DESIGN FORUM

Each week we present designers that excel in the industry. This includes print designers, book designers, motion graphic designers, web designers, interactive designers, hand-letterers, as well as photographers and furniture designers. Guests are asked to present their work, their design philosophies, and how they approach their mediums. Many of our lecturers are from or working in the New Orleans area. 
Click Here to find out about upcoming forum events, open to the public

NATHAN ROBINSON

AI AND THE GRAPHIC DESIGN
NOVEMBER 06 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

NATHAN J. ROBINSON is the editor in chief of Current Affairs. He has a BA and MA in Politics from Brandeis University, a JD from Yale Law School, and a PhD in Sociology and Social Policy from Harvard University. His published books include Why You Should be a Socialist, Trump: Anatomy of a Monstrosity, and Responding to the Right: Brief Replies to 25 Conservative Arguments. His book Echoland is an innovative speculative exploration of the impact of AI technology on society and culture. He is a former columnist for The Guardian, as well as having written for The Washington Post, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Nation, The New Republic, Al Jazeera, and Boston Review. His upcoming book The Myth of American Idealism, co-authored with Noam Chomsky, will be published by Penguin Random House in 2024. 

GARLAND KIRKPATRICK

AUTO•ETHNO•GRAPHIS: SEEING RED
OCTOBER 09 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

GARLAND KIRKPATRICK is an American designer, educator, and curator who visualizes complex social issues through clear and thoughtful communication design. Through his studio, Helvetica Jones (est. 1992) his social graphics have engaged a spectrum of human rights issues ranging from the criminal justice system—capital punishment, mass incarceration, and police brutality—to HIV-AIDS, homophobia, immigrant rights, and racism.Though initially created for specific social actions, some works have taken on a life of their own, having been reproduced in print, included in national and international exhibitions, acquired by public collections, and commissioned for film. Kirkpatrick’s brand of ‘cultural’ design work has been recognized by the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the American Center for Design, The American Association of Museums, Graphis and Print Magazine. He completed postgraduate studies at the Institute of Design in Chicago, and received his MFA from Yale University. He served as the first Graphic Designer for the Center for the Study of Political Graphics (Los Angeles) and is currently a Professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles.

More info at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garland_Kirkpatrick
Works can be accessed by request through www.gmatter.la

NANCY BERNARDO

WHAT HAPPENS IF…
SEPTEMBER 04 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

NANCY BERNARDO is a graphic designer and collage artist. Her creative journey is driven by a fascination with seamlessly blending old and new technologies. She likes to reimagine vintage imagery and ephemeral objects in a contemporary context, and deliver it with a touch of irony, humor, and unfiltered honesty. Bernardo’s work serves as an exploration of societal constructs, body image issues, social norms, and popular culture. She currently lives in Rochester, NY and teaches in the Digital Media Studies Program at the University of Rochester. See more at https://nancybernardo.design/

TERRANCE MOLINE

HOW DID I GET HERE? THE UNEXPECTED JOURNEY OF A DESIGNER
MARCH 6 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

Terrence Moline lives by design. He resides at the corner of marketing and art by utilizing his skills to create identities, communities, and communication.
Terrence has worked for several non-profits and as an in-house for a few universities.
He is the founder of AAGD (African American Graphic Designers) and spends his time directing creative commutation and traffic.

KATHERINE KLIMITAS

WHEN DESIGN MEETS ART
FEBRUARY 23 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

Katherine Klimitas is a New Orleans-based artist and designer who sold her first watercolor at age 10.  As the daughter of veterinarians, Katherine expresses her family’s life-long love of animals through her meticulous life-like paintings. She earned a B.A. from Loyola University in 2011, and today at age 34, runs her multifaceted business KAK ART & Designs from home. When clients learn that Katherine has Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease, they are captivated by her unique perspective. She and her parents stopped counting her broken bones at 500 at age 10. She’s 2 feet 7 inches tall, gets around in an electric wheelchair, and creates all of her art, jewelry and commercial graphic design while lying on her side. To learn more about Katherine, pick up a copy of her book, Looking Up, on her website or Amazon. kakartnola.com (Instagram & Facebook @kakartnola)

POUYA JAHANSHAHI

JANUARY 31 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

Pouya Jahanshahi, an Iranian-born graphic designer, activist, and curator, is presently an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at Oklahoma State University. He serves as the director of the MFA program and as an endowed professor within the Global Studies program. He earned his M.A. from Cal State Fullerton, where his master's thesis, "Anatomy of a Visual Message," delved into visual communication's semiotic and kinetic dimensions. He earned an MFA in Graphic Design and Integrated Media from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) where his research explored the global evolution of what he has termed Hybrid Visual Cultures. He has presented his research on national and international venues such as ATypI (Association Typographique Internationale), IGDS (Iranian Graphic Design Society), Encuentro de Tipografia (Portugal), and the College Arts Association (CAA), among others. In tandem with his scholarly pursuits, Jahanshahi actively engages in social impact design and his "20x20 Posters for Peace" project is currently being exhibited around the globe. He is also the co-founder Pasaj Collaborative and Local-Not-Local art and design collectives. He engages with a diverse range of clientele, with a particular emphasis on cultural and non-profit entities. In his spare moments, Jahanshahi indulges in the art of Persian calligraphy, silk screening, and the creation of concrete poetry. 

JEN McKNIGHT

SEPTEMBER 21 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

Jennifer McKnight’s design work has been recognized in Print Magazine and in several international publications, including United Designs Annuals and the Golden Bee International Poster Biennial. Her poster work has been exhibited internationally, and her design work has also been published in Becoming a Graphic Designer: A Guide to Careers in Design by Steven Heller and Theresa Fernandes. Her design writing appears in Means by Which We Find Our Way, edited by David Gardner and Andrea Wilkinson, Keep/Delete, edited by Andrea Wilkinson, and Robin Landa’s 4th edition of Graphic Design Solutions.

RON DOMINGUE

OCTOBER 4 • 4:55-6:10 • NUNEMAKER AUDITORIUM

Ron is a New Orleans based visual artist and designer. He’s currently a designer of 3D Marketing at Shutterstoc and an adjunct professor. An avid user of emerging technology to produce visual art. An early adopter of AI generated content and and advocate for the ethical use of it in creative processes. He embraces pivoting between traditional and digital processes for creating design and art.

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