David Royka Assistant Professor / Design

Degrees

MFA :: Computer Graphics Design, Rochester Institute of Technology: expected in 2013
BFA :: Illustration, University of the Arts 1990
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Biography

I absolutely love teaching. Being a college professor has evolved into my life passion and I take my job very seriously. I put my heart and soul into every class. Preparing my students for the real world is my ultimate goal and I'll go above and beyond to educate them on how to be the best graphic designers possible.

I was born with the natural ability to draw, had an intuitive appreciation for the arts, and was fortunate to have a family that encouraged self expression. Art was my calling so I went to college and received a predominantly fine art education. I entered the real world a naive fluffy bunny and was soon disillusioned and frustrated by my work experiences. Lacking the creative challenges I so desperately needed, I decided to start my own design firm in 1993. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. Since then I've become a design, marketing, and branding expert. My company continues to generate custom designed materials for select companies. It's just my last name ROYKA and then a dot com. Pretty easy to remember :: www.royka.com

Decades of professional experiences are integrated into my classrooms with realistic assignments and portfolio worthy projects. Through the years I've been very fortunate to have worked at advertising, design, and marketing firms ranging in size from single person micro-businesses to 85 person corporations. My career advanced rapidly as I sought out creative management roles. Those titles exposed me to a wide range of projects covering virtually every aspect of commercial design. You name it, I've probably done it…TV commercials, interactive DVDs, animation, trade shows, packaging, print design, and so on. I've managed, designed, and developed more than 85 websites. I've won a dozen art and design related awards. I've created materials for the top Fortune companies including Exxon Mobil (1), Walmart (2), and General Electric (4). If you want, I'd be happy to show you my resume. It's pretty impressive.

I've made some great decisions in my life…and I've also made some big mistakes. Looking back, my mistakes were some of the best things that could have ever happened to me (not that I'd want to repeat them). Each one was invaluable because I learned so much from them (proven by the fact that I never repeated them). I often use those mistakes to teach from, giving my students powerful knowledge and insights to help propel their careers forward beyond their peers.

Outside the realm of art and design, you'll literally find me outside. I'm and outdoorsman, I love to travel, and I'm a huge adventure sports enthusiast. Adventure sports taught me to take to take calculated risks and push myself farther than I ever dreamed possible. The short list: I'm a skydiver, bungee jumper, scuba diver, spelunker, kite boarder, whitewater rafter, mountaineer, ice climber, and expert mountain biker. My obsession with freeride mountain biking went so far that I built a private bike park made up of crazy huge stunts…the largest natural features of their kind in the United States. Check it out. It's nuts :: www.freeridepark.com

Oh, this is important: Bon Jovi and I share the same birthday, I still have two of my baby teeth, and I live with my beautiful girlfriend Kendra. We have three amazing cats, one awesome dog, and a horse that I guarantee* can fly.

*Not a guarantee