Terence Oliver

Terence Oliver is an award-winning motion graphics producer in the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media. A pioneer in his field, Oliver has more than 30 years of experience in visual communication and developed the first collegiate motion graphics journalism courses in the United States at Ohio University and later at UNC-Chapel Hill. He strives to positively impact the lives of each of his students, and lives by the mantra “To make a difference, be the difference.”

His most recent creative endeavor has been leading Simply Told Design, a production company made up of educators, researchers and industry professionals that use their storytelling expertise to create clear and concise explanatory videos and supplements for organizations. Oliver has directed motion graphics projects for clients such as Fidelity Charitable, AT&T, MIT Technology Review, The University of Arizona, Duke University, Alcon, Grammy Music Education Coalition, Tufts University, UNC School of Medicine and many others through Simply Told Design and Complex Stories.

Oliver has won more than 50 awards from prestigious industry organizations for his creative work, such as the Society of News Design, Print Magazine, Creativity, Digital Health Awards and others. He also played key roles in two Pulitzer Prize-winning projects: the Question of Color series at the Akron Beacon Journal, and the Hurricane Andrew series at the Miami Herald.

Since joining UNC in 2010, Oliver has taught courses in motion graphics, information graphics, magazine design and graphic design. He has received numerous teaching accolades, including the MJ-school's 2012 Edward Vick Prize for Innovation in Teaching and the 2016 David Brinkley Teaching Excellence Award. Oliver instructed digital design courses at Ohio University, Kent State University and the Poynter Institute before coming to UNC, and served in various creative and design posts at the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer.