Regina Rubino and Robert Louey gave me more than a school ever could. They gave me an experience — a real world experience, which inspired me to have my own company. Before I met and worked with them, I was too afraid or had no desire to consider creating my own business. But in 2002, the dream came true and grew. By 2005, I co-founded InMotion Studios, a boutique motion graphics/animation design and production facility based in Burbank. I am one of two creative directors there.
What they gave me was a good solid classic design background. I will always have that. It's probably the most useful thing I have — the career foundation. Without that I don't know where I'd be. Learning with Regina and Robert was definitely a priceless experience. I'm very grateful.
I was still a student of Robert's at Otis College of Art and Design when I began to intern for Louey/Rubino Design Group. After graduation in 1997, Regina hired me to work with her design team at IMAGE: Global Vision in Hong Kong. It was a great opportunity to work overseas.
When I returned to the States, I went my own way, developing my skills in the motion graphics industry. We reconnected in recent years when Regina began to expand her services to include mulit-media. The timing could not have been better.
It's amazing that the fundamentals Regina and Robert taught me apply to the entertainment industry. Whether working in paper or video, I was taught to begin with typography. This choice comes first. It sets the mood, the theme and it expresses brand. Until this is in place, you don't dare delve into imagery. Some people think my work is easy. So long as an audience can read what is on the screen, everything is fine. Not true. Like all successful design, it's all in the details.
That's another thing I learned: to see it through. The brand is the beginning, not the end. Once you design the brand identity, everything must relate. In a restaurant, that would mean everything from the front door entrance to the menu. The brand dictates all details.
To sum it up, Regina and Robert taught me the essentials: attention to detail, stable working relationships with clients and colleagues and a classic design foundation. Priceless.
Harold De Jesus, InMotion Studios
