Michigan State University College of Arts and Letters Creativity Exploratory kicked off the 2011-2012 academic year with workshops featuring Liam Keating. Keating is a tablet designer for Conde Nast in the United Kingdom.
At Conde Nast, Keating is responsible for taking magazines like "GQ," "Vogue" and "Vanity Fair" and converting them into a digital tablet format. He specifically works with advertisers on the advertisements and promotions.
Keating took the software he uses for his job and converted the College of Arts and Letters' magazine into a tablet format.
"I just wanted to give them a bit of insight, and maybe spark some interest," Keating said. "It's a new area and if they start learning it now, they will have a great advantage."
Keating also held workshops that focused on electronic portfolio development. He offered advice on securing internships and honing how they market themselves.
He has also offered to keep in contact remotely via Skype to help students with their projects and advise them in the case of technical difficulties.
"Liam Keating's professional work for Conde Nast is taking what we've valued as a culture for centuries (printed text) and transforming it for a dynamic, digital environment," said Danielle DeVoss, professor for the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and American Culture.
"The workshop that Liam offered helped students see the ways in which human communication and connection change shape, and helped students recognize the skills required to support these information transformations."
An innovative, practice-based addition to the College of Arts and Letters curriculum, the Creativity Exploratory offers a unique learning environment designed to enhance CAL majors. In hands-on informal learning experiences, students and faculty collaborate on projects that integrate skills from various majors.
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