Design & Illustration Department Launches New Speaker Series
Tyler’s Design & Illustration Department kicks off the 2024-2025 academic year with not only a new name and new, planned BFA degree offerings, but also the launch of the Design & Illustration Speaker Series featuring designers, illustrators and other makers who are shaping their creative fields.
“We hope these speakers will open students’ minds to the many paths their practice can take after they graduate,” said Assistant Professor of Instruction Nathan Young, organizer of the series.
Young added that he would “love for the series to help students define success not just by industry recognition, but by finding connection and purpose in their creative work.” He said the talks, which will be in-person but livestreamed via Zoom, are geared for anyone in the Temple community interested in design thinking and visual culture.
Evolving professional landscape
Another goal in launching the series, said Young, is to keep the Design & Illustration program, formerly known as Graphic and Interactive Design, “in touch with the evolving professional landscape outside the classroom. Lastly, I hope these speakers expose our students to a critical approach to creative practice, one that challenges the traditional design canon and seeks to dismantle a culture long dominated by male, Eurocentric bias.”
To celebrate the launch of the department's new BFA in Illustration and Emerging Media, Philadelphia-based visual artist and creative director Chuck Styles is first on the schedule. His work is rich in color and culture, utilizing portraits, texture, and bold abstract elements to infuse energy into the viewing experience. He uses his platform to highlight culture, unite people, and celebrate life in sports and entertainment through art.
Primarily self-taught, with some formal education at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, Styles continuously pushes his creativity across various mediums including acrylic, digital, and multimedia. His work has been showcased in partnerships with Vice President Kamala Harris, EA MADDEN23, TOPPS, BET, HBO, NASCAR, MARVEL, the Chicago Bulls, the White Sox, and more. Styles will speak on Thursday, September 19 at 11 a.m., and the presentation can be joined via Zoom.
Artificial intelligence in design
On October 22, the series brings Steve Perry of Bailey Brand Consulting for a talk titled “The Art of the Artificial: Agency Insights on the Use of AI.” Perry will share his firm’s approach to managing the change that artificial intelligence has brought to the agency world, pulling back the curtain on the process of implementing generative AI creatively, how utilizing AI impacts commercial use in creative work, and why the technology has triggered lawsuits over copyright infringement and data use.
Earlier in the month, Tyler Adjunct Professor Soonduk Krebs will be the Featured Faculty in the inaugural series. Krebs has been managing and operating SK Designworks, a full-service graphic design firm, since its inception. Prior to forming SKDW, she worked as a practicing designer, during which time she learned how to understand and address the needs of a wide range of clients, from multi-national corporations, to small, not-for-profit entities. Her work has been featured in peer-reviewed publications including Communication Arts, Graphis, Print, AR100, and How.
Diversity of speakers
Young is excited that the series will feature a broad range of designers, illustrators, and makers engaged in various contemporary practices, from user experience and interface design to creative coding, motion graphics, brand strategy, environmental design, as well as growing areas such as artificial intelligence.
“It’s important to me that our speakers come from a plurality of race, gender, and LGBTQIA+ identities, embodying the diversity we see in design, illustration and beyond,” he said.
Young added that while the department has always hosted guest talks, this fall marks the first time they have developed a curated, pre-planned season designed to be a forum for “real-time engagement with the exciting possibilities and ethical quandaries shaping the future of creative fields.” “With our new name—Design and Illustration—and new degree programs, it feels like the perfect moment to introduce it as a curated series,” he said.
The Design & Illustration Department is offering a new BFA in Illustration and Emerging Media this fall, along with its existing BFA in Graphic and Interactive Design. A BFA in UX/UI will be offered in fall 2025. Students will be able to pursue minors in all three areas.
The Fall 2024 series schedule is below:
- September 19 – Chuck Styles, visual artist and creative director
- September 23 – Danny Gugger, senior brand designer for Major League Baseball
- October 7 – Soonduk Krebs, Tyler Adjunct Professor and founder of SK Designworks
- October 22 – Steve Perry, creative director of Baily Brand Consulting
- November 4 – Elaine Lopez, independent designer, educator and owner of the studio LoPress Press.
See the Tyler Calendar of Events for details.