Re-Defining Reading

Laura Franz Professor, Design Department Head, Graphic Design Option (Major) College of Visual and Performing Arts, UMass Dartmouth For decades, critics have predicted the end of the written word: “No one reads anymore! No one writes anymore!” Yet from birth certificates to gravestones, from T-shirts to text messaging, the written word—and thus reading—is woven into … Continue reading “Re-Defining Reading”

Small Disruptions

Andrew Shea Adjunct Faculty Pratt Institute Parsons, The New School Designers are eager to find solutions that are economically inclusive, socially progressive, and environmentally sound. And whether they call it social impact design, designing for social change, socially responsible design, or by another name, it usually implies that design makes some kind of impact. The … Continue reading “Small Disruptions”

The Queer Writing on the Bathroom Wall

Mark Addison Smith, Assistant Professor Electronic Design and Multimedia The City College of New York The Queer Writing on the Bathroom Wall documents my typographic and theoretical process of discovering an instance of homophobic graffiti—gay fagget fucker die you know it’s a truck driver—within a midwestern truck stop men’s bathroom, translating the author’s letterforms into … Continue reading “The Queer Writing on the Bathroom Wall”

Bequeath(ed) Type

Liz DeLuna Associate Professor of Graphic Design Department of Art and Design St. John’s University Cemeteries provide a landscape rich in social, cultural and aesthetic history. They house the dead, but the grave markers designed and crafted by the living, leave a legacy of traditions, styles and preferences. This is especially evident in the variety … Continue reading “Bequeath(ed) Type”

Too Many Grads Redux

Kathryn Weinstein Associate Professor Queens College, CUNY A startling revelation concerning outcomes for students graduating with graphic design degrees emerged from Steven Heller’s (2005) article, Too Many Grads or Too Few Competencies? The Design School Dilemma. The article estimated that as many as fifty percent of students graduating from design programs quit the field within … Continue reading “Too Many Grads Redux”

Modes of Self-Publishing

Minkyoung Kim, Christina Webb Rhode Island School of Design MFA Candidates in Graphic Design Modes of Self-Publishing focuses on ‘zine’, not just as a circulation platform for printed matter, but as an experimental vehicle for visual or verbal content. Within this course, students explored the various potentials of self-publishing: cooperative assembly, collaboration, collective authorship, and … Continue reading “Modes of Self-Publishing”

Publishing Confidential

Aaris Sherin Associate Professor of Graphic Design St. John’s University The author of a number of books and articles, Sherin dives into the mysterious world of design research and publishing. She will give examples of what works and what doesn’t, while highlighting ways of making the writing process productive and enjoyable. List of Selected Books … Continue reading “Publishing Confidential”

Design for Dystopia

Amelia Marzec Adjunct Assistant Professor Queens College Hunter College Imagine a future where the American dollar is worthless. To re-build the economy, citizens must use the only resource available: decades of postconsumer waste. With no way to afford expensive international electronics, but with a deep human desire to connect, they sift through products that have … Continue reading “Design for Dystopia”