By Becky Higgins
As part of an occasional series showcasing student art portfolios, The News spoke to Dan Alcala, a senior media arts and design major who shared his thoughts on the art world.
Q: What medium do you work with the most, or find to be the most interesting?
A: I use a bunch of different programs on the computer like Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash, After Effects. I like Illustrator because you can make things so incredibly perfect and you have complete control of adjusting objects and text to how you want it. Lately, I’ve been getting into After Effects, which is used for video and text in motion. This semester I made a few video projects where I was really just using still images, but I manipulated them over time and was able to twist things completely around, things you can’t do for just a still poster.
Q: Have you done a co-op that has helped you choose your career path? A: In some ways co-op helped my career goals. I did my first co-op at the NU library doing Web stuff for them. It was great because they didn’t have much familiarity with design so they pretty much let me do my thing. My second co-op was for a lawyer’s newspaper downtown. I worked with the nicest, most helpful people. My boss was a designer, and she taught me a lot, too, but the content of what I was working, as you can guess, was mind-numbingly boring for me. It was a good lesson, though. I really can’t do much quality work if I’m not interested and inspired. I never did a third co-op, I decided to get away from things to enjoy the simple life in Spain.
Q: Do you have any specific inspirations behind your work?
A: When it comes to design, any form of art can inspire me. It could be an amazing Dali painting or a Count Chocula cereal box. In the end, it’s all someone trying to get an idea across. I’m also inspired by other students’ work. It always amazes me how we’re all given the same assignments and each person takes it in completely different directions. I feel like I learn so much from that. Again, music is another inspiration. I couldn’t spend 12 hours a day in front of the computer without my tunes.
Q. How do you feel about the Northeastern design program? What classes or on-campus groups have helped you the most?
A. I think the program has grown so much since I’ve been here. I think they’ve really stepped things up so much with new equipment, longer lab hours and more classes to offer. But I think the core of everything is the teacher. I think for the most part we have exceptional teachers that put a lot of hard work into getting us to be the best designers we can be. The art society group does a lot of interesting stuff. I’ve only been to a handful of meetings. If only there was more time. But I think it’s a great way to collaborate or get feedback on your work.
