Alumni

What's going on? After nearly 3 years at Apple designing graphics for Apple Retail Stores worldwide, I returned to Tolleson Design as an Art Director at the end of 2006. I live in San Francisco's Sunset District with my beautiful daughter and two cats.

Jonathan Fristad
Business website: www.designbig.com
Email: jf@designbig.com

Sharon Greer
Email: sharongreerdesign@sbcglobal.net

I stuck around SLO for two years after graduation, doing a series of lame jobs before going back home to Napa, CA. There I worked at a marketing agency for a while, then I worked at Sutter Home Winery, then I freelanced, unsuccessfully for two years and now I'm happy in Santa Rosa, CA, working for Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates. I hated working for myself. I was lonely at home and I'm simply not a business person. I have a black and white cat named Woogie.

Lisa Hoel
Email: lisa_hoel@yahoo.com

After graduating, I moved back to the bay area and got a job working inhouse at a camping/sporting goods company. I was there 7 years and ended up managing the art department by the end. In the course of those years we had fellow grads Erin Kerr, Jon Fristad and Robert Weinberg pass through. It really is a small world! The company moved its headquarters to St. Louis just before I was due to return from maternity leave (a fortunate turn of events). Our son Greg is now 13 months old and loads of fun. I'm gearing up now to begin freelancing. I have been very blessed in life and I remember Cal Poly fondly. I really need to come and visit, but not during hayfever season!

Janeen Jang
Business website: www.eightize.com

When i graduated i went straight to work for an annual report design firm in my hometown of palo alto. I quickly found that wasn't for me! I moved to San Francisco, learned how to create websites and suddenly found myself working for a dot-com. I never thought a job could be that much fun! When the dot-com ended I became a freelancer and never looked back. I now make my own hours and enjoy working on a variety of print and web projects for small and large bay area companies. (I also married my high school friend/college sweetheart mathew (Cal Poly arch/arch-e '97) in 2002.) Life is good :)

Blake Kahan
Business website: www.blakekahan.com
Email: blake@blakekahan.com

I'm a footloose'n'fancyfreelance kid, based in San Francisco's SOMA. Making pretty pictures for companies big, small, high and low. Design is a cool racket, but don't forget to lift your head above the pretty glow of the monitor.

Jon Larson
Personal website: www.larsonimages.com
Email: jon@larsonimages.com

After doing the Agency thing for a couple of years, I decided that it was not the life for me. So I expanded my freelance client base, picked up a camera and have myself a nice little shop in Santa Barbara.

Tyler Nilson
Email: jediyah@earthlink.net

Alexis Senter
Email: alexisonline2@gmail.com

Ethan Shenkman
Personal website: universitychristian.net
Business website: powerhousemedia.net
Email: ethan@got.net

Been living in Santa Cruz since 2000 and served the County's Civil Grand Jury while learning about government practices, policies and procedures. Also been involved with the construction of University Christian Network (UCN) - a program which encourages exploration of spiritual values and critical thinking by way of Internet portal. One of UCN's goals is to help narrow the gap within digital divide among homeless and at risk youth. Any contributions by fellow believers and others interested from the Art & Design Department is most welcome. Feel free to review UCN Scope of Services online and comment. Having acquired PowerHouse Media™ (PHM) from Cal Poly in 1999, services provided have since expanded from marketing to product development.

Caitrina Warren
Business website: www.inflightstudio.com
Email: trina@inflightstudio.com

After leaving SLO in 2003 for travel, I ended up moving to San Anselmo, Marin County with my husband Wyeth Stiles (1992), our daughter Siena and Mamacat. We have started a home business of web, interactive and print design and love not having to drive in traffic.

Photography and Digital Imagery

Colin Johnson
Business website: cnetnetworks.com
Email: colinj@cnet.com

Senior Art Director with CNET Netoworks Corporate Marketing Department

Chris Leschinsky
Business website: chrisleschinsky.com
Email: chris@chrisleschinsky.com

After graduating in '96 I moved to San Francisco and assisted commercial photographers until moving back here in 2003 to start my own commercial photography business. Currently I have a space in downtown SLO and I am shooting for a mix of local and national clients.

Joseph Linaschke
Personal website: www/josephlinaschke.com
Business website: www.josephlinaschke.com
Email: linaschke@mac.com

After graduation from the Art & Design/Photo program, Joseph took a nearly ten-year hiatus from photography. However recent events through his full-time employer, Apple Inc, (namely the development of Aperture!) encouraged him to pick up the camera again. Since then he's been rapidly embracing the profession again, primarily shooting down the path of photojournalism. In addition to taking advantage of his busy travel schedule to shoot around the world, while still working at Apple, he's been taking time off to photograph a few socially significant events or causes. The largest events include coverage of the Race Across America in 2006 for Team Type 1 (the first all-diabetic race team to challenge the RAAM) and a recent trip to Kenya to photograph orphanages and indigenous peoples in the Rift Valley being supported by the International Humanity Foundation . The future, as they say, is unwritten.

Jonathan Sprague
Business website: jonathansprague.com
Email: jonathan@jonathansprague.com

lots of photography, based in San Francisco...and working with an agency, based in NYC...