Academics . Graphic Design . Faculty
Graphic Design Faculty
Degree MFA, Rhode Island School of Design
BA, Kenyon College
A graphic designer, publisher, and educator, Adam runs Specific Ideas, a multidisciplinary creative practice that is one part graphic design studio, one part independent publishing house, and is one-half of the art and design initiative NEW NEW NEW.
Before coming to CIA, Adam was a full-time faculty member at Kansas City Art Institute. He's been a Senior Designer at SYPartners; a co-founder with Andrew LeClair of LeClair Lucas; and an art director at Wieden+Kennedy. He taught classes and workshops at Maryland Institute College of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Pratt Institute, and School of Visual Arts.
Title Adjunct Faculty
Department Graphic Design
Phone 216.421.7000
Degree BFA, Graphic Design & Photography, Miami University
Jennifer Grimes is a visual communications specialist with over 20 years of experience in advertising, marketing and corporate communications. Jen is the owner and creative director of Nektar Design, where she specializes in developing corporate and employee communications. Her expertise ranges from brand development to advertising and marketing collateral; environmental graphics; online graphics; video production/oversight; photography; and creating multi-platform training/educational programs.
When not wearing her graphic designer hat, she renews her creative energy through experimenting with photography, videography and performance art.
Degree BFA, Kent State University
Title Professor of Practice, Graphic Design
Department Graphic Design
Phone 216.421.7930
Degree BFA, Communication Design, College for Creative Studies
Katie Melnick is a partner at Fizz Creative with her husband, Jasen. Together, they have built Fizz as a creative powerhouse specializing in branding and packaging design for food and consumer goods. Katie has become her clients' cheerleader, creative conduit, and brand therapist, empowering her clients to blaze their own trails based on the unique brand positions she helps them build.
Having studied in Holland, Switzerland and Italy, Katie strongly believes in always pushing her creativity in new ways to create innovative solutions for their clients.
She was a driven entrepreneur from 10 (yes 10) when she sold bracelets and mixed tapes to her classmates. Now Katie's work can be seen on grocery store shelves all over the Midwest and beyond!
Degree BA, Baldwin-Wallace College
Len teaches Graphic Design For Non-Majors, Creating Comics In A Digital Environment, and Intro to Digital Art at CIA. Len’s quirky, offbeat style in comic books, card games, on t-shirts, posters and all over social media. Along with working on projects with companies like Discovery Channel, Warner Bros. Entertainment, Steve Jackson Games, Boom! Comics, Rifftrax and Noggin, Len has illustrated several books including There’s A Zombie In My Treehouse, Silly Rhymes For Belligerent Children written by MST3K's Trace Beaulieu, and Super Powered Revenge Christmas, a full graphic novel with Bill Corbett (Rifftrax). His self-published graphic novel series, Exterminite, with Mikey Neumann and Kris Straub was named as a hot property for Hollywood to adapt.
His work has appeared on CNN.com, The New Yorker and at gallery exhibitions in Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Hawaii and San Diego Comic Con. Len was also listed as one of the Top 100 Geeks To Follow on Twitter by Wired Magazine.
Degree James holds an MFA in Visual Communication Design from Kent State University and a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design.
James Wilhelm is a Senior Designer at Flourish, Inc. in Cleveland. Prior to coming to Flourish, he worked at Red Leaf in Boston. He has worked on large scale multi-element programs from concept to production, national identity and marketing campaigns that include print, interactive, packaging and media design. James teaches Packaging Design.
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