Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Professional Experiences
Research Interests
Publications
Grants And Fellowships
Awards
Exhibitions
Filmography
Academic And Professional Service
Languages
References
Timeline
Generic

Hamid Amini

Brookings,SD

Overview

11
11
years of professional experience

Work History

Assistant Professor

South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD
01.2023 - Current
  • Courses taught:
  • Interactive Design I & II
  • Animation Foundations I & II
  • Motion Graphics
  • Computer Graphics
  • Design Research

Workshop Instructor

Texas Tech University
05.2023 - 05.2023
  • Stop-motion animation workshop specializing in puppet-building and practical workflows

Instructor

Texas Tech University
01.2023 - 05.2023
  • Multimedia Development, focusing on motion graphics and After Effects
  • Instruction in storytelling, storyboarding, editing, and production workflows

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Texas Tech University
01.2021 - 01.2023
  • Assisted courses:
  • Transmedia Animation
  • Principles of Photography
  • Creative Media Industries
  • Responsibilities included grading, instruction support, demonstrations, and student feedback.

Instructor

Sharif University of Technology
01.2015 - 01.2021
  • 2D digital animation
  • Digital 3D sculpting
  • Motion graphics
  • Software taught: Adobe After Effects, Blender, Moho, ZBrush, Adobe Suite

Education

M.A. - Mass Communications

Texas Tech University
Lubbock, TX
01.2023

M.A. - Animation

Tarbiat Modares University
Tehran, Iran
01.2013

Skills

Software:

Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Premiere
Blender, ZBrush, Moho, TVPaint, Toon Boom Harmony

Creative & Technical Skills:

2D animation, 3D animation, character design
Storyboarding, motion graphics, stop motion
Editing, visual storytelling

Teaching & Research Skills:

Course development, student assessment
Design research methodologies

Professional Experiences

Animation Specialist/Advertising Intern - GriffinWink Advertising Agency
January 2022 - December 2022
  • Developed advertising animation and storyboard

Freelance Animator, Art Director, Animation Director
January 2006 - January 2021
  • Production of short films, commercial animations, and motion
graphics
  • Character design, visual development, storyboarding, animation
direction
  • Management of full production pipelines for clients

Editorial Cartoonist - Freelancer (Isfahan, Iran )
January 2005 - January 2009
  • Created engaging editorial cartoons

Research Interests

  • Animation Pedagogy and Learning
    Investigating how visual style, motion design principles, and narrative structure influence learning outcomes in preschool and K–12 audiences. Focus on cognitive load, symbol recognition, and visual attention in instructional animation.
  • Visual Narratives and Cultural Representation
    Exploration of storytelling strategies in 2D and 3D animation, with emphasis on identity, cultural memory, social environments, and cross-cultural communication through stylized visual languages.
  • AI and Creativity in Art Education
    Studying ethical, practical, and pedagogical implications of artificial intelligence in art and design curricula, including hybrid creative workflows, authorship, and the evolving role of human–machine collaboration.
  • Hybrid Animation Techniques
    Development of mixed-method animation pipelines combining 3D CGI with 2D painted aesthetics to expand

Publications

  • Amini, H. (2025). AI in Art Education: Innovation, Ethics, and the Future of Creativity. Art and Design Review, 13, 115–129.
  • Moazzeni Khorasgani, A., Amini, H., & Asadi Eskandar, G. (2024). Animation and Mindscapes: Enhancing Urban Sustainability through Visual Narratives. Current Urban Studies, 12, 732–747.

Grants And Fellowships

  • Karen McComish Interdisciplinary Faculty Research Award, 08/01/25, 05/31/26, H. Amini (with R. Martin), Visual Style and Learning in Preschool Animation
  • Moline Acres Interdisciplinary Community Visioning Grant, 01/01/24, 12/31/24, P. Crawford, E. Tofte, R. Dalton, USD 28,000, Part of the SDSU–Kansas State EPA TAB partnership; involved collaborative work with 8 design students.

Awards

  • Best Iranian Journalistic Cartoonist, 2007
  • Best Thesis Nominee, Tehran Animation Festival, 2016
  • International festival selections for Flutter, 2024–2025

Exhibitions

  • Hot Ketchup Soup, Brookings, SD, 10/01/25
  • SD/GD Faculty Exhibition, Brookings, SD, 10/01/24
  • What Would That Something Be?, Sioux Falls, SD, 04/01/24 - 08/31/24

Filmography

  • Flutter, 2024 - Director, Producer

      Appearances:

       - SALSA Film Festival, Germany

       - FIFAK, Tunisia

       - VSF, Egypt

       - Kuala Lumpur International Film Awards, Malaysia

- Authentic Global Film Awards, 2025

  • Mayeh-Tileh, 2020, Director, Producer, Seven-episode animated web series
  • Meraj Al-Saada, 2011, Director, Thirty-five episode ethics-based animated series
  • Golvajeh, 2011, Director, Thirty-five episode animated poetry series
  • A Carrot Story, 2013, Visual development, Directing, Character design
  • Tazama, 2023, Visual development, Directing, Character design

Academic And Professional Service

  • Student mentorship in animation and design
  • Jury member for student art exhibitions
  • Interdisciplinary research collaborations
  • Community workshops and outreach

Languages

  • English (Fluent)
  • Farsi (Native)
  • Dari (Fluent)

References

References available upon request.

Timeline

Workshop Instructor

Texas Tech University
05.2023 - 05.2023

Assistant Professor

South Dakota State University
01.2023 - Current

Instructor

Texas Tech University
01.2023 - 05.2023

Graduate Teaching Assistant

Texas Tech University
01.2021 - 01.2023

Instructor

Sharif University of Technology
01.2015 - 01.2021

M.A. - Mass Communications

Texas Tech University

M.A. - Animation

Tarbiat Modares University
Hamid Amini