As an educator and mentor, it is my responsibility to guide students to become design thinkers and ensure they can put these skills into practice as project leads. My philosophy and the goals I’ve set for my academic career  are grounded in the AIGA’s Designer 2025 and Design for Good initiatives, and expanded to include what I’ve learned as a working professional. My philosophy ensures students can learn, stay inspired, and professionally thrive. 

We shape our world through the power of design.

Design can be a catalyst for social change. An agitator to inspire action. A community builder. And a tool of inclusion. Good design can boost a single voice to bring people together behind a cause and can change policy, thoughts, and actions. That’s why I help shape new designers into thoughtful, empathetic, and inclusive problem solvers. I shepherd them in civic engagement and responsibility through graphic design. These students will become the designers of our future, and I hope that future is created by teams of civic-minded leaders. I encourage students to examine the world we live in and find solutions to make it better.

As designers we are first and foremost problem solvers.

Working through a rigorous design process, I teach students to utilize the fundamentals of good composition to solve problems. I lead students to think critically at every step of the design process, always keeping the project goal in mind and being aware of the power they hold as the creative communicator.

As we begin, we evaluate problems and think of possible solutions through avid research. Students quickly learn that as designers we become experts on topics. We are interdisciplinary problem solvers who interpret data, apply communications principles, and understand how history and culture affect the landscape.

My students learn that the link between message and design is most effective when supported by a strong concept, and it is through this concepting process that students learn how to put the fundamentals of art and design composition to work in service of a goal.

Based on our research, we develop  project concepts through brainstorming, mind-mapping, sketching, and visual explorations. This exploration then dictates the form a student’s design solution will take, from a printed brochure to an interactive website or even environmental wayfinding. This solid basis in concept will guide them when utilizing white space, color, and hierarchy to create pieces that are easy to read, contain messages that are quickly found, and use imagery to support and illustrate the complex, multi-layered ideas behind them.

My curriculum consists of projects that are inspired by real-world applications and seamlessly integrate learned fundamentals and use of industry-standard programs.

Design is a collaborative process.

My goal is and will always be to create design professionals that will thrive on diverse and interdisciplinary teams. Therefore, it is essential that my students learn to share ideas and reasoning, be open to hearing opposing views, and to translate and include ideas from others. Together, as a class, we can improve each other’s work and become better designers and problem solvers in the process. These cooperative listening and interacting skills help build the nimbleness to be open to zigs and zags of the working world where designers engage with scientists, copywriters, CEOs, educators, whoever the project prescribes.

We start projects by sharing ideas and brainstorming as a group. Then, after initial designs are created, we move to group critiques. These are positioned as an opportunity for team growth rather than simply personal design progress because it is important for students to learn and appreciate early on that including alternate points of view make solutions stronger.

Students leave my class not only as good designers but also as compassionate thinkers and communicators.