Graphic Design

Karl Zurfluh - Faculty
FIDM Graphic Design Instructor

Karl Zurfluh is an associate creative director at Petrol Advertising. His responsibilities include conception research, directing photo shoots, and building logos and comps, all of which he teaches in his Key Art Design class at FIDM. Karl has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Illustration and Master of Fine Arts Degree in Computer Animation.

I teach what I do
at work every day."

Tell us a little bit about yourself:
I have done a range of commercial art jobs from animator, illustrator, pure graphic design, murals, corporate I.D., and web design. What I like best about advertising is that it pulls a little from everything.

What is your experience in the industry?
After leaving the animation industry, I transitioned into traditional advertising (corporate I.D., products, etc.). From there, I found entertainment.

Describe a favorite class project:
My favorite project is the "student choice" project. I love to see what they are going to come up with. Their excitement is contagious.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at FIDM?
I enjoy the creative process and showing students how to improve on that. Seeing their progress inspires me.

Do you have a particular style or philosophy about teaching?
No one style will reach all the students, so I try to figure out where they are coming from and meet them in the middle.

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.

Martha Walker - Graduate
FIDM Graphic Design Program
Art Director, Dunn & Co.

Graphic Design Graduate Martha Walker chose the program's Entertainment option and is now Art Director at Dunn & Co., an independent advertising agency based in Tampa, Florida. Her projects have included art directing posters for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Ones to Watch campaign, featuring players for the men's and women's twelve ACC schools.

Where do you find inspiration?
My inspiration comes from a number of different places. First, from other designers in the industry that I have come across and/or admire. If they have a certain skill set or piece of work that I love, I try and figure out how/why they did something and then apply it to my life and my work. My inspiration also comes from the environment. I am fascinated by nature and try to bring its textures, colors, and lighting into my work as well.

How has your success in the professional world been affected by your experience at FIDM?
My success has tremendously been affected by my experience at FIDM. Not a day goes by that I don’t use the skills I acquired through my education at FIDM. The instructors, small class sizes, and the great internship experience prepared me for the “real world” that is graphic design and advertising. I know, for a fact, that I wouldn't be where I am today without the education and experiences I obtained while at FIDM.

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.

Alex Gardos - Faculty
FIDM Graphic Design Program

Alex Gardos was born and raised in Los Angeles and has lived and worked in Europe where he got his start doing freelance graphic design. After earning a B.A. in Industrial Design and Graphic Design in San Francisco, Alex worked in the Bay Area during the '90s in many roles from Graphic, Web, and Interactive Designer to Creative Director. An avid traveler, Alex has been to India, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.

What do you enjoy most about teaching at FIDM?
My favorite part of teaching is helping students to discover their own visual style and guide them in balancing the form and function elements in their work. The college's administration is very open to input and the atmosphere is professional yet casual.

Do you have a teaching philosophy?
To create effective Graphic Design, one has to find the proper balance between form and function. As Graphic Designers, we must 1) capture the attention of our audience, 2) capture the comprehension of our audience, 3) create design with a high retention value, and 4) create design that causes a behavioral reaction. Students need to constantly ask themselves why and how they relate to the client's audience.

Alex Gardos is an Outstanding Faculty Award winner, an award given by the student body to outstanding faculty members.

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.

Lisa Hoffman - Faculty
FIDM Graphic Design Program

Graphic Design and Visual Communications Department Coordinator and instructor Lisa Hoffman's professional career includes time spent as a Window Designer for Farrell's Ice Cream Parlors; a Production Artist, Art Director, and Production Manager for multimedia companies; a Graphic Designer and Textile Designer for Esprit Corporation; and Map Designer for the Burning Man organization.

Describe a favorite class project.
In the Introduction to Digital Photography class, students are randomly paired with a classmate for a project on Studio Lighting. The students have one week to find a collection of portraits that inspire them with lighting and camera angles and then they have to recreate the feeling of that photo in our lab with studio lights.

Do you have a teaching philosophy?
Learning is at its best when information is shared rather than delivered, when students bring their own unique perspective to the table and everyone gains from one another.

Lisa Hoffman is an Outstanding Faculty Award winner, an award given by the student body to outstanding faculty members.

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.

Stephen Reaves - Director
FIDM Graphic Design Program

Stephen Reaves brings more than 20 years of design experience in the fields of Entertainment and Advertising to his position as FIDM's Director of Graphic Design. He has Bachelor of Science and Master of Arts degrees from San Diego State University and has worked as Art Director at B.D. Fox & Friends, Inc. Advertising, Vice President of Creative at Intralink Film & Graphics, and Vice President of Creative at New Line Cinema, where he worked with all major film studios as well as TV networks and home entertainment distributors. He realized his passion for education when he received the opportunity to develop a Graphic Design program for FIDM.

While continuing to work in theater and home entertainment at Seiniger Advertising and Bingo Advertising & Marketing, he also taught classes at FIDM and later joined the faculty of California State University Long Beach's College of the Arts as an Associate Professor. Steve returned to FIDM in 2002 as Director of the program he had helped to initiate.

To meet the growing needs and changing demands of the design marketplace, Steve expanded the Graphic Design program to include an emphasis on entertainment, in addition to branding. With his commitment to provide education with real world, hands-on experience, Steve has worked vigorously to establish FIDM's impressive industry internship program for students in Branding and Entertainment design. He has received many industry accolades for his design work, including two Hollywood Reporter Key Art Awards, the CondéNast Publishers' Guest Editorship Award, and a Communication Arts magazine award. He has also been a Key Art Award Judge and has served on West Hollywood's Design Commission.

Steve has freelanced for films such as Bonneville, Enchanted, Blood Diamonds, Dead Silence, Harry Potter, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and Pearl Harbor, and continues to do so as his schedule permits. As an artist, he is working on a series of diverse, hand-sketched portraits in pen and ink with pencil color overlays. Steve also provides pro bono design services to many non-profit and charitable organizations.

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication.