Reed Seifer, Class of 1995, designer

Reed Seifer came to Clark to get a liberal arts education. He didn't know he'd go on to become a professional artist. Today, he runs his own graphic design firm, his line of "Optimism" buttons—which grew out of his senior thesis at Clark—includes almost 10,000 buttons in circulation, and he has been commissioned for a wide-scale Optimism distribution project in New York in 2008. Here Seifer credits part of his success to the openness of Clark students, the collaborations in the Visual & Performing Arts Department, and Clark's commitment to "changing our world."

Read more about Seifer's "Optimism Project" in Clarknews.

I came to Clark because I wanted a liberal arts education. I didn't know I would be an art major, but it was a consideration. During my time at Clark I took a semester at another institution, and while I found many talented students there, I did not find many students who talked about their work in an intellectual context. Many just wanted to become graphic artists because they felt it was the only way to make a living as an artist. I found the opposite to be true at Clark. No matter what level of artist you were or wanted to be, Clark students reviewed each other's work, always providing valuable insights. At Clark the point, seems to me, is to create a major which fulfils and challenges one’s intellectual capacities rather than follows a course of study constrained by predictability. Therein, Clark’s current motto, “Challenge Convention, Change our World” rings true to me.

Optimism buttons, 2005-07 photograph by Rob Carlin

During my senior year I created a poetry-writing seminar with another student and a willing professor. The work created in that course at Clark led to the birth of the Optimism Project. I composed a poem based on an amusing story about my father, a character and an optimist, who died when I was 15. The poem became the catalyst for my senior thesis. I designed an imaginary line of soda called "Optimism." Instead of ingredients, I displayed the poem on the can. That turned into a larger project where I printed and distributed 500 buttons projecting the optimism message. In 2002, I began reproducing the optimism buttons, each edition showcasing a new layout.

Clark was the first place where I felt inspired to launch my first public art project.

Today, I am independent creative director running my own company. I specialize in identity and publication design. My most widely-publicized recent design project is Ralph Lauren’s 40th anniversary commemorative coffee table book, published by Rizzoli. I also continue to work actively as an artist who promotes Optimism, particularly through public art. I am presently working on an Optimism distribution public art project in New York which will number in the hundreds of thousands.

What's my advice to students who are majoring in the arts? Consider that it is the indefinite career options which offer the greatest potential for success. A liberal arts degree is the best training for practically anything. And, remember the importance of good posture! Oh, and be optimistic, of course.

Visit Reed Seifer's graphic design Web site at http://www.reedseifer.com and art site at http://www.projectoptimism.com.