Andrew T. Nasser ’13 incorporates art into his life and career

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Aimed at earning his bachelor of fine arts in graphic design, he rounded out his art training with ceramics and photography.

Andrew transferred as a junior into the College of Visual and Performing Arts (CVPA) at UMass Dartmouth. Aimed at earning his bachelor of fine arts in graphic design, he rounded out his art training with ceramics and photography. He says the highlight of his experience was the professors.

“They were fantastic,” Andrew said. “Each one was different, but each brought something important to their teaching. Each tried to make me better.” They were very involved with his work, he adds. “Even with many students, they took time to work with me one-on-one,” he said. Even after graduating he has maintained connections with them, and they continue to challenge him.

Currently, Andrew is the associate director of visual communications at Cape Cod Community College, where he was charged with completely overhauling visual marketing for the college. In less than a year, he did just that, leading a comprehensive branding redo. At Cape Cod and the other two higher ed institutions where he served, his work has received regional and national design and marketing awards. He uses his photography to create purposeful visuals for the materials he creates and does freelance work for a variety of clients. In his free time, he runs a successful pottery business called “Nasseramics,” where he creates one-of-a-kind mugs and has done custom work for local coffee shops.

At UMass, he learned the process of critique and discussing his work with clients. “It’s important to be able to interact with clients and use input to come up with a better product,” he said.

UMass was a great choice for many reasons, but he also points out that he was able to graduate with little debt. “Using MassTransfer to get a reduction in my costs really paid off for me,” he said. “I earned a great education and was able to pay it off, which helps me now.”

Andrew shares this advice for others pursuing creative careers. “It’s important to find creative outlets outside of your job,” he said, pointing to his ceramics work and his photography both on the job and off. “It keeps your creativity from getting stale and offers ways to feed your work.” It’s paying off for him to follow his passions.