Spark Collaborations: Design as Catalyst for Social Impact

Natacha Poggio Assistant Professor, Visual Communication Design Hartford Art School, University of Hartford Designing for wellness has extended further beyond the creation of care products to the design of processes and experiences involving patients as learners and users. Visually compelling and meaningful systems of artifacts are part of the “wicked solutions” at the intersection between … Continue reading “Spark Collaborations: Design as Catalyst for Social Impact”

Espiritu, Texas 1886-2015: An Essential Part Of American History

Andrés Vera Martínez Assistant Professor,  Cartooning and Illustration Lesley University College of Art and Design Cambridge, MA The Spanish term Mestizos, meaning mixed, came into popular usage during the 16th century to describe the offspring of Spaniards and Native Americans. Vaqueros, or the first cowboys, were Mestizos and their cowboy culture has been mythologized and … Continue reading “Espiritu, Texas 1886-2015: An Essential Part Of American History”

The Next Wave in Publication Design

Christie Shin Assistant Professor Communication Design, School of Art and Design Fashion Institute of Technology In response to the massive growth of media consumption in recent years, “Immersive reading” has become the primary focus of the publishing industry. While traditional reading only involves seeing the page, immersive reading spans the spectrum with a more engaging … Continue reading “The Next Wave in Publication Design”

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”