The Rampage Dec 2019

bc Rampage.com

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TEACHING GRAPHIC DESIGN Roberts said that there was something so much more fulfilling and rewarding for him about influencing students’ lives, rather than working in journalism. Seeing students grow and being a part of that growth is his favorite part of being a professor. He also said that being around college students all the time makes him feel young. Out of all the classes he teaches as the only graphic communication professor at BC, Roberts said that typography is his favorite. However, if you had asked him during his first few years at the college, he said it would have been at the bottom of the list. In fact, Roberts quit for one semester when he was part-time because typography was on the schedule. His hesitation was mostly because of his college experience with typography, which he didn’t feel like he had the time to replicate. Now he says it is his favorite to teach, partly because it is something the students get excited about. Roberts’ advice to students is to appreciate the detours. He said it is easy to feel like it is a negative or that you aren’t where you wanted to be. The experiences you pick up in the detours in life, he added, are valuable. This applies not just to careers, Roberts said, but also to life in general. The example he used was that he had recently been on a road trip and had taken a detour through a small town to avoid some construction. He got to see some interesting buildings and places because of his detour. “I would have never seen [the small town] if I would have just stayed on that straight path,” observed Roberts.

INTERESTS Anyone who has had a class with Roberts has probably heard him mention Mr. T (a TV personality known for his distinctive hairstyle) at least once. Roberts said that Mr. T is a hero of his. In his office, Roberts has quite a few Mr. T collectibles and other similar items. “To be creative, you surround yourself with creative things,” he explained. In the spare time that he isn’t spending with his daughters, Roberts also enjoys 3D printing and collecting old VHS tapes.

Allen Roberts

To be creative, you surround yourself with creative things.