Janet E. Esquirol
Associate Professor
Media Arts and Technology
EMAIL: jesquirol@bmcc.cuny.edu
Office: S-622E
Office Hours:
Phone: +1 (212) 220-8306
Janet is an Art Director & Educator.
She specializes in design, advertising & publishing (online and off).
With multiple degrees in areas of art & technology,
in motion graphics and user interface design, this
professor has been thrilled to bring an interdisciplinary range of
experience to the classroom over the past 20 years.
Expertise
Media, Graphic Design and Computer Art, Educational Technology, Drawing, Digital Graphic Design, Data Visualization Modeling, Rendering, 3D Image Representation., Critical Thinking, Copyright Issues, Contemporary Art, Computing and Technology, Computer Programming, Communication Studies, Career Planning and Internship, Career Development, Calligraphy, Art, Aesthetics, Aesthetic Education, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign
Degrees
- B.A. Connecticut College, Art
- M.F.A. Parsons, Design & Technology
Courses Taught
- 2 CRS.2 HRS.NULL LAB HRS.MEA 201 (Professional Development and Career Planning in Media Arts and Technology)
- In this course students are instructed in industry appropriate methods to creatively plan their careers. Students learn about self-assessment, career exploration, and practical job search skills. In this course, students will identify the techniques used to identify target markets, negotiate with clients, apply sound business management principles, and successfully self-promote. The course includes the following topics: how to identify and classify your career needs, interests, values, and skills; researching occupational and organizational alternatives; job search techniques and resources for employment; resume and cover letter preparation; portfolio presentation; job interviewing and follow-up. Prerequisite: ANI 401 or two MMA 200-level courses or higher or two MMP 200-level courses or higher or two courses from VAT 161, VAT 165, VAT 171, VAT 261, VAT 265 or VAT 271.
- MEA 300 will focus on a specific theme, concept, technology or methodology to be announced in advance. Topics for the following semester will be made available by the Media Arts and Technology Department during registration. Each section of the course will cover in depth a single special topic related to media arts and technology, such as one of the following: User Experience Design, Physical Computing, 3D and Laser Printing, Game Design, Documentary Film Production, Experimental Film, Journalism, Media Production, Project Management, Interactive Media, Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Television News Production. Prerequisite: Any 200-level or above MMP, MMA, VAT or ANI course
- The objective of the internship course is to support qualified MEA students who are prepared to gain work experience in their academic field. Each student–intern is assigned to a faculty-advisor/coordinator with expertise in the student's field at least one semester before starting MEA 371. The coordinator will assist the student in securing an internship placement in a work site related to the student's major, help the student to "reconstruct" their present position as an internship, or develop - by special arrangement - an internship with their current employer. Over a semester, the Media Arts and Technology Internship expects approximately 150 work hours from the student, including but not limited to a minimum of 90 hours of work at the internship site. In this course, MEA Students are expected to work with faculty to apply to and secure an internship, complete a showcase quality term project/paper, and be evaluated by their internship work-site supervisor and the assigned faculty advisor/coordinator. Students are expected to arrange their schedules so that they are free mornings or afternoons, Monday-Friday, or two to three full days per week so they are available for the internship site work.
Prerequisite: Departmental Approval - This image-based course will introduce graphic design as the foundation upon which effective visual communication is built. Investigation of the elements and principles of graphic design will lead to specific design problems and their solution. The development of ideas and the ability to communicate them effectively will be covered. Discussion of both vector and bitmap-based digital graphic platforms will begin progress toward industry-standard computer proficiency.
- This course will explore type design and its application in visual communication. Students will learn to manipulate type properties to design meaningful and effective graphic communication. The use of industry-standard desktop publishing software will be covered as well as will be applied to a range of typographic solutions. Prerequisite: MMA 100 or ART 100 or ART 101
- This course continues the study of digital imaging as it relates to graphic design. A course philosophy for this class is the introduction of photographic images as a basis for approaching 2D design concepts. During the semester, this course shall cover digital input, editing, archiving and the beginning of the study of digital output. Conceptual and technical digital shooting assignments will be assigned to expand students' skills and support topics covered in class. Reading and writing will focus on the use of technology in propelling digital imaging and design. Prerequisite: MMA 100 or ART 100 or ART 101
- This class builds upon principles and skills learned in Foundations of Digital Design. Students will apply principles underlying effective visual communication to increasingly complex design problems. Projects may include poster design, symbols and logos, editorial design, information design, visual identity and branding and other design systems. Critical analysis of design problems and the creative design process will be emphasized. Students will complete reading and writing assignments in addition to problems in visual communications and design. Prerequisite: MMA 100 or ART 100 or ART 101
- This course introduces students to the fundamentals of multimedia production. In a hands-on class, students will learn the essentials of program design and authoring software in an integrated computer environment. Students will learn how to combine graphics, audio and text to create programs for industrial and educational applications.
Course Syllabus - Building on the principles learned in introduction to multimedia, students will learn to manipulate graphics and text in more sophisticated ways for use in print layout as well as multimedia. An emphasis will be placed on design concepts for the creation of pages.
Prerequisite: MMP 100 and MMA 100
Course Syllabus - This course will introduce students to the process and techniques of web design. Effective website design and site architecture will be explored through class assignments and critique of existing websites. Hands-on experience designing web pages while using web authoring software and coding HTML manually will be emphasized. Graphic, audio, and animation applications, which allow for image and sound development, will be introduced.
Prerequisite: CIS 180 or MMP 100
Course Syllabus
Research and Projects
- 6M/5year GRANT “Digital Pathways to STEM” Title III HSI-STEM and Articulation Grant (lead partner BMCC), Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) program of the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education, #P031C160132, $6M Co-Activity Outreach Director, 2016-2021.
- 5k GRANT/CUNY Career Success Course Innovation Grant 2019
- 12K GRANT/CUNY WDI Grant Experiential Design Lab 2018
Publications
- (2018) When Design Partnerships Work: C.J. Yeh and Christie Shin in Conversation with Janet Esquirol, Design and Culture, 10:3,359-368, DOI: 10.1080/17547075.2018.1508270
- Janet Esquirol (2019) Making Paths to Math for Designers, Dialog AIGA, published full article date TBD adapted from talk delivered at AIGA MAKE DEC Conference in 2018 described here: http://make2018.aigadecconference.org/mathfordesigners/
Honors, Awards and Affiliations
- Finalist. Nominated for Distinguished Teaching Award 2018-19, CUNY BMCC
- Janet is an elected member of the Board of Directors of AIGA NY https://aigany.org/about/
- Janet Esquirol currently serves as the Co-Chair of the CUNY Wide Media, Art, and Technology Discipline Council. http://www1.cuny.edu/sites/cunyufs/committees/senate/councils/discipline-councils/
- Young Ones Portfolio Jury 2019 https://www.oneclub.org/awards/youngones/-archive/judges/2019/57
