Online university student commissioned by Time Magazine to create Obama illustration

Online university student commissioned by Time Magazine to create Obama illustration

Full Sail University, an online education institution that specializes in the entertainment industry, has recognized digital arts and design student Dylan Roscover for his recent typographical piece that will be published in the February 1 issue of Time Magazine.

The originally commissioned image, made up of copyright-free text, features President Barack Obama and is accompanied by the leading story, President Obama in One Year.

Roscover's recent typeface-based illustration of Apple CEO Steve Jobs caught the eye of Time Magazine design director D.W. Pine. The Full Sail student was given only three days to complete the image of the president, which is made up of over 12,000 characters.

"The process of setting type is very tedious and you have to sort of take breaks," said Roscover. "That amounts to about ten and a half characters per minute - a pretty fast-paced piece!"

Roscover's illustration was originally slated for the cover, but Time instead chose a photograph of Obama in the Oval Office taken by Callie Shell.

Online universities may be particularly attractive to adults who would like to acquire new skills but do not have the time to do so in a conventional setting.

By Mark Danson