Disappointment is what Lily Frederick, 20, graphic design major, felt when she first came to El Camino.
The lack of an open art community is what drove her, Kevin Rosa, 23, graphic design major, Toro Roan, 25, motion graphic major and Ian Abinoja, 22, graphic design major, to create Vision 218.
“The main concept of this club is to bring together designers and to make (it) known that there is an art community here at El Camino,” Frederick said.
Vision 218 is one of newest clubs to join El Camino and they meet every Thursday at 12:45 p.m. in Art 218.
“We want to let students know that El Camino has a really good program. It is not necessary to go to an expensive school and pay a lot of money when you can learn the same thing here,” Roan said.
Vision 218 is opening its doors to any student interested in design, beginning or advanced, enthusiast or contributor.
“This room is the neutral zone where every person who is taking design or art classes come in,” Rosa said.
“We are planning on having workshops and sessions or tutorials,” Frederick said.
The club meets in the graphics design lab that not only has the space and state-of-the-art printers, but has G-5 Macs installed with programs such as In Design and Photoshop as well.
“We try to develop those skills here at school,” Rosa said.
Club president Rosa first realized the need for the club when working as a supplemental instructor.
“I noticed that a lot of students learned from each other a lot more than just from the professor,” Rosa said.
Although the idea for a club was Vision 218’s advisor professor Andrea Micallef, Rosa did the recruiting and paperwork.
It was in McCullough’s 2D design class where Rosa met the rest of his team.
“I liked the idea of getting to know other designers who do different things in different ways,” club vice president Frederick said.
Public relations officer Roan also joined, along with secretary Abinoja.
These four students are also viewed as peer mentors for the twenty consistent members who attend the meetings.
Graphics design is a very competitive field for any student which requires having ‘A’ work.
“Graphic design is everywhere. It is all around us we just don’t notice it because it is not meant to be noticed,” Rosa said.
Abinoja came from a different background, studying architecture.
“It was through Vision 218 that I was able to get into graphics design at a deeper level,” Abinoja said.
These students advise fine art majors to take classes with different professors.
“The professors have been in the industry, have real world experience and they share it with us,” Abinoja said.
The portfolio class with professor Walter Cox (also advisor to Vision 218) helps students practice skills for the real world.
“He actually makes us find interviews to attend and research schools we plan to get into,” Frederick said.
“It helps build our character for ourselves so we can get ready to transfer and enter the real world,” Rosa said.
Toro is studying animation design and is sure to make the most here at El Camino, because “in the design world you are either the best or you are nothing.”
