Any institution preparing students for a career in design must teach three things: flexibility, transference of skills and a certain degree of entrepreneurial autonomy.
—Adrian Shaughnessy
Scroll to gallery; click to enlarge images.
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
A practicing professor—both working in the design field and teaching design in studio and lecturing capacities—my career began at the intersection of traditional pasteup and emerging digital technology. Quick adaptation to an ever-evolving digital landscape while still drawing from tradition might well be my mantra, applying both to client and student work. The field keeps me curious, engaged, and flexible in multimedia as both artist and designer and means that I’ll ask students to step away from the computer and make images and/or type using collage, paint, pencils, and hybrid approaches as well as Creative Suite.
As a design educator, I use industry research tools as well as my own strategies developed over years as a designer, to help students reach the deep conceptual yet practical dimensions of design practice. Skipping process is not an option and, those who do, quickly see that their work is not as strong as their peers. When they self-correct this, they also quickly see the value of the time invested up front. I’m known to preach that the process actually saves time in the long run and that means a more efficient workflow which also means less wasted time and income.
Still practicing in the field, I seek out meaningful projects and organizations—finding clients who lean more towards innovative, visionary, experimental, and passion-driven business models. In bringing this level of consciousness to the classroom, I integrated the First Things First manifesto (of 1963, later updated by Wired Magazine in 2000) into my Art Direction classes in order to give students the historical means to consider their own roles in design.
I strive to express myself candidly, letting students know that I'm a life learner who’s continually growing as both a professional and a person. I genuinely enjoy the classroom dialogue, shared humor, and collective energy that studio work and critiques embody as the perfect practice for design thinking through rapid prototyping and collaboration.
With structure that allows room for individual creative interpretation but also the ever-inspiring deadline, I find that students apply themselves, push their limits, and experience breakthroughs that allow them to see their own creative excellence as advanced visual communicators. Helping to facilitate the resulting work has been an honor and inspiration.
STUDENT WORK 2005–2015
Advanced and Contemporary Type
Illustrate with type to make a poster that raises awareness of a social or political cause.
Corporate Identity
Develop a company logo by deep exploration of many types of marks to authentically express a company's mission.
Experimental Type
Create work by hand that tells a personal story.
Contemporary Design Issues
Create innovative, sustainable packaging that addresses a targeted environmental problem.
Communication Design: Create an annual report using a theme that matches an organization's projected goals and vision.
