f you ask artist Bob Williams about his legacy, he will point to the 600 to 900 students he has prepared for a career in commercial art.

At 60 years old, Williams is a gifted and trained fine artist, illustrator and graphic designer whose talent spans traditional art through digital art. But his true vocation was teaching commercial art at South Central College in North Mankato. This soft-spoken and modest man became an instructor there in 1979 and is retiring in June after 30 years.

“My purpose was serving and doing it as quietly as possible so the students gain notoriety,” said Williams of Vernon Center.

Williams teaches classic design principles by using old school techniques such as hand illustration, lettering and math. Then he combines it with intensive technical training using the Adobe Creative Suite and iMac computers. The result is students learn to think uniquely, solve problems and use technology as a tool, Williams said.

“Bob is exceptional in that he’s a creative individual that is deeply rooted in traditional design fundamentals. At the same time he’s a leader in technology,” said Brian Maciej, president of Lime Valley Advertising in Mankato and a department adviser.

Williams’s wisdom raises the quality of the program and gives SCC students a competitive advantage in the marketplace, Maciej said.

Williams graduated from SCC in 1973. At that time, artist Rod Furan of Lake Crystal taught the program that he implemented in the late 1960s. Williams punched a clock and worked all day to complete projects on deadline in a studio atmosphere.

That was the intense and focused training he needed to pursue a career in commercial art. He worked at Norwood Promotional Products in Sleepy Eye, Jostens in Owatonna and an advertising agency in Edina.

When Williams took over the two-year program from Furan, he stayed true to the studio-style training.

A technology leader

Computers have drastically changed the graphic design industry since Williams started teaching in 1979. Back then, there was no desktop publishing or Photoshop. The tools of the trade were drawing boards, pencils and X-Acto knives.

Williams was instrumental in the school’s investment in Macintosh computers and fellow graphic design instructor Kevin McLaughlin credits Williams with putting the school on the map in terms of technology.

When PageMaker came out in 1985, Macintosh computers become the new standard. Thanks to Taylor Corp. and Coughlan Cos., Mankato had its share of printers and publishers that were retooling and employees who needed new skills.

Companies under the Taylor and Coughlan umbrellas have always served on the department advisory board. So Williams went to the board for money to buy the school’s first Macs. Capstone Press, Glen Taylor and others wrote checks, Williams said.

By 1985, Williams was teaching Intro to Macintosh and PageMaker. By 1989, SCC added QuarkXPress and was one of a few schools licensed to teach the program in Minnesota.