Adam Smith Headshot

Adam Smith

Associate Professor

School of Design
College of Art and Design
aesfaa@rit.edu
585-475-4552
Office Location
MSS-3164
Office Mailing Address
73 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester NY 14623

Adam Smith

Associate Professor

School of Design
College of Art and Design

Education

BFA, MFA, Rochester Institute of Technology

Bio

Adam Smith is an Associate Professor at RIT's School of Design, teaching courses in the undergraduate New Media Design (BFA) and graduate Visual Communication Design (MFA) programs. With over 20+ years in academia and considerable years of industry work, Adam brings real-world expertise to his teaching in 3D and UI/UX design across digital platforms and products.
 
As an educator and designer, Adam guides students from 3D modeling and motion graphics into advanced experimental UI/UX, pushing the boundaries beyond traditional interfaces. His industry connections and classroom collaborations provide students with experience and insights into professional practices and emerging trends in digital design.
 
Adam's mentorship of award-winning undergraduate capstone and graduate thesis projects has contributed to the national and industry recognition of both the New Media Design and Visual Communication Design programs and alumni. Beyond the classroom, Adam has served as the previous Program Director for both the New Media Design BFA and Visual Communication Design MFA programs. At the same time, he contributed to the design field as an Adobe Academic Leader and Figma Educational Board member.
 
As the Creative Director for PHT180 (Personalized Healthcare Technology Research Center) and faculty contributor to MAGIC projects at RIT, Adam engages undergraduate and graduate students in collaboration with researchers from across campus. He also contributes to healthcare projects at the University of Rochester, bringing design thinking to interdisciplinary challenges.
 
Through these partnerships, research initiatives, and collaborations with regional and national brands, Adam prepares his students to integrate their design skills and knowledge across disciplines and industries. 

aesfaa@rit.edu
585-475-4552
Personal Links
Personal Website
LinkedIn
Areas of Expertise
User Experience Design
Access/Healthcare Technology
Design Research
Visual Communication Design

Currently Teaching

NMDE-202
New Media Design 3D
3 Credits
A comprehensive course in visualization that extends previous experience and skills to include three-dimensional creation and design. The course will provide studies in 3D modeling, rendering and animation for use in virtual spaces, rich internet and mobile applications as well as motion graphic design. Digital 3D tools will be used for solving visual design and communication problems. Students will be expected to show evidence of growth in 3D asset creation and usage in the form of simple product renderings, interactive integration and story based animation.
NMDE-498
New Media Design Internship
1 - 3 Credits
The New Media Design Internship will provide students with the option to work in the new media or visual communications field. Students may apply for internships to businesses based on the availability of positions and business job needs. Students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Internship Permission Form to enroll.
NMDE-599
New Media Design Independent Study
1 - 6 Credits
New Media Design Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, will propose a course of study. New Media Design Independent Study students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll.
VCDE-617
Experimental Workshop
3 Credits
The course focuses on implementing advanced, newly developing ideas in visual communication design. The specific subtopic for this course varies each time it is taught. As a result it may be repeated with a different subtopic. The subtopic is determined by the instructor. Potential topics include the creation of interactive installations, adaptive/responsive interface design, tangible media design, digital performances, cyber fashion, network art, locative media, scientific visualization, information visualization, event design, projection design, or any new area in digital design. Students can take more than one Experimental Workshop in a term, as long as the subtopic is not repeated.
VCDE-737
UX Design Strategies
3 Credits
This course explores design strategies related to researching, identifying and implementing a digital user experience for online web and app development. Students will apply design research methodologies to gather and evaluate source material to design and implement user interactive solutions. Projects will include defining client and user goals, user identification, user empathy, content organization, information architecture, wire-framing methods and validation through user testing across various platforms. At the conclusion of the course students will design and document several different interactive projects.
VCDE-799
Visual Communication Design Independent Study
1 - 4 Credits
Visual Communication Design Independent Study will allow students to obtain instruction in specialized areas of interest to enhance their individual course of study. Working with a faculty adviser, students will propose a focused curriculum related to their academic and/or future career interests. Visual Communication Design Independent Study students must obtain permission of an instructor to enroll.**NOTE: Student must have a minimum 3.0 GPA **

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Featured Work

New Media 3D - Imagine RIT Poster

NMDE 302

To finish our sophomore's introduction to 3D, students utilize advanced modeling, particles, and scene creation to submit a poster design to the judged Imagine RIT event. With over 7 winners, our...

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New Media 3D - Project 1 Found Objects

NMDE-202

A sample of 3D objects modeled in our introduction to Cinema 4D. The work highlights the student's first exploration of 3D modeling, lighting, texturing, and rendering. By using found objects,...

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