Art Center Expands Ad Program

DDB here, Ogilvy & Mather in New York and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco will all turn part of their offices into classrooms this summer to give budding ad execs a taste of the real world.

As part of its evening curriculum, the Art Center College of Design has broadened its part-time satellite course program to include classes in locations outside the school’s campus in Pasadena, Calif.

The school’s director of special programs, David B. Walker, said students in the program will benefit from “a real-world kind of experience taught by agency professionals familiar with what is current and contemporary.” In addition, he said, the program helps broaden the school’s geographic perspective.

“It’s an opportunity for the college to learn how things differ between New York, San Francisco, Pasadena and other parts of the world,” said Walker. “A connection with the industry has been a cornerstone of our tradition. Now [we want] to bring something to students that is different from other art schools.”

The Center at Night program began in 1999 at Goodby, and aims to meet different cities’ needs by tailoring classes to those regions.

Developing exchange programs with the Royal College of Art in London is a possibility for the future. With the evolution of the program, the Art Center College of Design hopes to “elevate the international reach of the school and take an advocate/leadership position in the international design community,” said Walker.