After an intense year of copious creation, hard-won satisfaction, and stretched imaginations, the graduates of VFS Digital Design class #1 are now enjoying success in the world of professional visual design.

VFS caught up with four of them and, despite their tight schedules, took down their opinions on their new jobs, life in Vancouver, and their VFS experience.

Miles Nurse

Before attending VFS, Miles Nurse, a Master Scuba Instructor, helped to implement training at some of the top dive resorts around the world. But in his down time, Miles racked up hours of underwater cinematography. In what he thought would be a break from adventure-seeking, Miles enrolled in the first VFS Digital Design class – and “dove” right in.

When asked what Digital Design means to him, Miles says, “In the design industry you have the opportunity to solve simple and complex problems that can impact the lives of thousands of people. It’s a profession that demands absolute accountability, but the rewards are infinite.” Taking that philosophy to heart, Miles found work with Riptown.com – or, more aptly, Riptown found him.

Miles is now a producer at Riptown and plans to merge his diving past with his digital design future, “I will one day create my own production house that provide media and motion graphics solutions to the entertainment and tourism industries.”

When asked about his VFS experience, Miles is ready with answers. “The first word that comes to mind when I think of VFS is ‘progressive.’ They are constantly evolving the program to better suit the career objectives of its participants. I also think it is absolutely one of the best structured courses available for a novice designer who has some computer knowledge.”

Andrea Garcia Tovar

After graduation, Andrea returned to her home of Venezuela. A friend of hers who works at HBO Latin America almost immediately called her, tipping her off on a job in the company’s graphic design department. Andrea sent them her demo reel, resume, her fantastic website, had an interview the next day, and was hired in the afternoon.

“I’m the senior designer at HBO LA’s graphic design department. My main duty is creating movie promos from the trailers and movie pieces the company sends me. I make all the graphics, animation, logos – sometimes different than the movie’s original logo – and I do the typography for the date, time, etcetera. The thing is, HBO includes 4 different channels, so I stay pretty busy.”

Since Andrea uses After Effects, Photoshop CS, and Illustrator CS on a daily basis, Andrea feels that her VFS experience trained her more than adequately to do her job. “VFS also really changed my point of view regarding design. I used to design for print, but learning motion graphics gave my ideas a kind of ‘life’. Now my mind is always creating things.”

Peter Thomas

Peter Thomas doesn’t seem like a shy guy, but he’s unfortunately tight lipped about his current employment. And no wonder – before attending VFS he performed thermal analysis and spacecraft and satellite design for US government subcontractors. Is he, perchance, creating audiovisual remixes to send out as greetings to new alien species?

“I’m contracting for a company I cannot name. They do motion graphics work…” Peter says while eyeing passers-by, “but that’s all I can say.”

Check out Peter’s site www.theklack.com for a hint.

Mark Miller

In his time at VFS, Mark created a website which won him an award at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival and he attended design conferences seeking feedback from professionals outside VFS. “When I came to VFS I knew that I had to make it my time.” With that philosophy in mind, Mark started career-shopping half-way through the program.

He found that job at Firstborn Media in New York City. Their past clients have included such high-profile figures as Fila, PALMONE, Victoria’s Secret, and (drumroll please) The Beatles themselves.

At Firstborn, Mark designs user interfaces. “Day to day I’m working on paper, in Photoshop, and with the rest of our technical staff to crank out interesting experiences and useful tools.”

And this was just the first year…

“The flagship class of Digital Design has gone beyond setting benchmarks or raising bars;” says Stephen Webster, Head of Digital Design, “they have put VFS Digital Design on the world stage. Their awards and job placements are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and professionalism they displayed during their time at VFS. I look forward to hearing the success stories of more Digital Design students to come. Make sure to watch this space.”