Graphic Design

https://emmymid-america.org/emmy-awards/nominees/?fbclid=PAdGRleANviT1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABpzFJhIvFaTwd46ue-GFHAXgs5A_abg7kSCuPIqiqo_9fd4DnL-iC9N-7B-5Z_aem_CJBSLJSkqmek91nhB-IWWw CATEGORY #306 Informational/Instructional - Short Form Content (up to 10 minutes) 2025 Mid-America Emmy® Award Winner Fresh Press Paper WILL-TV

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Teaching Assistant Professor in Illustration and/or Computer Animation School of Art & Design, Studio Art Program University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   The School of Art & Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a full-time, non-tenure-track Teaching Assistant Professor position in Illustration and/or Computer Animation within the Studio Art Program. We seek two dynamic artist-educators whose practices engage traditional and digital media in the service of storytelling, expression, and creative communication. This unified search reflects our program’s commitment to cultivating interdisciplinary learning while also maintaining disciplinary clarity. Candidates may apply for either the Illustration or the Computer Animation position, or both, depending on their area(s) of expertise. This search supports growing curricular demand and student interest in both illustration and animation at the undergraduate and graduate levels. The successful candidate(s) will contribute to our vibrant studio community and help shape future curricula that advance critical, inclusive, and cross-disciplinary creative practices. About the School of Art & Design Located within the College of Fine and Applied Arts, the School of Art & Design is home to a diverse and vibrant community of artists, designers, and scholars. We support interdisciplinary and socially engaged creative practices and offer a range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Our Studio Art program emphasizes both technical excellence and conceptual rigor, encouraging students to explore the intersections of art, technology, and culture. For more about our programs and values, visit art.illinois.edu. Application Guidance To ensure clarity in review and evaluation, applicants must indicate in their cover letter whether they are applying for:

• The Illustration position, • The Computer Animation position, or • Both positions.

Applicants should tailor materials accordingly, highlighting their qualifications for the relevant role(s). Position 1: Teaching Assistant Professor in Illustration We seek an accomplished illustrator whose dynamic, versatile practice engages both traditional and digital media. The ideal candidate will demonstrate expertise in several of the following areas:

• Foundational drawing (gesture, perspective, and anatomy) • Collage and mixed media • Digital painting and coloring (e.g., Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate) • Serialized storytelling and storyboarding • Visual development for games/media • Traditional media, including ink, watercolor, and gouache • Freelance or commission-based illustration practices

The successful candidate will develop curricula for both the Master's program in Game Studies and Design and the undergraduate minor (offered in person and online) through collaborative efforts between the School of Information Sciences and the School of Art & Design. They will also work across disciplines, particularly with colleagues in the College of Fine & Applied Arts and Information Sciences, on initiatives related to visual storytelling and game development.   Position 2: Teaching Assistant Professor in Computer Animation We seek a digital or computational artist with a robust practice in animation, game development, and narrative media. Ideal candidates will demonstrate expertise in at least two of the following areas, with openness to a broad, interdisciplinary approach:

• 2D and 3D animation workflows • Digital painting and texturing • 3D modeling, rendering, and rigging • Storyboarding and narrative design • Game engine integration (Unity, Unreal) • Freelance or commission-based media production

The successful candidate will develop curricula for both the Master's program in Game Studies and Design and the undergraduate minor (offered in person and online) through collaborative efforts between the School of Information Sciences and the School of Art & Design. This includes shaping an inclusive, forward-looking animation curriculum that integrates technical fluency, cultural critique, and media experimentation. They will also collaborate across disciplines, particularly with colleagues in the College of Fine & Applied Arts and the School of Information Sciences, on initiatives related to visual storytelling and game development. Courses May Include The following are representative courses taught within the Illustration and New Media concentrations. Exact course assignments will be based on expertise and program needs:

• Beginning Illustration
• Composition and Storytelling
• Digital Coloring
• Advanced Illustration
• Observational Drawing
• Visualization Drawing
• Expressive Drawing
• Life Drawing
• Beginning & Intermediate Painting
• Image Practice
• Time Arts I
• The Art of 3D Imaging
• Interaction I
• Graduate Studio (Online, MS in Game Development)

  Minimum Qualifications (Both Positions)

• Terminal or advanced degree in a relevant field (e.g., studio art, illustration, animation, game development, computational media) • Professional experience in relevant creative industry sectors • Demonstrated experience teaching or mentoring in both academic and/or professional settings • Technical fluency with industry-standard software and digital workflows • Engagement with contemporary critical discourse in media, culture, and storytelling

We welcome applicants whose research and creative practices expand or challenge dominant narratives in the fields of illustration and animation. This may include, but is not limited to, work that engages with underrepresented histories, global perspectives, emergent media, or innovative modes of storytelling and image-making. We are particularly interested in candidates whose teaching and practice demonstrate sensitivity to a wide range of cultural frameworks, lived experiences, and ways of knowing. Appointment Information This is a 100% full-time Teaching Assistant Professor position, appointed on a nine-month basis. The expected start date is August 2026. The budgeted salary range for the position is $62,500–$70,000. Final salary offered will be determined by a thorough assessment of available market data, internal salary equity, candidate experience and qualifications, collective bargaining agreements, and budget constraints. Application Procedures & Deadline Information Applications must be received by 11:59 pm (Central Time) on December 1, 2025. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. Required materials:

• Cover letter (indicating Illustration, Computer Animation, or both) • Curriculum vitae • Teaching statement • Portfolio of creative work (PDF or link to online portfolio) • Samples of student work (if available) • Names and contact information for three references

For further information about this specific position, please contact Bobbie Clegg at bjclegg@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137. The University of Illinois offers a very competitive benefits portfolio, depending on the position. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits. The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify. Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

Assistant/Associate Professor in User Experience and User Interface Design (Tenure-Track)

School of Art & Design

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign   The School of Art & Design, housed within the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, invites applications for two full-time tenure-track faculty positions in User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) Design at the rank of Assistant or Associate Professor, with an anticipated start date of August 16, 2026. These positions will play a central role in the development and instruction of the BS in Computer Science + Design degree, a collaborative program that bridges design and technology. Faculty will contribute to three programs including Graphic Design, Industrial Design and Studio Art to foster interdisciplinary teaching and research. We seek a candidate with a terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or equivalent) in a field engaging art, design, and computation. The ideal candidate will be both a practicing artist/critical designer—with a strong record of public engagement through exhibitions, installations, and/or performances—and a researcher whose writing and publishing investigate the social, cultural, and aesthetic dimensions of computation. Candidates should demonstrate expertise in computational media and contribute through creative interventions in areas such as but not limited to: • Artificial Intelligence as medium and cultural system • Platform culture, computational logics, and interface aesthetics • Digital rights, privacy, and ethics of computation • Race, gender, and technology • Algorithmic bias, equity, and social justice • Design for Accessibility • Bio-art, Art–science, Data Visualization, and emerging crossover disciplines, including Behavioral Sciences • Code as art We are looking for an artist-designer-researcher whose creative practice and critical inquiry together advance new ways of engaging with computation, interface, and interaction in their wider cultural, social, and political dimensions. Context: The School of Art & Design The School of Art and Design supports interdisciplinary and socially engaged creative practices and offers a range of programs, including undergraduate and/or graduate degrees and concentrations in Art Education, Art History, Fashion, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Design for Responsible Innovation, New Media, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Studio Art. Our School emphasizes both technical excellence and conceptual rigor, encouraging students to challenge themselves and use their creative skills in building a better, more just and sustainable world. In all areas, student and faculty work is supported by state-of-the-art labs for traditional and contemporary media, including spaces for digital imaging and printing, audio-visual production, rapid two- and three-dimensional prototyping, and darkroom photography. Facilities for bookbinding, letterpress, printmaking, and fashion design are also available. Teaching Responsibilities: The teaching load includes two courses per semester. The successful candidate will teach courses that position computation as an artistic and critical design medium, ranging from introductory coding for creative practice to advanced, research-driven practice and method-based seminars. Areas of teaching could include (but are not limited to): computational art, critical interface design, interactive art, data art, information art, net art, and related emerging practices. The candidate will contribute to both undergraduate and graduate curricula, mentor students across disciplines, and help shape the evolving identity of computational art and critical design within the School of Art and Design. Minimum Qualifications • Terminal degree (MFA, PhD, or equivalent) in a relevant discipline. • Evidence of an active creative practice with a strong record of public engagement through exhibition, installation, and/or performance. • Evidence of critical research through writing, publishing, or equivalent scholarly contributions that engage computational media, design, and the arts. • Demonstrated potential for excellence in teaching, mentoring, and curriculum development at both undergraduate and graduate levels. • Commitment to fostering an inclusive academic environment and contributing to the diversity of the School and University. Preferred Qualifications: • PhD in relevant discipline. • Familiarity with and a critical perspective on historical approaches to experience design. • Practice, teaching, and/or research that connect to one or more of the following areas of design: Gender and Design, Equity and Design, Indigenous Design  Knowledges, and Design Futures. • Familiarity with liberatory pedagogical approaches. • A critical perspective on social biases embedded in technological systems. • Experience teaching in a program that integrates Design, Technology, and Science. Application Materials: • A cover letter addressing qualifications and research/creative practice. • Curriculum vitae. • Portfolio of scholarly and creative work. • Research Statement. • A teaching portfolio, including a teaching statement, one or two sample syllabi, and (if possible) student work. • Names and contact information for three references.

Appointment Information

This is a 100% full-time Assistant/Associate Professor position, appointed on a nine-month basis. The expected start date is August 2026. The budgeted salary range for the position is $75,000 to $80,000 at the Assistant Professor level and $88,000 to $95,000 at the Associate Professor level, for a nine-month service basis. Final salary offered will be determined by a thorough assessment of available market data, internal salary equity, candidate experience and qualifications, collective bargaining agreements, and budget constraints.

Application Procedures & Deadline Information

To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by 6:00 pm (CST) on December 8, 2025. Interviews may begin prior to the initial closing date; however, the review of applications will continue until suitable candidates are identified. Apply for this position using the Apply Now button at the top or bottom of this posting. Applications not submitted through https://jobs.illinois.edu will not be considered. For further information about this specific position, please contact Bobbie Clegg at bjclegg@illinois.edu. For questions regarding the application process, please contact 217-333-2137.  

The University of Illinois offers a very competitive benefits portfolio, depending on the position. Click for a complete list of Employee Benefits.

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The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify.

Applicants with disabilities are encouraged to apply and may request a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (2008) to complete the application and/or interview process. Accommodations may also be requested on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions, or religion. Requests may be submitted through the reasonable accommodations portal, or by contacting the Accessibility & Accommodations Division of the Office for Access and Equity at 217-333-0885, or by emailing accessibility@illinois.edu.

In this episode of Doom and Bloom, Eric Benson and Marc O’Brien join us to ask some big questions: Why is climate being erased from federal budgets? Why is climate literacy still an elective in design schools and not a required course? And why are we preparing students for AI but not for the climate crisis? We explore the uncertainty of our current political moment and the urgent need to embed climate education into the foundation of every design program. Eric and Marc also explore a bold vision for the future—transforming unused office buildings or local restaurants into pop-up co-learning hubs where designers, students, and communities come together to collaborate, learn, and act. From rethinking how we teach design to reimagining where learning happens, this conversation is a call for creativity, community, and radical inclusion in the face of climate change. https://www.climatedesigners.org/doom-bloom/sudden-skyscrapers

Joshua Pridemore is a graphic designer specializing in visual identity, with a research-driven practice that explores how design intersects with cultural and social narratives. He holds an MFA in Design for Responsible Innovation from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and a BFA in Emerging Media from the University of Central Florida. His work spans branding, storytelling, and interactive design, with a focus on socially engaged and ethically grounded creative solutions. Pridemore’s research investigates how design can challenge dominant narratives around gender expression and identity, particularly in relation to masculinity. His creative projects utilize community engagement and digital platforms to foster intergenerational dialogue and support diverse expressions of boyhood and manhood. His work also focuses on creating resources for parents to navigate media literacy, political discourse, and the impact of digital media on identity formation in the information age.

On Friday, June 20, Windy Zhao (Assistant Professor of Architecture) and Molly Briggs presented final work products from their course (co-taught with Sharon Zou (Associate Professor of Recreation, Sport, and Tourism)) to local stakeholders in Xihu, Jiangxi, China. The students’ work was very warmly received by the village residents, and also by the local and regional officials, who are serious about implementing aspects of our design! Below is some additional information, beyond what I shared on Friday: This project was a collaboration among three course sections: ARCH 572 Health and Wellness: Placemaking and Rural Tourism in China (Zhao), ARTD 499 Special Topic in Design: Placemaking and Rural Tourism in China (Briggs), RST 199/594 Placemaking and Rural Tourism in China. The course was supported by the University’s Transdisciplinary Global South Community-Based Learning Programs Grant, which reflects the Illinois Vision 2030 Global Strategy.

The Climate Shift: Action, Optimism & What Matters Now Tuesday, August 5, 2025 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. CDT Hosted by Professor Eric Benson Please visit here for more information and to register.

Professor Deana McDonagh was recently interviewed for Carle Illinois College of Medicine about the (dis)Ability Design Studio. 

The School of Art & Design is pleased to announce William Hohe 2025 BFA, Photography and Charlotte Watson 2025 BFA, Graphic Design received Outstanding for their oral presentation for their project The Interstates Project: The American Mirage, Our Nation's Mother Road, and the Death of the American Highway at the 2025 Undergraduate Research Symposium hosted by the Office of Undergraduate Research.

The School of Art and Design Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition will show the work of nearly 100 students in all disciplines of the school — art education, art history, graphic design, industrial design and studio art, which includes fashion, new media, painting, photography, printmaking and sculpture. The exhibition opens May 10, with a reception at 4 p.m., and runs through May 17. To read more about our artists read the article in the Illinois News Bureau: Seniors in art and design to show their work at Krannert Art Museum.  

The list of Graphic Design USA (GDUSA) Top Design Schools 2025 is out and the Illinois University of Illinois was named. The article may be viewed here.

Graphic Design Professor Eric Benson was recently selected into cohort 3 of the Climate Wisdom Fellowship for 2025. Congratulations Eric!  

Graphic Design Clinical Assistant Professor Jena Marble was recently named a 2025 Designer to Watch by Graphic Design USA. Congratulations Jena!

Samantha Jenae Jones, a graduate student in Design for Responsible Innovation, is part of the 2024–25 "Collisions Across Color Lines" Interseminars project funded by the Mellon Foundation, and was recently interviewed by the Humanities Research Institute (HRI).

Molly Briggs was interviewed by Ricker Library of Architecture and Art talking about her research and her special topics course "Interactive Print: Reading from the Inside Out." Link to interview: Ricker Library: Vera Mak Interviews Molly Briggs https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d6PXThOQmVD5WpW5k-rUX7CANkon3utE/view Link to Exhibition Catalog | Interactive Print: Reading from the Inside Out https://heyzine.com/flip-book/ede718d023.html#page/11  

The Chicago Sukkah Design Festival is named the winner of the 2024 Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award. The Chicago Sukkah Design Festival, the public art and architecture festival founded by Assistant Professor Joseph Altshuler, is named the winner of the 2024 Roberta Feldman Architecture for Social Justice Award, administered by the AIA Chicago Foundation. The award recognizes excellence in built projects and design programs guided by the conviction that access to high quality architecture is not a privilege, it is a human right. The AIA Chicago bestows this honor award to one project annually, celebrating the commitment of designers who work on behalf of the public good. The Chicago Sukkah Design Festival’s organizational framework and co-design process builds on the legacy of Roberta Feldman (Professor Emerita at the University of Illinois at Chicago, School of Architecture), a trailblazer with a long career dedicated to democratic design and public-impact work. Altshuler serves as artistic director for the Festival’s first three editions (2022–2024), including the upcoming edition that opens to the public on Sunday, October 6. Collaborators include fellow FAA faculty members Assistant Professor Nekita Thomas, exhibition and landscape design, and Assistant Professor Akima Brackeen, design/build contributor (2023) and community design support (2024).

Professor Deana McDonagh was recently named an Illinois Leadership Center Faculty Fellow. The ILC Faculty Fellows are a group of leadership scholars from a variety of disciplines, all with an interest in leadership research and education.  Funded by the Illinois Leadership® Center, up to four fellows are selected annually and are given a discretionary fund of $2500 per year to support their leadership research and scholarly activities. The appointment lasts for one academic year and may be renewed for up to three years via reapplication.

Graphic Design Clinical Assistant Professor, Jena  Marble, was in the University of Illinois System Annual Report. Marble's article is in the "In Their Own Words" faculty spotlight. She highlights Art & Design with Convergence: Art and design, artificial intelligence.

Fresh Press will be on Prairie Fire on Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. on demand on YouTube or PBS Online.