CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS (CCA)
Cole Ryder was born in Ojai, California and is currently based in San Francisco, California where he is completing his final year of the Masters of Fine Arts Design program at California College of the Arts. He completed his BFA at UCLA and retains a strong connection to the music industry in Los Angeles where he has produced album and tour artwork for artists like Mareux (Warner Records) and Thundercat (Brainfeeder) amongst others. His academic work explores the exchange between subjective experience and objective reality and he is deeply interested in how we collectively determine truth. He is concerned about the visual homogenization of the world and appreciates design work that integrates specificity of place. Cole is interested in contributing to a stranger and kinder future.
WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?
Long meandering walks, youth culture, friends, international travel, time spent in nature.
DO YOU, OR DO YOU PLAN TO, DESIGN FOR ANY CAUSES OR CHARITIES, I.E., DESIGN FOR GOOD?
Yes. It’s very important to me to produce some design directly for the community that I exist in, be that pro-bono work for a non-profit or really reduced rates for local small businesses. Getting to design for a living is a gift and it has allowed me to make some really lasting connections with great people and businesses here in San Francisco.
DO YOU FEEL THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS PREPARED YOU TO SEARCH FOR AND FIND A JOB?
I think that MFA and BFA programs are really different and it’s essential for prospective students to understand that. My MFA experience has been absolutely fantastic and I’ve expanded as a designer and artist in a million directions and have had great mentorship from people I really really respect. That being said, I think MFA programs sort of prepare you for your third or fourth job out of design school and not your first. Because our work is so conceptual we often don’t graduate with the sort of vocational school portfolio that many BFA programs guide students towards.
