Working for California

From designing theater brochures during his undergraduate days, to overseeing the gigantic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” ads wrapped around multistory buildings around the world, Jeff Bacon (B.A. art ’80) has used his creativity to promote and market the creative efforts of Hollywood.

Among the classic and popular titles he has designed materials for are “9 to 5,” “Superman II,” “Home Alone,” “Look Who’s Talking,” “Edward Scissorhands” and the “Lethal Weapon” series. In addition, he has collaborated with Steven Spielberg (“Poltergeist,” “Back to the Future,” “Batteries Not Included,” “Goonies”), Ridley Scott (“Matchstick Men,” “Gladiator”) and Arnold Schwarzenegger (“Total Recall,” “Conan the Barbarian,” Terminator 2,” “True Lies” and “Eraser”).

Early in his career, Bacon helmed his own design company, then joined forces with former Titan roommate John O’Brien (B.A. art ’79, M.A. art-graphic design ’81) in 1988 to form Bacon O’Brien Design. A few years later, they co-founded the audio/visual design group Cimarron/Bacon/O’Brien, where Bacon was creative director. In 1998, he and O’Brien sold their partnership, and Bacon went on to create Glendale-based IdeaSpa Design & Marketing.

When he merged with Creative Domain, an integrated entertainment marketing and advertising agency, in 2002, he decided “that I wanted to stick to the creative side of the fence, rather than deal with book keeping, tax collecting, etc.”

Bacon is the company’s executive vice president/creative and “oversees theatrical and video game collateral and print materials. Any kind of outdoor, in-theater and in-store packaging to help sell and announce the product, domestically and internationally.”

In addition to his theatrical assignments, Bacon has worked on and with such projects and clients as the Broadway musical “Wicked,” the 2004 Tony Awards, the Special Olympics, Nissan, Fox Sports and the Producers Guild of America.

Throughout, he has encouraged and promoted the talents of Fullerton students and alumni.
“Jeff has always kept in touch with the Art Department and has always opened his studios to graphic design students for internships,” says Jerry Samuelson, dean of the College of the Arts. “The list of our graduates that he has mentored and given their start in the business is evidence of his commitment to Cal State Fullerton and his willingness to give back to the university.”

Perhaps Bacon’s loyalty to his alma mater can be traced back to his college days, where he was able to build his portfolio by working on theater brochures, mailers and other collateral materials, in addition to working at the Associated Students print shop.

“Jeff was in school before computers were common in the classroom,” explains Samuelson, “so what I remember most is the effort he put into his portfolio to show very finished projects. It was the most professional student portfolio that I had ever seen in my teaching career.”

Bacon credits Samuelson for “kind of looking after us. We nicknamed him ‘Uncle Jerry,’ because we felt he was like family. In class, we’d look at each other’s work and say, ‘I don’t know if Uncle Jerry is going to like that one.’”

He also points to Larry Johnson, chair and professor of art, for “creating a strong network of graphic designers from Cal State Fullerton.”

This solid foundation of artists underscores the university’s formidable showing in the student competition of the Hollywood Reporter’s annual Key Art Awards—which salutes achievements in motion picture marketing and advertising. Created and chaired by Bacon, the contest receives nearly 400 submissions from more than 45 colleges and design schools, with Cal State Fullerton students consistently among the top three finishers in the two categories. The judging, says Bacon, is conducted anonymously—none of the entries are identified during the process.

In the works for Bacon are the highly anticipated “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” and Tim Burton’s “Corpse Bride.”