Practice and Theory:
Critiquing Design Activity and Design Activity as Critique


The principles and standards of professional practice have dominated the interpretation and theorizing of design activity. The profession, however, defines only one (though substantial) area of design activity. Questions which might be addressed during this conference include: Are there other means of reflecting upon practice that are more effective in understanding the broad range of design performance? What is the relationship of criticism to graphic design practice? Is there a critical role for the design project whose intent is housed in the space of the gallery or museum, instead of the public sphere? Can practice itself be interpreted as a form of critical, writerly activity? Can a design question existing conditions and propose alternatives? This session seeks alternative views of design practice, examples of “alternative,” less (or un-) celebrated design activities that arise out of challenges to established practices.

History:
Evaluations of Our Past


In a 1991 article for the AIGA Journal, “Is There
a Canon of Graphic Design History?” design historian Martha Scotford challenged the “unintentional” canon being constructed in graphic design history after examining five popular books in the field, including Philip
Meggs’ A History of Graphic Design. Other critics have taken to task the frameworks used and interpretations made by erstwhile design historians and their texts. Are those challenges still pertinent? How is past design activity valued and what is of value? What figures or movements have been passed over but deserve notice? This session invites papers that address past transgressions and transgressors, conducts reassessments, or present new discoveries.


Writing:
Language as a Tool


Graphic design is a public practice. It can tell us about our culture: where we are, where we are going, what we want to be. The critic is there to read beyond the surface and speculate on the implications. This session calls for papers that explore the writing of design criticism, discussions that open up possibilities for new writing practices and also re-think the relationship between criticism and critical
practice. Can we approach a critical writing that is entrepreneurial, immediate, and projective? Might it use the critic’s voice as a way to enter possibilities? Can criticism reach beyond laudatory assessments to present an insightful accounting of the social, cultural and political forces reflected in the work itself? Is criticism’s primary role to actively support or contest the verities of professional practice or is it an opportunity to intensify, alter and expand our discipline? What effects are rapidly evolving digital technologies and social media having on the role of the critic?


Education:
Looking to our Future


“Institutions tend to reproduce themselves,” especially in education. In what ways might graphic design curricula reflect new writing practices? How do we introduce educational practices that offer a more nuanced or sensitive consideration of the cultural implications of design? Where should we be focusing our energy as instructors in a discipline with constantly evolving technologies, while simultaneously needing to attend to professional skills that in many ways have not fundamentally changed since typesetting first emerged? How can writing take into account a global fluidity, reflecting the changing demographics of the students we now teach? This session welcomes papers that look to criticism as away to engage our future.

Norfolk


Norfolk is part of the Hampton Roads region of Virginia (also known as Tidewater). The area is known as the world's greatest natural harbors where Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. The 17 localities that make up Hampton Roads are also known as “America's First Region,” which includes Jamestown, the first English speaking settlement to survive in the New World, Colonial Williamsburg, and Yorktown. Hampton Roads is home to the U.S. Navy's Second Fleet, Norfolk Southern Railroad, Pat Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Old Dominion


Old Dominion University was founded in 1930
by the College of William and Mary, the second oldest university in the United States and became an independent institution within the Virginia higher education system in 1962. Old Dominion now holds six colleges (Arts and Letters, Business and Public Administration, Education, Engineering and Technology, Health Sciences and Sciences) and has achieved designation as a Research University (high research activity) from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. ODU was named Best Southeastern College by Princeton Review, is in the Top 100 Graduate Schools of Education selected by U.S. World and News Report, and has been named one of the best colleges in the nation to work for in a survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education in both 2011 and 2012.

Fees


• $225.00   AIGA members

• $275.00   Non-members*

• $75.00      AIGA student members

* To join the AIGA and receive the reduced rate prior to registration, contact: www.aiga.org/join

Register now


• Register On-line

 • Download registration form

 • Sign up for workshops or roundtables
   (registered attendees only)

 • List of Attendees

Cancellation policy


There will be a $20 cancellation fee for cancellations made prior to February 15, 2013. AIGA will refund 50 percent of conference fees paid for cancellations made between February 15 and March 15, 2013. No refunds will be available after March 15, 2013. To cancel your registration please contact AIGA's registrar: aiga_registrar@aiga.org

Note


Although we urge attendees to register online, registrations will be accepted on-site at the conference on a space-available basis.
A processing fee of $25 will be added to all registrations that are not completed online, including those that are processed at the conference site. This also includes registrations received by mail or fax.

Friday, April 12


9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

• Registration / Visual Arts Building atrium


10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

• Adobe Workshop: Responsive Design with Adobe Muse / Webb Center: Virginia Beach 2007
Randy Hagan, Adobe Systems Representative
workshop information


12:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.

• Adobe Workshop: CreateNow with Adobe Creative Cloud and CS6 / Webb Center: Virginia Beach 2007
Randy Hagan, Adobe Systems Representative
workshop information


1:30 p.m.–2:30 p.m.
• Grant Writing Workshop / Webb Center: Cape Charles 2001
Karen Eck, Ph.D., Director of Research Development, Old Dominion University
How to search for funding, evaluating fit with the funder and program, basic anatomy of a grant application, how grant writing is different from scholarly writing, grant writing tips, and structuring the proposal to make it easier to read and more engaging for reviewers. workshop information


3:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

• Welcome / Batten Arts and Letters Building 1012
• [Keynote] What Does Design Criticism Want? (And Who Wants Design Criticism?) / Batten Arts and Letters Building 1012
Rick Poynor, Visiting Professor in Critical Writing in Art & Design, Royal College of Art
• [Panel] / Batten Arts and Letters Building 1012
Rick Poynor is a writer, critic, lecturer and curator, specializing in design, photography and visual culture. read more
David Stairs teaches Graphic Design and Design History at Central Michigan University. read more
Michèle Champagne is a Canadian designer and writer who works in branding and editorial across media. read more


6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

• Gallery Reception: “Mount” (click for more information) / The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries



Saturday, April 13

8:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m.

• Breakfast (catered) / Batten Arts and Letters Building Atrium


9:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

• [Writing Panel] Graphic Design on the Verge: Evolving New Critical Strategies for Addressing Graphic Design / Constant Hall 1005
Laura Forde, art director and writer
Aileen Kwun, writer, and studio manager, Project Projects
Angela Riechers, art director, writer, and educator
Bryn Smith, designer and writer
Moderated by Alice Twemlow, Chair, MFA Design Criticism, School of Visual Arts

• [Education Panel] Re-imagining Design's Relation to the World / Constant Hall 1064
Steven Skaggs, Professor of Design, Communication Art & Design Program Head
Kate Lamere, Assistant Director, East Carolina University's School of Art and Design
Thomas Ockerse, Professor, Rhode Island School of Design
Gunnar Swanson, Associate Professor, East Carolina University


9:00 a.m.–9:30 a.m.

• [History] Global History, Regional Knowledge: Sign Writing and Visual Culture in Southern Africa / Constant Hall 2099
Arden Stern, Teaching Fellow in the Department of Humanities & Sciences, Art Center College of Design


9:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m.

• [Writing] Zine from Afar: Design Writing in India / Constant Hall 2099
Teal Triggs, Professor of Graphic Design and Associate Dean, School of Communication, Royal College of Art


10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

• [Practice] Alternative Modalities for Making: Directions for Critical Graphic Design Research / Constant Hall 2099
Sandra Gabriele, Associate Professor, Department of Design, York University


10:45 a.m.–11:15 a.m.

• [History] After Babel: Visualizing the Territories of Graphic Design / Constant Hall 2099
Steve Rigley, Lecturer & Co-ordinator for Graphic Design, Department of Communication Design, Glasgow School of Art
• [Writing] Why and How Select Approaches to Critical Writing Should Foster Deep Knowledge Creation in Visual Communication Design Constant Hall 1024
Michael R. Gibson, Associate Professor and Graduate Programs Coordinator, The University of North Texas
• [Education] I JUST WANT TO MAKE THINGS. Defining the Problem: What Is the Role of History in Graphic Design Education? Constant Hall 2100
Dori Griffin, Assistant Professor, Department of Art & Design, University of Southern Mississippi


11:15 a.m.–11:45 a.m.

• [History] Letterpress: Looking Backward to Look Forward / Constant Hall 2099
Alexander Cooper, Letterpress Tutor/ Technician, London College of Communication, University of the Arts London
Rose Gridneff, Lecturer, BA (Hons) Graphic Design, University of Brighton
Andrew Haslam, Academic Program Leader for Visual Communication, University of Brighton
• [Writing] The Stranger that Lives in the Basement: Satire as an Under—Used Strategy in Design Criticism Constant Hall 1024
Alice Twemlow, Chair and co-founder of the MFA Design Criticism program, School of Visual Arts; PhD candidate in the History of Design program, Victoria & Albert Museum/Royal College of Art, London.
• [Education] DeZombies and the Coming Design Apocalypse / Constant Hall 2100
Eric Benson, Associate Professor of Graphic Design, University of Illinois
John Jennings, Associate Professor of Visual Studies, (SUNY) Buffalo


11:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

• Break (catered) / Batten Arts and Letters Building Atrium


12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m.

• Keynote / Batten Arts and Letters Building 1012
Michèle Champagne is a Canadian designer and writer who works in branding and editorial across media.
Her expertise lies open source dynamics–from crowdsourcing for dialogue in That New Design Smell magazine,
to branding for Mediamatic Travel, a creative social network pinned to an open source platform.


1:00 p.m.–2:00 p.m.

• Lunch (catered) / Visual Arts Building atrium


2:00 p.m.–2:30 p.m.

• [Practice] Checkpoint: Reevaluating Graphic Design as (Not) a Critical Social Practice / Constant Hall 2099
Keon Pettiway, PhD Candidate, North Carolina State University
• [Writing] Criticism: How to Write It / Constant Hall 1024
Ellen Lupton, Senior Curator, Contemporary Design, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum / Director, Graphic Design MFA Program, Maryland Institute College of Art
• [Practice] The Unbearable Liteness® of Design / Constant Hall 2100
Daniel Jasper, Associate Professor, Graphic Design Program, College of Design, University of Minnesota


2:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

• Workshop: Hatch Show Print / Visual Arts Building 130
Jim Sherraden, artist, printer and curator
workshop information


2:30 p.m.–3:00 p.m.

• [Practice] Digital What?! Graphic Design and the Digital Humanities / Constant Hall 2099
Amy Papaelias, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Foundation Art Department, SUNY New Paltz
• [Writing] Ultimate Career Crit: External Reviews of Graphic Design Faculty / Constant Hall 1024
Steven McCarthy, Professor, University of Minnesota
• [Practice] Looking for Ourselves: Graphic Design as a Critical Practice / Constant Hall 2100
David Cabianca, Associate Chair, Associate Professor, Department of Design, York University


3:15 p.m.–4:45 p.m.

• [Practice Panel] Making Conversation: How Do We Talk About the “Craft” of Design?/ Constant Hall 1005
Denise Gonzales-Crisp, Professor, College of Design, North Carolina State University
Elizabeth Guffey, Professor of Art and Design History, State University of New York
Louise Sandhaus, Faculty in the Graphic Design Program, California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Teal Triggs, Professor of Graphic Design and Associate Dean, School of Communication, Royal College of Art
Alice Twemlow, Chair, MFA Design Criticism, School of Visual Arts


3:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m.

• [Education] SPEAK LAB: Using Social Change Storytelling to Teach Design Agility / Constant Hall 2099
Peter Scupelli, Assistant Professor, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University
Stacie Rohrbach, Associate Professor, School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University
• [Writing] Five Conversations on Graphic Design and Creative Writing / Constant Hall 1024
Maura Frana, Teaching Assistant, Pratt Institute
Leigh Mignogna, Designer
Liz Seibert, Designer


3:45 p.m.–4:15 p.m.

• [Education] Designing Our Educational Experience from the Bottom Up / Constant Hall 2099
Sara Alway-Rosenstock, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Marietta College
• [Writing] Critical Writing Strategies to Improve Class Critiques / Constant Hall 1024
Jillian Coorey and Gretchen Caldwell Rinnert, Assistant Professor, School of Visual Communication Design, Kent State University


4:15 p.m.–4:45 p.m.

• [Education] Advancing Our Practice: Educating the Reflective Design Practitioner / Constant Hall 2099
Angela Wang, College of Design, University of Minnesota
• [Education] Why Isn‘t Anyone Listening? I Must Be Talking to Myself: Engagement, Intellect and Imagination / Constant Hall 1024
Roymieco A. Carter, Director of the Visual Arts Program, Director of University Galleries, North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University


4:45 p.m.–5:00 p.m.

• Break (catered) / Visual Arts Building atrium


5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m.

• Keynote / BAL 1012
David Stairs teaches Graphic Design and Design History at Central Michigan University.
He has twice received Fulbright grants (2000-2002 Africa; 2012 India) and is the joint recipient of a Sappi Fine Papers Ideas That Matter grant (2003).


8:00 p.m.–10:00 p.m.

• Reception: Sponsored by AIGA Hampton Roads / Children‘s Museum of Virginia, Portsmouth VA



Sunday, April 14

8:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

• Breakfast (catered) / The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries


8:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

• Table conversations over breakfast (catered) / The Baron and Ellin Gordon Art Galleries
Rick Poynor, Visiting Professor in Critical Writing in Art & Design, Royal College of Art
David Stairs teaches Graphic Design and Design History at Central Michigan University.
Michèle Champagne, Canadian designer and writer.
Alice Twemlow, Chair and co-founder of the MFA Design Criticism program, School of Visual Arts, New York
Louise Sandhaus, Professor of Graphic Design, School of Art, California Institute of the Arts
Steven Skaggs, Professor of Design, Communication Art & Design Program Head
Denise Gonzales-Crisp, Professor of Graphic Design, College of Design, North Carolina State University


9:30 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

• Tenure & Promotion Workshop / Constant Hall 1024
Steven McCarthy, Professor, University of Minnesota
Maria Rogal, Associate Professor, University of Florida
Stacie Rohrbach, Associate Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
workshop information
• Grant Writing Workshop / Constant Hall 2100
Karen Eck, Ph.D., Director of Research Development, Old Dominion University
workshop information


10:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

• Wrap-up / Batten Arts and Letters Building 1012
• AIGA Researcher / Batten Arts and Letters Building 1012
Ruth Lozner
Suguru Ishizaki


1:00–2:00 p.m.

• Hatch Show Print Talk / Diehn 136
Jim Sherraden, artist, printer and curator
workshop information

The SpringHill Suites Norfolk at Old Dominion University is the Blunt
conference hotel.

All reservations must be accompanied by a first night room deposit or guaranteed with a major credit card.

To receive the conference rate, reservations must be received on or before 4:00 PM, March 12, 2013.

They offer a special conference rate of $110/night for Friday and Saturday nights. Individual attendees must make reservations
for the conference directly with Marriott reservations at 888-638-7488 (TOLL FREE) or
757-423-4100. Please specify that you are
making reservations with the Design Education Conference group block.
Online reservations require code OADO for the discount conference rate.
The hotel will not hold any reservations unless secured by one of the above methods. Parking, continental breakfast and high speed Internet are complimentary. Hotel room rates are subject to applicable state and local taxes (currently 13%) in effect at the time of check in.
The hotel is located at 4500 Hampton Boulevard Norfolk, VA

• Hotel website

Air


Norfolk International Airport (ORF) is located
9.8 miles from ODU, one mile east of I-64 (exit 279), and just minutes from downtown Norfolk.

• Airport website

A shuttle service from the airport to the conference hotel is available from James River Transportation. Online reservations can be booked via the following link:

• Shuttle Service reservation



Rail


Amtrack travel is available to Norfolk, with a station located at Monticello Ave & E. Virginia Beach Boulevard in Norfolk, 3 miles from the
ODU campus.

Driving From the South


  • Take I-85 north or I-95 north to Route 58 east.

    •
  • Follow 58 east to I-264 east toward
        Portsmouth/Norfolk.

    •
  • Go through Downtown Tunnel and follow
        signs to St. Paul's Blvd.

    •
  • Make a right onto St. Paul's Blvd.

    •
  • At the third light, make a left onto
        Brambleton Ave.

    •
  • Follow Brambleton Ave. until you see signs
        for Hampton Blvd./ODU.

    •
  • Bear right onto Hampton Blvd.

    •
  • Follow Hampton Blvd. to ODU.
        (approximately 3 miles).
    •

    Driving From the North


  • Take I-95 south toward Richmond

    •
  • Take the left exit 84A onto I-295 S, following
        signs for "Norfolk/Virginia Beach"

    •
  • Remain on 295 for approximately 14 miles,
        then exit at 28A (I-64 E)

    •
  • Stay on I-64 E for approximately 75 miles
        until you reach exit 276, VA-406/NAVAL
        BASE/TERMINAL BLVD

    •
  • Once on the exit ramp, stay right onto I-564
        as it splits. Once on I-564, stay right again,
        following the first exit for Terminal Blvd.

    •
  • Continue straight through two traffic
        lights, and at the third light, turn left onto
        Hampton Blvd.

    •
  • Follow Hampton Blvd. to ODU.
        (approximately 3 miles)
    •

    Sponsors


    • Presenting Sponsors ($10,000+)

       Adobe

    • Supporting Sponsors ($5,000 - $10,000)

       Old Dominion University

    • Exhibiting Sponsors ($500 - $5,000)

       York University Master of Design Program


    Providing Advice and Guidance


    • AIGA Design Educators Committee

       AIGA

    Workshop Presenters


    • Randy Hagan

       Adobe

    Planning Committee


    • Ivanete Blanco

       Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA USA

    • David Cabianca

       York University, Toronto ON Canada

    • Kenneth FitzGerald

       Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA USA

    • Jiwon Lee

       Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea

    • Jason Tselentis

       Winthrop University, Rock Hill, SC USA

    Website Design


    • Sejin Choi, Hyungmin Kim

       Kookmin University, Seoul, Korea

    Peer Review Readers


    • Alex DeArmond

       University of Wisconsin-Stout

    • Andrea Wilkinson

       Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg/KHLim

    • Audra Buck-Coleman

       University of Maryland

    • Bobby Campbell

       University of North Carolina at Charlotte

    • Brooke Scherer

       University of Tampa

    • David Cabianca

       York University

    • Gary Rozanc

       Columbia College Chicago

    • Gerry Derksen

       Winthrop University

    • Isabel Meirelles

       Northeastern University

    • Jeff Bellantoni

       Pratt Institute

    • Jon Sueda

       California College of the Arts

    • Liz Throop

       Georgia State University

    • Mitch Goldstein

       Hypothesis, Ltd., Baltimore

    • Roymieco Carter

       North Carolina A&T State University

    • Sandra Gabriele

       York University

    • Sherry Blankenship

       Ohio University