Academy of Art University’s students reached new heights and enjoyed many great successes while working for their art degree in 2018. Here are just a few of the incredible projects completed this year!

1. Featured in Vogue

JK Wong is no stranger to Vogue Italia, having been published in the magazine 37 times. This number is even more impressive considering that JK first picked up a camera only three years ago! “I want to tell valuable stories,” says JK, “not just capture a moment.” And she doesn’t want to tell just any type of story; she wants to tell fairy tales—beautiful, surreal, and powerful ones.

Step into JK’s fairy tale wonderland here.

2. Advertising for Kia

School of Advertising BFA students Amanda Wennberg and Johanna Granlund were chosen as finalists for Kia’s recent print ad competition. Stakes were high—as in a grand prize totaling $15,000 and a trip to the prestigious 2019 Cannes Festival kind of high. Their unique take on Kia’s new Stinger sports car will surely be an amazing addition to their portfolios!

See their competition entry here.

3. The Cova Hotel Mural

Thanks to a team of hard-working Academy students, the Cova Hotel in San Francisco is now a sight to behold! Hotel owner Simon Sin decided to hire on Academy students after he saw another Academy student mural at the PG&E substation. The mural painted for the Cova Hotel was so well-received that the hotel hosted a free community reception in its honor.

Check out the outstanding mural here.

4. The Young and Hungry

School of Photography BFA student Chad Jenkins emerged from the Academy’s Young and Hungry Creative Co-Op armed with professional work and ample production experience. Thanks to his stint in the Co-op, Chad got to know firsthand  what it’s like to tackle real projects from real clients. “This initial experience prepared me for what it’s like for a commercial photographer,” Chad says.

Learn more about the Young & Hungry experience here.

5. Grown-up Bedtime Stories

It only took two years, but Write Like Prayers, was finally published in 2018. This book is a collaboration between Haley Jakobson and School of Illustration student Sam Giuliano, and is inspired by the stress of having to adult. Better be prepared to feel something real and powerful while flipping through its pages, because Jakobson’s poetry with Giuliano’s illustrations make for a truly heartfelt anthology!

Get started on this story here.

Academy of Art students made 2018 an enormous success, and the best part is that they’re just getting started. Check out this quick year-end wrap-up and see some of the good things that were for yourself.

We look forward to what 2019 will bring, with a huge congratulations to the art degree graduates of 2018!