Mike Minerva Headshot

Mike Minerva

Visiting Lecturer

School of Design
College of Art and Design

585-475-7125
Office Location

Mike Minerva

Visiting Lecturer

School of Design
College of Art and Design

Bio

Mike Minerva is a Visiting Lecturer in New Media Design at RIT with more than 30 years of professional experience in design and technology. Formerly the director of Minerva Design, he created award-winning branding, UX, and e-commerce solutions for clients including Intuit, Hewlett Packard, Wells Fargo, the San Francisco Ballet, and Nalgene. 

At RIT, he teaches advanced prototyping, design systems, interactivity, and senior capstones, blending structured foundations with open experimentation. Known for creating lively and supportive classrooms, Mike encourages students to take risks, reflect on their process, and grow their technical expertise alongside resilience and a lasting love for design.

585-475-7125

Personal Links

Currently Teaching

NMDE-103
3 Credits
This course provides an introduction to key internet, web and multimedia technologies. Topics covered include computer-based communication and information, basic HTML, Adobe Flash and WYSIWYG editors, basic internet applications such as FTP, basic use of digital images, audio and video techniques, web page design, web animation for development and publishing.
NMDE-203
3 Credits
This course extends previous interactive design and development experience and skills to emphasize interactive design principles and development. The emphasis in this course will be on the creative process of planning and implementing an interactive project across multiple platforms. Students will concentrate on information architecture, interactive design, conceptual creation, digital assets, visual design and programming for interactions.
NMDE-401
3 Credits
This course will focus on individual career preparation through topics such as resume development, job research, interviewing best practices, and creating or refining an online portfolio. Additional exploration and overviews will include the business aspects, practices, and workflows of the new media industry with a focus on designer/developer/client relationships. Students will integrate project workflows, management, team building, concept generation and prototyping through small team projects, and project research for NMD Capstone II.
NMDE-404
3 Credits
Students will create innovative interactive product promotions and installations. The projects created in the class will embrace new technology and will focus on innovative solutions for real world design problems. An emphasis will be placed on researching new technology and using it in conjunction with solid interactive design skills to create innovative projects.
NMDE-406
3 Credits
This project-based course affords the student the ability to apply an experimental approach to integrating digitally generated content with new media techniques and processes in new, imaginative ways. Students will be encouraged to approach the computer as a medium of creativity to explore issues of narrative, identity, place, and visual reality vs. digital reality. Students will exhibit completed projects in a virtual or public forum. This course is topic based and can be taken multiple times for credit. Students can enroll in multiple topics during the same semester. Specific topics can only be taken once. The topics will include advanced concepts in 3D, UX, digital art and interaction design.
NMDE-411
3 Credits
This course will engage the New Media Design and related majors in a capstone production experience. The instructor will form collaborative student teams that will design, plan, prototype, and implement new media projects. Student teams will test their product with users and provide written feedback and analysis. Students will be evaluated on individual contributions and their team’s final capstone project.
NMDE-599
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.

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