Education
Rochester Institute of Technology, Master of Fine Arts, Interactive Media Design
Rochester Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Graphic Design
Industry Experience
Erika Hutchings has been a creative director, art director and designer in her career, working with clients ranging from non-profit organizations to Fortune 500 companies. Erika has done work for such organizations as: Charles Schwab, The Colorado Division of Wildlife, The Colorado Rockies, Empire Blue Cross, FOX, Franklin Covey, Hawaiian Airlines, Home & Abroad (partner of Expedia), Horizon Organic Dairy, Hyatt Hotels, Johns Manville, Lipper Mutual Funds, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, New Hampshire Department of Fish & Game, The Organic Center, Qwest Dex, Real Networks, The Salvation Army, TD Waterhouse, University of Washington, USA Swimming, US Department of Veterans Affairs and Whole Foods Markets among many others.
Currently Erika is the principal and creative director of a design studio specializing in web design and development, interactive media, branding and print design. Erika has been a professional member of AIGA and the Graphics Artists Guild.
In addition, Erika has been teaching graphic design and interactive media design courses since 1996 and online courses since 2004. She also enjoys working on traditional mixed media illustrations in her free time.
Teaching Philosophy
"Design is not about what you add but rather what you take away..."
"For me, this statement by Brett Wickens of MetaDesign, embodies what design is all about. I try to help my students understand that design is about taking a complex message and distilling it down to the key parts, and then delivering it in the most effective format possible for the audience. Embellishment, cool tools and techniques are great but only if they are used in a meaningful way. Software is only a tool and it cannot replace a brilliant concept.
Design delivers a message, inspires action or thought and fulfills on a measurable goal. We are problem-solvers and each time we embark on this problem solving process, it's a creative endeavor. Each time we design, it's fresh and new. Generally, no two answers are ever exactly the same. Rarely does a client come to us for a singular "one-off" piece. For example, a client may need a web site, print ads and a direct mail piece. Consistency is key. As designers, we need to take a concept we develop and expand it in new and creative ways across integrated media. There are many ways to create consistency like imagery, color and typography but concept is most important.
I often tell students that realistically, the practice of graphic design involves 80% conceptualizing and 20% production. That might not always be true but it can help put in perspective how important the problem-solving process really is. We are visual problem-solvers, meaning we spend a great deal of time researching the concept, target audience and potential approaches.
No matter how long you work in the field of design, each experience is new. Each time we sit down to design, it's a fresh and creative process. This keeps the job interesting and the idea of "work" actually becomes fun.