The art department at Clovis Community College has been collaborating with BRIDGEGOOD, part of the non-profit Oakland Digital Arts & Literacy Center, to introduce our art students to creative technology based employment and make connections in the tech industry.
“BRIDGEGOOD gives emerging designers and creatives the professional resources to discover and explore meaningful careers while also improving local economies.” Businesses and non-profits in need of design services can hire students and pay them directly through the BRIDGEGOOD app.
To get started and participate, students create an account and upload a portfolio at the BRIDEGOOD website at no cost to them. Additionally, BRIDGEGOOD provides other opportunities such as weekly field trips to tech giants like Google, an apprenticeship program, and an annual design competition, Inspire Oakland.
Inspire Oakland “is Oakland Digital’s workforce development program that provides professional development for community college and state-level students pursuing a career in the competitive graphic design job market.” Graphic design students are asked to create a visual, digital campaign addressing the question, “What about Oakland inspires you?”
Participating students are tasked with designing a billboard, a bus bench ad, a social media flyer, and an LED display. Each design has strict specifications and requires flexible skills to create. Approximately 400 students compete. Eighteen are selected to present their designs at Adobe headquarters. Of those, six are chosen and have their work published, receive cash stipends, and attend site visits to companies such as Twitter, Google, and Facebook. All eighteen finalists are invited to apply to be one of ten students selected to participate in a three-month apprenticeship program.
On Friday, April 5, seven of our art students met with four BRIDGEGOOD designers for an afternoon of brainstorming and design development for the Inspire Oakland competition. BRIDGEGOOD provided one-on-one and peer-to-peer design help from winners of previous Inspire Oakland campaigns. Through their participation, our art students also earned a badge on their online portfolios that allows them to apply for design jobs through the BRIDGEGOOD app as well as be seen by businesses looking for designers.
All seven art students plan on submitting their designs to the Inspire Oakland competition. We wish them the best of luck!
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