SAN FRANCISCO – Demonstrating remarkable creativity and dedication, three Academy of Art student-athletes, Advertising major Kiel Long from men's basketball, Web Design & New Media major Kris Jensson from men's soccer, and Animation & Visual Effects major Giulia McIsaac from women's cross country/track & field were each recognized at their respective department's year-end award ceremonies. Long's collaborative work on ad campaigns featuring "Taylor Guitars" and "Sharktoberfest," Jensson's "Juno" innovation, and McIsaac's 2-D layout design were all highlighted during the celebrations of student work within the three different disciplines.

Long, who completed his collegiate basketball career with the Urban Knights last year, took home awards for group projects in two separate sections in the School of Advertising. His "Taylor Guitars" advertisement from his Television Commercial Production class won for Single Media and his "Sharktoberfest" multi-dimensional campaign from his Young & Hungry Ad Agency class won Gold overall.

The one-minute and 15-second "Taylor Guitars" segment follows a guitarist, passionately played by Long's former teammate Victor Ruiz de Carranza, through San Francisco to a club performance while another former teammate Cobe Williams provides seamless sound design. Inspired by music videos, films, and other commercials he had seen previously, Long explains that the goal of the commercial was to connect with the average guitarist who hasn't previously achieved success and fame.

"We wanted to show someone who was still performing at local bars and taking public transportation," said Long. "Too often I see music-related commercials that highlight the most recognizable faces in the industry, making the advertisement and message feel distant and less relatable. We are hoping this spot resonates with all artists out there still pursuing their dreams. Right before we began shooting, I also broke my jaw so there were some challenges on set with communication, but overall the process was enjoyable and satisfying."

Working with seven others to develop the ad campaign for "Sharktoberfest," an event created by a non-profit focused on ocean conservation known as Blue Endeavor, Long was tasked with rebranding the event from posters to merchandise to a microsite all designed to promote the world of sharks. Long's Young & Hungry contingent was roughly halfway through its executions when the COVID-19 pandemic forced classes to move online, but the team made adjustments quickly to complete the project on time.

Teamwork comes naturally to Long who devoted his final two years of collegiate basketball to Academy of Art. Never missing one of his 54 games from 2017 to 2019, Long served as a reliable starter for the Urban Knights and collected Academic All-PacWest honors along the way.
 
"Being able to effectively communicate and work with others is something that I have learned through athletics," said Long. "Also, the ability to recognize and fulfill one's role is something I've learned playing basketball at multiple different levels. Knowing that nothing good will ever come without hard work is something that I think all athletes understand and something we all keep in mind when pursuing other things."

Click here to visit Long's 2020 Spring Show page which highlights his "Taylor Guitars" commercial and click here to discover more about the "Sharktoberfest" campaign.

Jensson, who just completed his junior season in goal for the ART U men's soccer team, earned Silver in the School of Web Design & New Media for his creation of "Juno," a multi-functional design that serves as an app, baby monitor, and lamp simultaneously. Focused on decreasing parents' anxiety, the inspiration for the concept came from discussions with Dr. Christina Boothman who serves on Contra Costa County's Child Death Review Team.

"For me, what works best is when I get to decide my own project brief and pick a subject that I have no idea about," said Jensson. "Because of my curiosity, I end up doing more research on it and, the more research you do, the better the project will be. I was lucky to be connected with Dr. Boothman because she really opened everything up for me including the fact that a lot of baby monitor apps are increasing parents' anxiety and, for example, alarming them when it's not necessary."

Aimed at reducing stress, Jensson designed "Juno" to create a calm environment for parents to keep track of their baby's health and sleep. It includes a health section (heart rate, breathing rate, and skin temperature), sleep section (night sleep, day sleep, and sleep pattern), and a remote for the lamp where the user can choose themes and lights as well as listen to their infant through the app.

"Designing health graphs is always tricky, especially when it's targeted to babies," said Jensson. "You want to stay away from alarming the parents with sharp corners and also you want to make sure to follow color psychology. It was a lot of fun designing the graphs and a lot of research that was put in it so I'm really happy with the end product."

Earning Academic All-PacWest honors in each of his first two years with the Urban Knights, Jensson has confidently led by example. Jensson posted multiple shutouts per season as a freshman and sophomore, was PacWest Defender of the Week, and already ranks third in career saves at Academy of Art with his senior campaign still to come.

"I think because of soccer I have always been competitive and the best advice I can give is to take that competitiveness and use it as a motive for school," said Jensson. "I think being a student-athlete should never be an excuse; it should be a motive to go as far as you possibly can because student-athletes want to win every time we play so, in the end, we want to do better than the person sitting next to us, in the most respectful way of course. I'm really grateful for the award, but when I didn't win the best award for Juno I started to brainstorm ideas for next year."

Click here to visit Jensson's Spring Show page which highlights "Juno."

At the School of Animation & Visual Effects 2020 Spring Awards Show (watch here at the 18:40 mark), McIsaac found herself selected as Runner-Up in the category of 2-D Animation Layout Design. Approached by a fellow student to assist with his animation of a character running around a street corner while being tailed by a personification of his anxieties and insecurities, McIsaac gladly offered her assistance and ended up submitting her layout work on the project for her Studio X class.

"The story around the animation was set in the Inner Richmond area of San Francisco, so I researched what the housing looked like in that specific district, while also taking architectural elements of the Sunset district and Panhandle areas to help inspire this piece," said McIsaac. "Along with the architectural elements I referenced, I also referenced the art style the project was using while making this layout."

The literal multi-layered process began with McIsaac reviewing the storyboard she was given which revealed two scene shots that would need to reflect detail from various depths. Her aforementioned research came next as she delved into the architecture of San Francisco's Inner Richmond and Sunset Districts. Lastly, as she proceeded with the drawing itself, she initially created a rough version to be reviewed by her friend, then a final line drawing, then colored the layout based off a color palette created for the project.
 
"Layouts are the backgrounds to animations," said McIsaac. "They're part of the production pipeline when creating an animation and can be really important in solidifying an animation into an environment and space, without taking away from the animation itself. That is unless the shot calls for something otherwise."

A highly accomplished student-athlete in both cross country and track & field over the past four years, McIsaac was a member of the All-PacWest Cross Country Team three times, twice on All-PacWest Track & Field Teams, and a four-time Academic All-PacWest recipient including two USTFCCCA All-Academic Individual honors. Those individual honors, however, were all motivated by a strong drive for collective success.

"I love being part of a team, especially when everyone is working towards a common goal," said McIsaac. "To make an animation, you can do everything on your own, but it's easier to do it with a team of people. Everyone has to do their assigned part for the project to succeed. You're only as good as your weakest link and it's up to everyone to work together to reach your common goal. That goes for both on and off the field."

Click here to visit McIsaac's Spring Show page which includes her 2-D animation reel.

Applying design techniques they have learned in the classroom and in their respective areas of play as student-athletes, this trio represents some of the dynamic talent emerging from Academy of Art in the near future.