Recent Graduate Recognized by Adobe Design Achievement Awards
Recent Kean graduate Marc Louis Rosario ’17 was named an Adobe Design Achievement Award semifinalist for Sharpen, a mobile app prototype featured at Research Days 2017. Rosario created Sharpen in professor Ed Johnston's Design for Mobile class and further refined the project in Portfolio and Motion Graphics Design II, a course collaboratively instructed by professor Johnston and Denise Anderson.
Rosario is currently a junior art director at Weber Shandwick, where his client portfolio includes Benefiber, TUMS and Hellmann's. Marc implemented multiple rounds of user testing on his mobile app prototype and looks forward to exploring ways to fully develop an app.
The Sharpen mobile app would enable users to save their sketches and organize them in the palm of their hands. The prototype is designed to encourage hand drawing as a part of the creative process. The app would also include a message feature that facilitates networking with other Sharpen users as well as crowdsourcing feedback and suggestions.
“Marc's success is reflective of the Proto-Portfolio process, a collaborative design instruction methodology at Kean University,” said Johnston.
One hundred percent of Johnston and Anderson’s Graphic Design students graduate with a professional portfolio website, business card and resume. The portfolio project is a valuable exercise in personal branding and, for many, has served as a launchpad to a successful career.
According to Johnston, over ninety percent of Kean University Graphic Design graduates with active LinkedIn profiles are currently employed in their field, with a significant percentage landing a job before graduation. Kean design graduates work at top advertising, design and technology companies including: Disney, Google, Droga5, Big Spaceship, McCann, AnalogFolk, Big Human, Gloo and many more.
You can learn about the Proto-Portfolio process in Johnston and Anderson’s recent peer-reviewed publication with the University College Designers Association.