Colleen Twomey

Professor                                      

 

Contact Information

• Office: 26-208
• Phone: 805.756.2027
• Email: ctwomey@calpoly.edu

 

Office Hours Winter '26: 

• Monday/Friday: 11:10am - 12:00pm via Calendly
• Monday: 12:00pm - 1:00pm in person

 

                                                                                           

Education

• AAS Graphic Arts, Springfield Technical Community College
• BS Printing Management, Rochester Institute of Technology
• MBA, University of Delaware

Courses

• GrC 201 - Digital Publishing systems
• GrC 203 - Digital File Preparation and Workflow
• GrC 316 - Flexographic Printing
• GrC 337 - Consumer Packaging
• GrC 361 - Sales and Marketing for print and digital media
• GrC 411 - Strategic Trends and Profitability Issues in Print and Digital Media
• GrC 461 - Senior Project

 

About Colleen

Colleen is passionate about Graphic Communication! Colleen started teaching at Cal Poly with 22 years of experience in the consumer packaging and business industry. She loves how packaging influences consumer behavior through color, imagery, touch, smell, and interactivity, and how students are focused on sustainability—proposing awesome solutions in the Consumer Packaging classes! They also address accessibility in packaging innovations through interesting and unique opening structures and ergonomics for consumers with mobility, visual and other impairments.

Areas of Research/Interest

Her teaching and research interests include interactive packaging, accessible packaging, packaging trends, branding and the consumer, and marketing/strategy. She has had the privilege of not only doing research with her US colleagues, but internationally as well, as she has taught packaging and project classes at Hochschule München in Munich, Germany, and Hochschule der Medien in Stuttgart, Germany – both exchange programs with the Graphic Communication department at Cal Poly.

Career Highlights

Colleen had a fantastic career in the industry before coming to Cal Poly GrC, but the familial sense of our faculty "pod," the community of our students, and the interaction of our advisory board just can't be beat! Serving as Department Chair for six years has been one of her biggest career highlights - leading the GrC department through growth, challenges, and innovation while working alongside talented colleagues and supporting amazing students has been an honor she treasures deeply.

She enjoys being a mom, a faculty member, and part of a very welcoming department. She also enjoys the inspiration that our students provide. Her favorite color is Pantone 012 (bright yellow)! …and the answer, of course, to Life, the Universe, and Everything is 42!