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The VCFA MFA in Graphic Design Program Blog

Becoming a Design Educator: Tips & Insights on Teaching Design: October 23, 2024 @ 7:30 pm ET

Please join us Wednesday, October 23, 2024 7:30-9pm ET BECOMING A DESIGN EDUCATOR: TIPS & INSIGHTS ON TEACHING DESIGN Register/rsvp in advance here: https://tinyurl.com/5yw6ms7u Join three design educators from across the country as they share their experiences in landing a design teaching job, preparing their curriculum, and working within design education. VCFA Graphic Design Alumnx […]

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Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975

Introducing Ian Lynam’s, Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975 is *on press* now! Fracture: Japanese Graphic Design 1875–1975 is a profusely illustrated, dynamically designed, and easy-to-read survey of the history of Japanese graphic design. Designer, educator, critic, and historian Ian Lynam explores graphic design in Japan from its foundations in the graphic arts to the immediate […]

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“Nothing Personal: A collaboration in Black and White” by Mason Exhibitions. Now open at George Mason University’s Gillespie Gallery of Art through November 15, 2024.

Graphic Design 2023 Alum, Rick Heffner was on the team of this inspiring exhibition design—𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭: 𝘈 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘵𝘦, by Mason Exhibitions. Now open at George Mason University’s Gillespie Gallery of Art through November 15, 2024. This exhibition closely examines the book, 𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 (1964), a collaborative artwork in book form by […]

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“So You Want to Be a Professor?” with Alums Heather Synder Quinn and Jimmy Henderson, Sept 20th @ 4pm EDT

Do you want to learn about the path to academia? Join us for “So You Want to Be a Professor?”, a virtual event designed for aspiring design educators. Learn from experienced professors about the path to academia, the challenges and rewards, and tips for success. Panel participants include: – Heather Snyder-Quinn, Assistant Professor of Design, […]

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GD Grad 2024: Ted Whisenhunt’s “Watermarks” Design Exhibition at Young Harris College

VCFA 2024 grad Ted Whisenhunt’s exhibition is based on this thesis entitled,  “Watermarks” at the Campus Gate Art Gallery on the campus of Young Harris College. Opening Reception is Thursday, Aug. 29 at 6 p.m. The abundant rivers & streams of Southern Appalachia have shaped the landscape and the visual culture of the areas they […]

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Summer 2024 Faculty Microlectures! July 19th 7:00 MT

During our summer residency the MFA in Graphic Design faculty will give short lectures on their areas of research. Join us for these enlightening talks about design, culture, and creativity on Friday, July 19 at 7pm MST. Link to register for the lecture: https://linktr.ee/VCFADesign.

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VCFA GD Summer 2024 edition of Global Studio Sessions: July 16th 7:00 pm MT

Join us for the VCFA Graphic Design MFA department proudly presents the Summer 2024 edition of Global Studio Sessions. This has been a lecture series inviting a wide-spectrum of creative practitioners from around the world. In the past, we’ve had spotlights on Asia, the Global South, and the Middle East. We return again to Asia, […]

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Interview with GD Faculty, Ian Lynam

Ian Lynam is a graphic designer, writer, owner of the boutique Sailosaibin, and a VCFA MFA in Graphic Design faculty member. Based out of Tokyo, Japan, Lynam runs his own design studio creating for popular brands such as the video game series Dota 2, Disney Channel (Japan), Nestle Toll House, and more. In the summer […]

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“Kamama: From Butterflies to Elephants, 8-bit to Baskets” with Alumnx Monique Ortman @ Typographics Conference June 10-18, 2024

VCFA GD ’22 Alumnx Monique Ortman is presenting (virtually) her type work “Kamama: From Butterflies to Elephants, 8-bit to Baskets” at the 2024 Typographics Conference’s TYPELAB in NYC in June.  Kamama is a  Cherokee Syllabary typeface inspired by and designed for use in basket and mat weaving. Type design that weaves language preservation and traditional […]

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“War with Myself: Essays on Design, Culture & Violence” by Ian Lynam, Graphic Design Faculty

“War with Myself: Essays on Design, Culture & Violence” by Ian Lynam, Graphic Design faculty member, presents a compelling collection of essays spanning design, authenticity, Empire, decolonization, and history. Following his previous books “The Impossibility of Silence: Writing for Designers, Artists & Photographers” and “The Failed Painter (or Unchained by Material Anxiety),” Lynam—a designer, writer, […]

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2024 GDUSA Top Design Schools: VCFA

HIGHEST HONORS: VCFA MAKES THE LIST! It is time once again time for our annual list of favorite graphic design schools and programs that excel in teaching the hard and soft skills necessary for success, in nurturing talent and expanding minds, and in preparing the next generation of creatives for a dream career in the […]

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Collage Club with Faculty Ian Lynam on April 19, 2024 at 7:00 PM ET

Join the MFA in Graphic Design program virtually for our upcoming Collage Club with Faculty Ian Lynam on April 19, 2024 at 7 pm to 9 pm ET SIGN UP HERE! VCFA’s MFA in Graphic Design will be hosting “Collage Club”, a synchronous remote talk and workshop by Faculty Ian Lynam. This is the fifth […]

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VCFA is a sponsor of this year’s 2024 State of Black Design Conference

VCFA is a sponsor of this year’s State of Black Design Conference (there will be VCFA swag in the conference bags for attendees). The conference will be held this week (in-person and virtually, on March 15 and 16) in Nashville at Tennessee State University’s Art and Design Department. From UX to industrial design, graphic design […]

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Chutz & Lange Named as GDUSA 2024 Graphic Design Students to Watch

Two members of the VCFA MFA in Graphic Design community, Chris Lange (GD ‘24) and Leah Chutz (GD ‘24), have been named as 2024 GDUSA Graphic Design Students to Watch. GDUSA is America’s premier graphic design publication. Every year, GDUSA publishes a list of graphic designers who they believe are “…top students ready to burst […]

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Congratulations to Faculty Silas Munro on receiving a grant for The MIT Press Program for Diverse Voices.

Congratulations to Silas Munro on receiving a grant for The MIT Press Program for Diverse Voices. Munro is a faculty member of the MFA in Graphic Design program. Data by Design: A Counterhistory of Data Visualization, 1789-1900, excavates the hidden history of data visualization through evocative argument and bold visual detail. “Launched in 2021, the […]

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