This weekend hundreds of accepted students and their families will be visiting SVA for Accepted Students Day. Each student will receive a new publication designed by the Visual Arts Press called SVA Spots, in which current SVA students share their favorite places in New York City. Zak Tebbal (BFA 2015 Design) provides Pro-Tips throughout the guide for expert advice on navigating and enjoying the big apple. SVA Close Up caught up with Zak, who is now based in Ottawa, Canada, to ask him about life post-SVA and to get another tip or two.
What have you been up to since SVA?
Since graduating I’ve been working full time as a freelance designer and illustrator. I studied graphic design at SVA but I’ve been lucky enough to work on some illustration projects as well, for clients like Buzzfeed and Heineken.
What’s been the biggest adjustment to post-SVA life?
A big adjustment has been editing my work without having a second opinion from a professor. I spend a lot more time wondering what I can change or whether or not the work is finished and ready for the client.
Why was it important to you to attend college in New York City?
Attending college in New York is definitely one of the most important things you can do as an art student. I can trace almost every single client I’ve had to a connection I made in New York through working professors, TAs, and internships.
You provided some great pro-tips for living in NYC for the SVA Spots project. Any more advice?
Don’t make eye contact with the Greenpeace guys. Also, there’s this unreal Cuban diner called Coppelia on 14th street that is open 24/7. It’s a crime not to eat there.
Do you have a favorite NYC experience you can share from your years at SVA?
My favorite experience was not a single event but just the day-to-day lifestyle of being a student in New York.
Check out a few more of Zak’s tips and recommendations from current SVA students in the slideshow below. And use #SVASPOTS to share your favorite NYC spots.
