’s a deliberate and painstaking process that parallels the advancement of a game designer from beginner to experienced.

After graduation from CCS, Holbrook and a few other alumni headed out to California to try to break into the business. It took some serious hustle to get that first internship at Big Red Pixel, which eventually led him to his first gig as a 3D and concept artist at Valve in Seattle working on “Half-Life 2.”

“You usually go through a long phase of being either a concept artist or a 3D modeler,” Holbrook says. “Then you slowly build small scenes. Before you know it, you make a small area, which comes with a bunch of other stuff. Eventually, you get to the point where you’re in charge of a map. Then you get to where I’m at, where you’re in charge of a continent — the entire game.”

Stills from “Battle for Azeroth,” World of Warcraft. “By creating the area to feel very tight, wet and misty,” Holbrook says, “you get a magical view of Krag’wa the Huge as you approach him.”

Conceptualization

Level Design

Content Design

More photos, sketches, concept

The level design team performs

The content design team creates

art and painting. Real life, but

“phase blockout,” which is a lot like

the moment-by-moment play. Then

augmented. Concept art team

laying out an amusement park:

the fleshed out narrative is ready to

fleshes out ideas.

What’s the major attraction and

be scored by the audio team.

what are the points of interest?

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JEREMY LEVITT OF PA RTS A N D L A B O R D E S I G N S H OWS H OW

HIDDEN WORKSPACE

H E C U STO M C R A F TS CO M M E R C I A L D E S I G N .

“If I’m designing a chair or a table or a restaurant, it needs to function, and it needs to function well,” says furniture and lighting designer JEREMY LEVITT (’03, Industrial Design/Crafts), recalling his days as a student at CCS.

Opposite page (The Grey): Chandelier: Satin nickel frame, powder-coated low iron plate glass and milkwhite hand-blown shades

by Axiom Glass, Andrew Madvin ‘00, Crafts.

“As artistic as a lot of the furniture and lighting was that we were doing, in the end, it still had to stand and to light up and to not catch fire.” For the last decade, Levitt, Co-Founder of Parts and Labor Design in New York City, has pushed the boundaries of this ethic, creating highly customized commercial, hospitality and retail spaces that emphasize handcrafting and function. The firm has designed stunning, award-winning interiors across the country and internationally, including Savannah’s The Grey;

This page (Pacific Standard Time): Custom Light Fixture: Fabricated with solid natural walnut, burnished brass and slip-cast ceramic shades.

Nashville’s Thompson Hotel; Atera Restaurant in New York; and Chicago’s Pacific Standard Time, which won a 2019 James Beard Award for Best Restaurant Design.

Whether it’s a boutique hotel or an edgy new eatery, the firm’s work stands out for its many handcrafted details, and Levitt’s own designs for custom furniture and lighting can be found

Dining Tables: 3/8” creamcolored square tile and epoxy grout, and a walnut border with brass base.

in most of the interiors. Levitt started a custom furniture company while he was still a student at CCS, and this passion for interdisciplinary design led him to create his own major, a precursor to what is now Product Design.

Parts and Labor Design boasts a considerable

Seating Banquettes: Moore & Giles blue leather.

reputation in a crowded commercial interiors market, which Levitt credits to his partnership with Andrew Cohen (whose own background is in architecture) and the team they’ve built.

“Andrew and I are like yin and yang, and it works very nicely,” Levitt explains.

“But with the knowledge that we’ve gained, we understand very clearly how we can apply all of this to construction — things that can be utilized in a contact environment, that are easily repaired and that stand the test of time.”

Column Shelves and Lights: Shelves are made of solid walnut; lights are cast glass and brass with live plantings (cast glass is fabricated by Axiom Glass, Andrew Madvin ‘00, Crafts).

BUT WAIT, TH 1

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4

HERE’S MORE 1 – Oakley Reversal Glasses, JOHAD ELLIS ‘13, Transportation Design, Industrial Designer at Oakley;

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2 – Axient® Digital Handheld Wireless Microphone, DUSTIN SMITH ‘08, Industrial Design, Senior Industrial Designer at Shure Incorporated; 3 – Movado 70th Anniversary Bauhaus Edition, SCOTT YOUNG ‘12, Product Design, Lead Watch Designer at Original Grain; 4 – PaceMasters Racing-Inspired Chronograph Watch, STEFAN BROWN ‘11, Industrial Design, Creative Design

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Director at Creative Vanity; 5 – “AM4DET,” Adidas Speed Factory X Footwear Design Challenge, K AYLA DONALDSON ‘19, Fashion Accessories Design, Principal, Killa Designs; 6 – Tile Pro, COLE DERBY ‘09, Product Design, Director 8

of Industrial Design at Whipsaw; 7 – Essential SmartPhone and 360 Camera, LINDA JIANG ‘11, Product Design, Senior Industrial Designer at Google; 8 – Aether Cone Speaker, AMINA HOROZIC ‘04, Product Design, Studio 10

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Director at Nichetto Studio; 9 – MotoMod Polaroid Insta-Share Printer, ALEXANDRA SAKALIAN ‘16, Product Design, Advanced Product Planning Manager at Samsung Electronics America; 10 – Pingree Detroit The Mayor Sneaker, STEPHEN SCHOCK ‘90, Industrial Design, Designer and Cofounder at Pingree Detroit.

Illustration by Nathan Anderson ‘15, Illustration

VS W E ’ R E A S M A L L CO L L EG E B U T B I G O N A L L T H E T H I N G S T H AT M AT T E R. H E R E A R E N I N E R E AS O N S CC S S H O U L D B E YO U R N E X T B E ST D EC I S I O N .

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BI

“I grew exponentially in my time at CCS — I’m a totally different person than I was when I arrived.

I’ve been exposed to so many different opportunities and mindsets and philosophies and ways of thinking, as well as a great group of people.”

— Kayla Donaldson ‘19, Fashion Accessories Design

3

A HUMAN SCALE With a focus on project-

4 SMALL SCHOOL , BIG REP From Apple and Google to Microsoft, Disney or Amazon,

based learning, a CCS

RETURN ON

our alumni design the

education emphasizes

INVESTMENT

brands you see and use

PRO OPPORTUNITIES

Within six months of

every day. That’s because

CCS students participated in 65 sponsored

graduating, 69% of

industry leaders seek out

research projects from 2017 — 2019, solving

CCS grads have jobs in

CCS grads: 460 U.S. and

problems in real-world design studios, led by

their fields. Within a year

global companies came to

both independent vision

are working artists and

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designers, become mentors

faculty and industry professionals. Sponsored projects

of graduation, 96% are

campus from 2017 — 2019

and help bolster students’

give CCS students unprecedented access to future

employed or own their

to recruit our students for

professional development.

employers and mentors.

own business.

jobs and internships.

and close collaboration.

Our instructors, who

GU

tomorrow, but gives them

“CCS changed my life.

It helped me see things I never thought I could see and do things I never thought I could do. I want to pass that to the next generation of designers.

I want them to see the world as more meaningful and beautiful, to experience its depth and richness.”

the tools to start building

— Stephen Schock ‘90, Industrial Design, Co-Founder and

those careers today.

Designer at Pingree Detroit, Professor of Product Design

7 A CLEAR PATH TO CAREERS Our students win national competitions, create in-production designs, launch start-ups and develop actual ad campaigns for brands NOW — while they are still in school. CCS provides a unique environment that not only prepares students for the careers they’ll have

8 INDUSTRYSTANDARD Big brands trust our

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DETROIT

students because

The city itself is one of CCS’s greatest resources.

they train on the exact

The Detroit Institute of Arts is right next door,

equipment they’ll use

and the Downtown/Midtown/New Center areas

on the job. From virtual-

offer dozens of galleries and art spaces, coffee shops,

and augmented-reality

restaurants, live music venues, sports, festivals and more.

labs to 3D printers, laser

But vibrant cultural life is only the half of it: Detroit is

cutters, a state-of-the-

the fourth largest advertising market in the country —

art foundry and more,

with agencies hiring hundreds of CCS graduates —

CCS provides industry-

and metro Detroit boasts the greatest concentration

standard equipment

of industrial designers in the United States.

and resources.

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T HE GO -TO

If you want to study concept design with Hollywood legends, you’ll have to attend CCS, which offers the only

6

DO -IT-

program in the world led by veteran Concept Designer Tim

YOURSELF

Flattery. If you want to create accessories for international

CCS students go

fashion designers — who recruit at our annual fashion

on to work for

symposium — you’ll have to attend CCS, where the advisory

some of the biggest brands

council for our Fashion Accessories Design program boasts

in the world, but they also

icons from Eileen Fisher to Tracy Reese to John Varvatos.

create their own successful

And if you want to learn digital photography as well as

practices, businesses,

darkroom skills, study metalsmithing, or become a leader

studios and companies.

in car design … you get the idea.

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Office of Admissions 201 East Kirby Detroit, MI 48202 collegeforcreativestudies.edu 313.664.7425 | 800.952.2787 admissions@collegeforcreativestudies.edu

WANT IN? If CCS looks like the place for you, visit our website or drop us a line on social media, and let’s talk about the next four years.

COVER ARTWORK Still from ”The Mandalorian,” original Disney+ series, with VFX by Pixomondo.

Andre Empson (‘19, Entertainment Arts) and Matthew Dale (‘14, Entertainment Arts).

The College for Creative Studies is a nonprofit, private college authorized by the Michigan Education Department to grant bachelor’s and master’s degrees. CCS is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design and is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Documents regarding accreditation are available in the Executive Office upon formal request.

The College for Creative Studies subscribes to the principle of equal opportunity in its employment, admissions, educational practices, scholarship and loan programs, and other schooladministered programs, and strives to provide an educational environment and workplace free from unlawful harassment or discrimination. Discrimination, including harassment, because of age, race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, physical attributes, marital or familial status, disability or any other characteristic protected by law is strictly prohibited.