J. Olivier Headshot

J. Olivier

Senior Lecturer, Visual Communications Studies

Department of Visual Communications Studies
National Technical Institute for the Deaf

585-286-4637
Office Location
7A-1522
Office Mailing Address
73 Lomb Memorial Drive Booth Hall, #1522 Rochester, NY 14623

J. Olivier

Senior Lecturer, Visual Communications Studies

Department of Visual Communications Studies
National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Education

AA, BS, MS, Rochester Institute of Technology

Bio

John Troy Olivier is a Senior Lecturer in Visual Communication Studies (VCS) at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), where he has been dedicated to teaching, mentoring, and supporting students since 2012. Prior to becoming a full-time faculty member, John worked as the Facilities Coordinator in VCS beginning in 1990. With a combined 36 years of service at NTID/RIT, he brings extensive experience in education, technology, facilities management, and visual communication.

With extensive experience in visual communication, graphic production, digital imaging, and emerging design technologies, John brings practical industry knowledge and hands-on learning experiences into the classroom. His teaching focuses on helping Deaf and hard-of-hearing students develop the technical skills, creative confidence, and professional knowledge needed to succeed in the visual communication and digital media industries.

John teaches courses in graphic production, page layout, color theory and management, digital imaging, and 3D graphics and printing. He integrates industry-standard software and production equipment, including Adobe Creative Cloud applications, digital printing technologies, color management systems, and 3D printing workflows. His instructional approach emphasizes project-based learning, demonstrations, real-world applications, visual communication, and accessible learning environments.

Beyond classroom instruction, John is committed to student success through individual tutoring, laboratory support, academic mentoring, and collaboration with faculty and staff. He values creating an inclusive environment where students can explore new technologies, strengthen their problem-solving abilities, and connect classroom learning with professional opportunities.

John is also actively involved in community service and volunteer activities, supporting organizations and initiatives that make a positive difference in the community.

Throughout his career at NTID and RIT, John has remained passionate about education, technology, accessibility, and the power of visual communication. His goal is to inspire students to become creative, skilled, and confident professionals who are prepared for the evolving demands of the design and printing industries.

585-286-4637

Currently Teaching

NAIS-150
3 Credits
Students will use page layout (desktop publishing) applications to design and produce pages and documents to given specifications. Skill development will include importing and placing text and graphic files, the application of style sheets, templates, snippets, libraries, and color specifications. The application of design and typographic principles, industry terminology, measurement systems, font management, and file management are also covered.
NGRP-120
3 Credits
This course provides students with a general understanding of the graphic production industries, its techniques, tools, and standards. A range of production technologies and deliverables will be examined and experienced first-hand. Exemplar workflows will be analyzed based on reverse engineering from the desired product. Students will gain a basic understanding of the design process, develop a critical awareness of good design and its value in the workflow, and explore the variables impacting the quality and cost of the production process.
NGRP-232
3 Credits
This course emphasizes the procedures and skill development required for the efficient and effective manipulation and compositing of digital images in a production environment building on the skills previously learned in Raster and Vector Graphics. This is a production-oriented course with a focus on the non-destructive editing of (primarily raster) digital images. This course includes specialized image manipulation methods such as advanced selection and masking techniques for producing images that blend together into a single composite image. Additional topics include applying production planning techniques to image manipulation, production quality standards, advanced methods and quality criteria for image manipulation, and legal and ethical issues.
NGRP-245
3 Credits
This course includes the study and management of color for design, printing, web, and photographic imaging systems and procedures. Students will use and apply correct technical vocabulary, and various concepts and procedures related to the perception, specification, evaluation, correction, and management of color in various graphic arts.
NGRP-250
3 Credits
This course builds on topics presented in Page Layout I. Students will define and apply techniques and procedures for optimizing document design and production efficiency. Topics include defining paragraph, character, and object styles; making and using templates; saving and accessing object snippets and libraries; accessing and using database information to create documents, recognizing and applying proofreaders marks and notations; defining and applying advanced typographic techniques, advanced page layout procedures, object transparency and other image effects; building and editing tables; and, defining and applying color specifications and effects; and using document output procedures. Students will continue to develop knowledge and skills in the industry leading page layout software applications.
NGRP-252
3 Credits
The students will study the Portable Document Format (PDF) file format including defining and applying specifications for color management, file optimization and file security; recognizing and editing PDF documents; and using PDF files in a variety of print and non-print media production workflows. Topics include procedures for making PDF files, and adding interactive features including bookmarks, action button, hyperlinks to internal anchors, and hyperlinks to other documents and Web content. Emphasis is given to file optimization for interactive display size formats, color, and resolution.