Ai Ohio Advisor Comes Full Circle

Some people come to The Art Institutes schools as students, some as faculty, some as staff. Very few make the entire journey. For Duff Orlemann, the voyage from a student of an Art Institutes school to a successful creative professional and back again, first a faculty member and then an academic advisor, is full circle.

Duff Orlemann graduated first from Lehigh University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, then from The Art Institute of Philadelphia in 1982 with an Associate in Specialized Technology in Graphic Design.

“When I was a student at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, I quickly became aware of the once in a lifetime opportunity that was before me,” Orlemann says. “The school brought focus to my life. It was there that I was given the opportunity to build on my talent and learn essential skills for my career. My instructors were the school’s greatest asset. They became my mentors.”

Hallmark Cards, based in Kansas City, Missouri, made a recruiting trip to Ai Philadelphia and soon after graduation, Orlemann found himself working his dream job as an artist and writer in their humor department. Orlemann worked in the innovative “Humor Workshop” at Hallmark until 1985, when he accepted a position as the industry’s only Director of Humor with Paramount Cards in Providence, Rhode Island. As such, he was responsible for directing all the creative efforts of the firm’s humor department, supervision staff and freelancers and the development of new card concepts.

Soon, another company came recruiting – this time, Gibson Greetings in Cincinnati. Orlemann joined Gibson as Senior Art Director for Humor and oversaw the creation of all humorous products at Gibson, including mugs, greeting cards, calendars, posters and licensed products, as well as art directing all Gibson humor catalogs. A few years later, he accepted a new challenge with Gibson and began working as their Manager of Retail Graphics. In addition to directing a staff of ten artists and designers and all of the company’s freelancers, the position also included art direction, scheduling and implementation of all of Gibson’s point of purchase and retail graphics.

In 1995, Duff began his career as a fulltime freelance graphic designer and illustrator. In that capacity, he has worked with a variety of clients including Procter & Gamble, McGraw Hill and Reader’s Digest, Belk Department Stores and Standard Publishing. He also creates portraits and caricatures for individuals, companies and special events.

In 2005, after nearly 30 years of experience as a graphic designer and art director, Duff realized another one of his goals when he began work as an adjunct instructor for The Art Institute of Ohio – Cincinnati and quickly became a student favorite.

He relished the chance to have the impact on students that his instructors at The Art Institute of Philadelphia had on him. “Today the Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati offers the same great opportunities,” remarks Orlemann. “It offers even more and better resources than when I was a student. The instructors are still the school’s greatest resource.”

Another unexpected opportunity presented itself in 2009, when Orlemann served in what he believed to be an interim roll as an academic advisor, filling in for a colleague who was out on maternity leave. A family move prevented her from returning to the position, and he found himself working fulltime providing advising services for the college’s students. Orlemann primarily works with students enrolled in technical degree programs – Graphic Design, Web Design & Interactive Media, Digital Filmmaking & Video Production and Media Arts & Animation.

Orlemann says one bit of advice he always tries to offer students is this: “‘Your time here is short. Make the most of it! Be a self starter. Listen to your instructors; they know what they're talking about, and they really want to help. Oh, and believe in yourself.”