The Blunt Conference

I am co-organizer of the AIGA Design Education conference Blunt: Explicit and Graphic Design Criticism Now, to be held at Old Dominion University April 12–14, 2013. My co-conspirators David Cabianca, Jiwon Lee, and Jason Tselentis. The conference’s focus is on criticism and critical writing in and about graphic design. Presentations will be in the areas of Practice and Theory, History, Writing, and Education, with keynote speeches by Rick Poynor, Michele Champagne, and David Stairs. Plus panels, roundtables, workshops, and fun for the whole family. And an exhibition, Mount, that features graphic design artifacts from my personal collection. Information about the conference can be found here.

12 Views of 120 Posters

I contributed an essay for the touring exhibition Graphic Advocacy: International Posters for the Digital Age 2001–2012, curated by Elizabeth Resnick. The essay, “12 Views of 120 Posters,” will be included in the catalog to be published in fall 2013, but is available now on the exhibition website here. The show is the third in a series of socio-political poster exhibitions that Resnick has co-curated, following The Graphic Imperative: International Posters for Peace, Social Justice and The Environment 1965–2005, and Graphic Intervention: 25 Years of International AIDS Awareness Posters 1985–2010. Graphic Advocacy just opened at its first venue, the Stephen D. Paine Gallery at Massachusetts College of Art & Design in Boston (my alma mater twice over) on January 15.

On Brand Bible Blogumentary

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My visit last February to the Master of Professional Studies in Branding at the School of Visual Arts in New York was documented at the RockPaperInk website in the “Brand Bible Blogumentary” post “Advice from Kenneth FitzGerald.” Thanks to program chair Debbie Millman for the invitation and post, and to her welcoming and inspiring students!