Talented writers and designers from top art programs and institutions. Creative, innovative people. Thinkers. Many members of my creative team, however, had little experience developing materials for the virtual world.
As soon as I arrived at Penn State, I knew my most important role was preparing these talented individuals for a rapidly changing world—one in which print communications are shrinking in popularity and people of every age, background, and country are accessing information via the web. We needed to make the transition to interactive design. With approval from our supervisor, we began to chart a roadmap for this transition.
Adaptation. Risk-taking. Growth. These were our guiding principles along our journey.
Using in-house training, conferences, practical experiences, and case studies, we marked each step.
And in two years’ time, it was clear that what I had predicted was coming true. We were producing fewer print pieces. Luckily, most of my team had by this time embraced a new way of thinking, designing, and writing.
A new era of user-centered interactive design was about to begin.
