Director Bob Rigel Arms BFA Students with Multi-Disciplinary Design Skills
"Flying with Bananas"
Born and raised in Colorado, Bob Rigel began his first drawings when he was in the second grade. “From the beginning, I always enjoyed art more than other subject,” he says.
He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English, Education and Fine Arts. He began his career as a teacher utilizing his experiences from the unique Competency-Based Teacher Education program created by educational pioneer, Dr. William J. Carder. He taught both Art and English in Colorado’s secondary schools for two years. While it was rewarding in many ways, he wanted to follow his dream of being a professional artist.
Bob began his career in fine art by making large colored pencil drawings (see right: “Portia” 24″x36″ – Verithin clay-based color pencils on Bristol Board). After showing them to Paul and Bonnie Zeuger of Gallery One in Denver, he began working exclusively for their galleries making Surrealist and Extramentalist pencil drawings, lithographs, airbrush paintings and serigraphs.
"Portia"
His fine art received national recognition with the Meininger Award from “Draw ‘82” and one of his lithographs, “Diapason,” is included in the print collection of the Wichita Museum of Art. After many years making art, he discovered yet another interest in graphic design when Apple’s Macintosh was introduced and digital tools for working with images and type became available (see left: Bob is “Flying with Bananas” – digital photography and Photoshop).
With the Mac as his primary production tool, he has been a freelance graphic designer, illustrator, digital imaging artist and color-correction specialist for over 20 years. His graphic design has won the prestigious Certificate of Design Excellence from Print Magazine’s National Design Annual and various regional awards as well. To keep his fine art skills up to date, he has studied sculpture and painting independently with master artist Simon Kogan (see below: “Door Closes, Door Opens” – 12″ high bronze on granite).
"Door Closes, Door Opens"
“I have always been an artist and I’ve always been one of those people who like to keep up with the latest developments in technology. Solving design and educational problems is challenging and rewarding for me.”
As the Undergraduate Director of the Academy of Art University’s Web Design + New Media School, he advises the department’s faculty, works with students and develops extensive curriculum for the classroom and the Academy’s online program. And, yes, he teaches, too.
Although he’s a busy man, Bob finds the time to share his knowledge. He has been tapped to present this year at Adobe’s Partner by Design Annual Meeting, a gathering of educators from America’s top design schools.
“My goal is to showcase our students’ mastery of design through the campaign projects they create at the apex of their studies at AAU. Our program is unique in that we’re creating a new generation of “renaissance” designers – those fluent in today’s technologies, but also ready to take on what’s in the future.”
So, what advice would Bob give prospective students?
“My best advice to students entering our program is to find the thing that drives you as a creative person and nurture it. This well-spring of creativity is what will allow you to find original creative solutions to design problems and will keep your energy high no matter how tough the problem is or how hard the work may be. If you do it because you like it, you will always be happy as a designer. ‘Follow your bliss,’ as Joseph Campbell would say.”
