Faculty Bios

Phil Hamlett

Director
School of Graduate Graphic Design

Prior to directing the MFA program at Academy of Art University, Phil Hamlett was communications director at Turner & Associates, where he identified fundamental client objectives and facilitated the development of the core messages, conceptual frameworks and communications vehicles best suited to address those needs. His extensive experience with a wide variety of corporate communications, investor relations and print collateral materials – for companies both large and small – provides him with the perspective necessary prepare students for the challenges of the real world.

His work for clients such as Yahoo!, Adaptec, Macromedia, Ariba, PeopleSoft, IBM, AT&T, The Coca-Cola Company, Clorox, Seagate Technology, Turner Broadcasting, Nabisco, Dickson's Specialty Printing and Anderson Lithograph can be seen in numerous design publications and award show catalogs.

Prior to joining Turner in 1999, Hamlett was a principal and director of creative services for EAI/Atlanta, where he played a key role in that firm's development. In addition, Hamlett is a regionally and nationally recognized design commentator and competition judge: his Library Journal design book reviews are seen everywhere on the web, and his recent Compostmodern design conference has been well received. A native Atlantan, Hamlett graduated from the University of Georgia/Athens in 1986.

Anitra Nottingham

Online Director
School of Graphic Design

Anitra is a 1992 graduate of Monash University's Design School, with a major in computer animation. She started her career in advertising and package design, and in 1996 started to specialize in book design.

Anitra has worked for Oxford University Press Australasia, and Penguin Books Australia. Her book design work has ranged across the publishing spectrum from trade to academic work. She has designed titles for dictionaries and reference, adult fiction, non-fiction, and children's books. She was short listed for the Australian Book Industry Award in 1998.

After moving to the Bay Area in 1999, Anitra took a position as Creative Director for London Road Design, which was at the time a small design firm specializing in print and online marketing communications for the technology, health and entertainment sectors. After the company disbanded in 2002, Anitra started a freelance design consultancy, and at the same time began teaching design at California State University.

In 2004 she joined Intuit Inc, maker of financial software solutions that include TurboTax, QuickBooks and Quicken. First as a senior member of the in-house design team, then taking the position as Design Director for the Creative Services Team. In this position Anitra was responsible for packaging, corporate communications and marketing solutions company-wide.

Anitra became Online Director for the Graphic Design School at Academy of Art University in San Francisco in 2006, and continues to hold the position while now working remotely from Australia.

Jeremy Stout

Associate Online Director
School of Graphic Design

Jeremy started his career in a small boutique firm specializing in a wide range of clients from non-profit initiatives to web and packaging design. In 1998 Jeremy began working at Chronicle Books in San Francisco. His book design has included Art Direction and Design for over 150 titles. After leaving Chronicle Books, Jeremy took a position as Senior Designer at Landor and Associates in San Francisco, which is one of the largest Branding Agencies in the world with international clients and offices. At Landor he worked with clients like Fed Ex, Visa, Accenture and John Deere.

In 2004 he joined Character, where as an Art Director he was integral in the creation of projects for clients such as, Nike, Restoration Hardware, Facebook and Adobe. At Character Jeremy was part of the team that produced the first Nike catalog along with dozens of retail initiatives both nationally and internationally for Niketown and NikeWomen stores.

Jeremy has received awards for his Graphic Design as well as his Fine Art Painting. His work is in the permanent collection of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and has been shown around the country in numerous galleries. He was awarded the Gold Award for Packaging in 1998.

Jeremy has been the Associate Online Director for the Graphic Design School at Academy of Art University since 2009, and continues to hold the position while being an avid motorcycle rider and family man.

Lian Ng

Full-time Faculty
School of Graphic Design

Lian Ng started his career in 1990 as a graphic designer in Seattle, Washington. Past employers included design agencies such as Hornall Anderson Design in Seattle and Cahan & Associates in San Francisco. Since 2000, Lian has freelance for design firms such as Character, Templin Brink Design, Turner & Associates, Turner Duckworth, Eleven, and Pool Design. Throughout his career, Lian has worked with brands such as Starbucks, Restoration Hardware, K2 Skis, Kohler, RedEnvelope, Levis and Nike. His experience ranges from print, packaging, retail graphics to environmental design.

Lian Ng’s work has been recognized internationally and is in the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. His work has been published in both trade and consumer magazines, including Communication Arts, Type Directors Club Annuals, ID Magazine, Print, How Magazine, as well as books such as Paper Perfect, Paper Craft and Tangible. In addition to his wide range of professional experience and clients, Lian also runs a small business in home accessories—Publique Living and PubliqueShop.com.

Influenced by his background in Computer Science, Lian’s art and design often incorporates mathematical formulas, as well as typography or architectural references. He is obsessed with detailed alignment and finds it hard to place anything down randomly without a precise and calculated move. Lian’s work has an underlying formal structure but still maintains a sense of organic fluidity by his use of color, texture and composition. Lian Ng currently teaches graphic design and typography at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.