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Ferris to be Represented at AIGA Design Conference in Phoenix

Ferris to be Represented at AIGA Design Conference in Phoenix Hu MikeGraphic Design representatives from Ferris State University will be attending the “Pivot” AIGA Design Conference that begins on Thursday, Oct. 13 and runs through Sunday, Oct. 16 in Phoenix, Ariz., to prepare for the future of design.

The conference takes place at the Phoenix Conference Center and welcomes more than 1,500 designers through a weekend of speakers, workshops and discussions. The conference highlights design inspiration, how to meet clients’ needs and how best to make design effective.

“As a design educator, I am particularly interested in talking with other design educators outside of my normal day-to-day context,” said William Culpepper, Ferris assistant professor of Graphic Design. “Attending a national conference with such a focus on design and education will spark conversation, discussions and discourse with faculty and design professional from across the country.”

Culpepper is scheduled to lead a discussion at the conference on Friday, Oct. 14 at 2:30 p.m. He plans to discuss his project Graphik Intervention, which focuses on sparking urban revitalization through graphic design.

Others from the university system who plan to attend the conference include: Mike Hu, Ferris assistant professor of Graphic Design; Angela Dow, Kendall College of Art and Design associate professor of Graphic Design; Suzanne Jonkman, KCAD assistant professor; and Joan Sechrist, KCAD assistant professor. Culpepper believes that people who attend the conference will walk away with a new perspective on the changing design industry and insights to improve designers’ value to clients.

“I am excited about the dedicated educator programming and sessions that are going to be available,” he said. “Along with the pre-conference workshops detailed in the program schedule, I am particularly excited to also attend the cross-over affinity sessions on emerging trends that will be relevant to both professionals and educators.”

Culpepper hopes to bring the latest trends from the conference into the Ferris Design Project Center studio setting. The Design Project Center is a learning environment where students work with clients, under the guidance of faculty, to apply classroom theories into real-world projects.

“Currently, design is at a critical inflection point as a practice, thought process and force for change. As the profession of graphic design is changing, design education will have a vital role and voice,” he said.