Using Historical Archives to Explore Cultural Representation in Design & Mass Media

Ryan Hartley Smith Assistant Professor, Graphic Design Art Department, Queens College, CUNY Communication designers today have unprecedented access to visual reference material from around the globe. This is largely thanks to the recent advent of online creative resources and archives. Whether a designer uses this material as formal inspiration, or directly incorporates imagery into a … Continue reading “Using Historical Archives to Explore Cultural Representation in Design & Mass Media”

The Graphic Design Portfolio: Process Over Product

Irina Lee Design Director, Bureau Blank Adjunct Lecturer, School of Visual Arts Adjunct Lecturer, Department of Visual Communications: Art + Graphic Design SUNY Farmingdale Portfolio preparation can be a friendly approach to learning time management, identifying personal career goals, and transitioning from a student to a professional practice.    “Live Interviews + Networking Night” was … Continue reading “The Graphic Design Portfolio: Process Over Product”

Defining Practice, Redefining Education: Five Case Studies

Juliette Cezzar Associate Director & Assistant Professor BFA Communication Design Parsons the New School for Design The last decade has brought with it a fragmentation of the design field, where the work of the graphic designer is publicly being defined as limited to artifacts (magazines, posters, advertisements) while “new”fields of interaction design, digital product design, service … Continue reading “Defining Practice, Redefining Education: Five Case Studies”

Engaging the Campus Community with Design Thinking

Andrew DeRosa Assistant Professor Queens College, CUNY Design thinking often involves small trans-disciplinary teams working together to tackle complex problems for communities using ethnography, prototyping and co-design. Translating this process into an academic course creates a number of challenges and opportunities. I’ve chosen to approach this challenge by using the campus as laboratory and engaging … Continue reading “Engaging the Campus Community with Design Thinking”

Service-learning: A Natural Fit in Design Education?

M. Genevieve Hitchings Assistant Professor Advertising Design & Graphic Arts New York City College of Technology, CUNY College level design courses can provide students with opportunities to work effectively in collaboration with actual clients. Such projects, undertaken jointly by faculty, students, and clients, develop student skills not only in design, but also in research, and … Continue reading “Service-learning: A Natural Fit in Design Education?”

Design Considerations for Low Literacy Audiences: A Case Study

Kathryn Weinstein Associate Professor of Graphic Design Queens College, CUNY This presentation describes a case study of the re-design of the Inwood House Resident’s Handbook. Inwood House is a short-term residence for pregnant young women in foster care. Considerations for the design of the handbook included the age, gender and the average literacy level (3rd … Continue reading “Design Considerations for Low Literacy Audiences: A Case Study”

ABC’s of Type Design

Liz DeLuna Associate Professor of Graphic Design St. John’s University Every typeface has a story, and many typefaces have life cycles and histories that span centuries. These histories and stories reveal tales of historical and cultural context, modes of production, changes in production technologies and rationales for the emergence of styles and trends. This lecture examines … Continue reading “ABC’s of Type Design”