Animation Career Review, an online resource for aspiring animators, game designers, and graphic design and digital art professionals, recently interviewed Assistant Professors Wobbe F. Koning, MFA, and Mike Richison, MFA, as part of its ongoing industry expert career resource series which includes “some of the most interesting and knowledgeable people in the animation world.”
Koning said one of the most important skills for Monmouth University students interested in animation careers is the ability to problem solve. “You not only need to be creative in figuring out how to best communicate a certain story point, but you must also have a solid technical grounding to analyze why a piece of software behaves in unexpected ways.”
“The relatively small class sizes [at Monmouth] allow us to individually mentor students, and to help develop their individual strengths while working on areas that need extra attention. Advising is an important part of the job for faculty that we take very seriously,” Koning said.
Richison also emphasized the combination of theory and practice for design students at Monmouth. “The curriculum of the graphic and interactive design concentration has a strong foundation based on hand skills that encourage critical thinking. All of the students in the Art and Design Department go through our foundation program. Basic design, color theory, drawing, art history, and photography are all a part of that foundation,” Richison said.
“Hands down the most important skill set our students acquire is the ability to ideate. They must start with a strong concept and understand the brand, the experience, and design piece,” Richison said.