Design Lecture Series
The Design Lecture Series is co-sponsored by the Graduate & Undergraduate Communications Design Departments
Spring 2012
John Thackara
John Thackara is a writer, speaker, design producer, and director of Doors of Perception. John writes for Design Observer, and is the author of twelve books including In The Bubble: Designing In A Complex World and Wouldn't It Be Great If….
Karin Fong
Karin Fong is a director, designer, and one of the founding members of Imaginary Forces. A graduate of Yale, Karin’s work has been featured at the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, the Pasadena Museum of California Art, The Wexner Center, Artists Space, The Walker Art Center, and in numerous publications.
Rory McGrath & Geoff Han, OK-RM workshop
OK-RM is a London based design studio founded in 2008. Working with a broad range of clients from individuals to institutions, the studio has a project specific approach allowing for a highly varied output that encompasses visual identity, publication design, art direction, editorial and digital projects.
Khoi Vinh
Khoi Vinh is a graphic designer, blogger, and former Design Director for The New York Times, where he worked from January 2006 until July 2010. He is the co-founder and CEO of Lascaux Co., makers of Mixel for iPad, the world’s first social collage app. Fast Company named Vinh one of "The 50 Most Influential Designers in America" in September 2011.
John Gall
John Gall is the Vice President and Art Director for Vintage/Anchor Books.
Fall 2011
Paul Elliman
Mr. Elliman lives in London. His work has addressed the relationship between language and the urban environment, engaging the human voice in many of its social and technological guises, including the imitation of other languages and sounds of the city, from the non-verbal messages of emergency vehicle sirens to radio transmissions and the muted acoustics of architectural space. Mr. Elliman’s work has been exhibited at London’s Tate Modern, New York’s New Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Kunsthalle Basel, and is included in collections at the Victoria and Albert Museum (London) and the Anyang Public Art Project (Korea). Mr. Elliman is also a thesis supervisor for Werkplaats Typografie, a graphic design program in Arnhem, the Netherlands. He was appointed to the Yale faculty in 1997 and is currently senior critic in graphic design.
Massimo Vignelli
Massimo Vignelli of Vignelli Associates is an AIGA Gold Medal winner. The work of Massimo and his wife Lella has been influencing designers since 1960. Their office have indeed done it all: industrial and product design, graphic design, book design, magazine and newspaper design, packaging design, interior and exhibit design, and furniture design.
Spring 2011
April Greiman
April Greiman is a thinker and artist, whose transmedia projects, innovative ideas and projects, and hybrid-based approach, have been influential worldwide over the last 30 years.
The LAB is Rockwell Group’s digital interaction design team
The ambition of the LAB is to explore, experiment, and demonstrate interactive experience augmented with digital technology in objects, environments and stories.
Michael Bierut
Michael Bierut, AIGA Medalist, studied graphic design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning.
Fall 2010
Michael Rock
Founding partner and creative director at 2×4 and Professor of Design at the Yale University School of Art.
Rob Carter
Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and author of nine books on Design, including Typographic Design: Form And Communication (with Ben Day and Philip Meggs)—which has become the prime text for typographic design education in the United States; American Typography Today; the five-volume Working with Type series; Digital Color and Type; and Typographic Specimens: The Great Typefaces (along with Philip Meggs).
Bruce Mau
Visionary and world-leading innovator, Bruce Mau is the Chief Creative Officer of Bruce Mau Design.
Firebelly Design
is tenacious about creating meaningful design, developing sustainable strategies and combining both to change the world. They believe in honest storytelling and genuine experiences—the sincere things organizations simply cannot fake or force.
Tracy and Chester Jenkins of Village Type
A very small independent distributor, publisher and designer of typefaces. Village consists of two partners in Brooklyn, with member foundries around the world.
Spring 2010
Sulki Choi and Min Choi
Sulki and Min, graphic designers in Seoul, Korea, met in 2001 at Yale University where they both were MFA graphic design students. Since then, they have been working together on various commissioned and self-initiated projects.
Jennifer Bernstein, Level NYC
After receiving her MFA from Yale, Jennifer worked for the New York firms Wechsler & Partners and Balsmeyer & Everett Inc. While senior designer at Balsmeyer Everett. she originated the concepts and design for title sequences for such feature films as Fargo, Girl 6, The First Wives Club, and Waiting To Exhale.
Experimental Jetset
Experimental Jetset (Amsterdam) is a small, independent graphic design studio based in Amsterdam, consisting of three persons: Marieke Stolk, Danny van den Dungen and Erwin Brinkers.
Paul Sahre
Graphic designer, illustrator, lecturer, educator and author Paul Sahre established his New York studio in 1997. While consciously maintaining a small office, Sahre has nevertheless built a large presence in American graphic design.
Crowdsourcing Panel:
Chris Clarke, CCO LBi
Ric Grefé, AIGA Executive Director
Craig Kanarick, Consultant / Founder of Razorfish
Ben Malbon, Managing Partner, BBH Labs
Mike Samson, Founder of crowdSPRING
John Winsor, CEO Victors and Spoils
Fall 2009
James Goggin, Practise (UK)
James Goggin set up his graphic design studio, Practise, in 1999 after completing an MA in Graphic Design at London’s Royal College of Art. Practise works across various media: from books, posters, typefaces, identities and stationery to exhibition design, signage, websites and motion graphics.
Rick Valicenti, Thirst
Rick Valicenti is the founder and design director of Thirst/Chicago, a communication design firm devoted to art with function and serves a collection of clients whose refined and enlightened design sensibilities yield rewards in the experience of creation. Rick was recently awarded the American Institute of Graphic Artists (AIGA) Medal in 2006 for his sustained contribution to design excellence and development of the profession.
Luke Hayman, Pentagram
Luke Hayman was born in Hertfordshire, England and studied graphic design at Central St. Martin’s School of Art, London, graduating with honors in 1988. He has lived and worked in New York City since 1992. He joined Pentagram as a partner in December 2006.
Don Ryun Chang (South Korea)
Don is the author of five books including "How to Succeed in Business with Design and Brand Media Innovation."
Kitai Park, KDA Group (South Korea)
Kitai Park graduated from Pratt's GradComD program in 1981, and received an Alumni Achievement Award in 1996. While in NYC in the 80's he worked for Etan Manasse design studio in NYC.
Spring 2009
Ellen Lupton
Ellen Lupton is a writer, curator, and graphic designer. She is director of the Graphic Design MFA program at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, where she also serves as director of the Center for Design Thinking.
Brian Collins
Brian Collins is Chief Creative Officer of COLLINS:, an innovation-led firm dedicated to inventing branded experiences, digital interactions and communications that shape both companies and people for the better.
Course Guest Lecturers have included:
Will Holder
Alexander Reyna, 4mm Games
Allen Wyke, 4mm Games
Berton Hasebe
Steve Ettlinger
Shawn Trail
Jerome Amos
Adam Snetman, ThinkSo Creative
Elizabeth Amorose, ThinkSo Creative
Lyle Owerko, Wonderlust Industries
Michelle Ehrlich
Franziska Morlok & Till Beckmann, Rimini Institute, Berlin
Liad Baniel, Liad Baniel Studio
