Alumni Careers

Parents of pre-teens, you may know of "iCarly" and "Zoey 101" and "VicTORious." Now, meet Richard Smykowski.

Smykowski is a New York-based designer for those popular kid and tween TV shows. As an art director for Nickelodeon, he regularly creates posters, ads, tote bags, anything visual to promote the shows. He's also done art direction and design for MTV, SyFy, VH1, the Food Network - the pantheon of cable-TV networks. But does he watch much TV? "Well, I watch the true-crime stuff and news magazines; I'm more of a movie watcher."

Originally a photo major, on his website Smykowski calls himself: "Thinker. Visual communicator. Strategist". He blends photos with graphic embellishments, streaky text, and cartoony figures or brash textures. The computer makes these lively collages "easier and quicker," he notes. "But in entertainment graphics, the technology makes things move at the speed of light! Clients expect amazing things, with little time to execute. It's stressful, but it keeps you on your toes."