The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale: Welcome to the Real World
Even for the most talented advertising and design graduates, “getting a job in the real world is a Catch-22,” says Christine David, Program Chair for the Advertising, Graphic Design and Honor departments at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. “Employers can require years of experience just to grant an interview. But how do you get that experience when nobody will give you a chance to begin with?”
Having paid her own dues on the way to becoming an award-winning art director, Christine’s instinct as a professor was to offer students a chance to transcend that dilemma — by gaining valuable real-world design experience even as they completed their studies. Her brainchild — the Artemis Design Group — is a full-service advertising and design agency that doubles as a prestigious Honors Program within the Art Institute curriculum. And it’s a runaway success. “These days, we’re bringing in two, sometimes three new clients a week,” says Christine. “And I can’t imagine how we’d do it without our new Macs.”
15 Brains, Full Service
Remarkably, Artemis’ burgeoning client list is handled by a staff of just 15 Mac-savvy honors students. “We have animation, video and multimedia students, graphic design and photography students, industrial design, public relations, advertising and marketing students — the full gamut of skills necessary to run a real agency and serve the needs of real clients,” she says
“At the end of the day, the professionalism inspired by our Mac system means we can meet deadlines and turn projects around a lot faster and smoother than many agencies staffed by more experienced folks.”
“That means, if a client is going to a trade show, our people can design and build the booth, design and print the collateral materials, design and make the rep’s uniforms, handle the promotion and PR for the event and do it all with the same quality — and often lower prices and faster turnaround — than most conventional agencies might offer.”
Clients in Every Category
Those bottom-line advantages have attracted a broad range of clients. “We do about 50 percent of our work for various non-profits in South Florida — Big Brothers, Big Sisters, the Boys and Girls Clubs, United Way of Broward County, many more,” she says. “So students are giving back to the community while they gain experience.
”But we also work for a number of start-up companies and some very large enterprises,” she adds.
“Truly Nolen, for example, is the third largest pest control company in the United States. They could certainly go to any big advertising agency around — but we’re their agency of record.
