Biography

wjr_bio
William Angelo Rizzo

I  am a photo realistic artist with a background style in portraits and illustration. After a lifetime of drawing and painting, I found an interest in commercial art. I attended New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, N.Y. where I studied computer graphic design and received a B.F.A..

My professional experience has included a broad range of well-known advertising agencies working on a wide variety of national brands. I have the digital and traditional illustration skills that have allowed me to design all types of the following:

  • Sales promotions
  • Logos
  • Magazine advertisements
  • Trade shows
  • Posters
  • Corporate brochures
  • Branding programs
  • Corporate identity
  • Style guides
  • Print advertising
  • Direct mail
  • Catalog design marketing materials
  • Point-of-sale displays
  • Web development

In addition to my graphic design background, I am interested in the field of printing. I attended the Minuteman Press International School of Printing in Farmingdale, New York. I was trained as a pressman for offset printing and ground-breaking digital printing on a Heidelberg Press, Multi 1250, AB Dick, and Canon Image Runner. Other responsibilities included die cutting flex package printing, bindery work (cutting, folding, scoring, perfing) and my most recent education on the Konica Minolta Bizhub PRO. As an apprentice, I worked for a small print shop. Eventually I progressed to a commercial shop where I was responsible for printing consumer literature.

I see graphics and digital technology as an important tool that provides people with the ability to communicate different ideas. With the advent of the Internet, it would be wasteful not to learn how to use new technology, so I jumped on the opportunity to take a web design class to broaden my expertise. I had been teaching myself web site design and development for so long that I pretty much had a feeling technology was heading beyond the basic computer. Today I am creating apps for devices such as the iPad and smart phones. I have recently worked on linking print ads for the QRReader to websites. My work has continued to be motivated by the user experience.

I have continued to update my skills with classes in computer graphics and internet programming, commercial printing and animation.

Talent runs in my family, from one generation to the next. My late father William Angelo Rizzo created a portrait painting of me, which is proudly displayed above. In addition to my professional creative pursuits, I had been fortunate enough to have a small semi-professional career in hockey.