Art and Design Proved the Perfect Pairing for Michael Ott ’25
By Judith Kelliher
It took a little “soul searching” on Michael Ott’s part to land his educational pursuits on the Springfield College Art and Design program. As someone who enjoys photography, he decided to take a chance on that program, with a focus on design. That chance paid off.
Once in the program, Ott discovered many ways that the College prepared him for his career, including taking him out of his comfort zone, especially when it came to learning to speak clearly and formally in job interviews. His typography classes really sold him to prospective employers when he was job searching after graduating in the spring of 2025. Typography is the study of letters and how they go together, and as a graphic designer, Ott says, it is essential for knowledge on good layout design.
In addition, Ott’s four semesters of a work-study job with the College’s Office of Marketing proved beneficial when he started working as a graphic designer and e-commerce specialist (a person who specializes in the creation and launch of online stores) for The Swan Brothers, an-house screen printer, embroiderer, promotional products supplier, and laser engraver located in Pittsfield, Mass.
Ott found the Office of Marketing work-study job a wonderful experience that opened his eyes to real-world work, and what to look out for when it comes to designing something that is not only tasteful, but will catch the eyes of your audience.
“One thing I learned, which I use quite frequently, is good flyer design, such as knowing what information is important and which information could be made smaller or less noticeable,” Ott said. “It's what catches people’s eye at first glance that counts.”
In his job at The Swan Brothers, he integrates what he already knows with learning something entirely new, including creating dozens of online stores so far for other organizations, such as schools, local businesses, as well as businesses across the country. For the online stores, the client supplies the logos and decides which apparel items they want the logo on (e.g., hoodies, hats, cups, etc.). Ott helps get the store prepared for launch. Then The Swan Brothers print the orders in-house.
“We screen print, embroider, and laser engrave apparel and accessory items for those stores,” Ott said. “My job is to check the artwork and make sure it’s good enough to print as well as good enough for (their) website. My graphic design skills come into play for that.”
Ott sees art and design heading in two different directions. One way is a yearning for more studio artists as the implementations of artificial intelligence (AI) are increasing in society. But, from a design perspective, he sees a hybrid model mixing AI with designing, which allows already experienced artists to take their ideas and to morph them into something better.
“In a couple of my classes, we were encouraged to learn AI, which I believe is essential for today's world. AI needs to be taught in a way where we are not fearful, but curious,” he said. “This is exactly what I learned from Springfield College. We need to understand it, and know its limitations as well as what its integration into the arts should look like.”
Looking back at his time in college and where he is at career-wise, Ott has some advice for anyone, like himself, who had doubts about their abilities to be a good designer. He kept going and tried to learn and grow as much as he could. Ironically, after college, Ott realized how many people felt the same way as he did, and they either quit what they were doing or gave up.
“Now I’m working a full-time job in the exact field I went to school for, at a company within 10 minutes from my house. My point is that despite having doubts, you are capable of making something out of it,” he said.
