Academic Feature

Design is ESSENTIAL AT QUINCY UNIVERSITY

REFLECTING ON THE ORIGINS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN AT QU AND THE SHARED PASSION FOR PREPARING THE PROFESSIONALS OF TOMORROW

by Barbara Schleppenbach, PhD ’71

“DESIGN IS ESSENTIAL.”

These words of Gary Meacher, assistant professor of design, summarize the growing importance of the field in 2022 and the demands of the marketplace for thoroughly educated professionals. As the faculty in art and graphic design, Karl Warma, MFA, professor of art, Robert Lee Mejer, founder of the graphic design program, distinguished professor of art and major fundraiser, and Gary Meacher, look forward to the continued expansion of their program, they reflected on the origins of graphic design at QU and their shared passion for preparing the professionals of tomorrow.

WHAT IS THE QU HISTORY OF GRAPHIC DESIGN?

Robert Lee Mejer: In 1973, I introduced ART 261, Commercial Art to encourage studio majors to apply their skills to advertising. I also helped them to find internships/practicums in the field. In fall 1990, Fr. Tom Brown, OFM, introduced Amiga computers as a painting tool. After his retirement, I continued teaching with Amigas and in 1990 designed and implemented the B.F.A. Graphic Design Degree and Computer Graphics Studio. In 2008, we dedicated the Graphic Design Studios in honor of the multiple grants received from The Coleman Foundation, The John E. and Jeanne T. Hughes Charitable Foundation, and Michael (’72) and Carole (Hughes, ’73) Hennessy.

WHAT IS THE CURRENT OUTLOOK FOR STUDENTS MAJORING IN ART/GRAPHIC DESIGN?

Gary Meacher: Designers take part in a variety of creative disciplines--social impact design, communication, illustration, research, service design, environmental design, packaging, education, user experience, business strategy, experience design, user interface design, data science, animation, interaction design, motion graphics, game design, algorithm and artificial intelligence, AR and VR design, and of course “traditional graphic design.”

HOW HAS THE FIELD CHANGED IN THE PAST DECADE? WHAT PROFICIENCIES ARE EMPLOYERS SEEKING?

Gary Meacher: Over the past decade a greater emphasis has been placed on research-driven design. Creative fields can be subjective and the best answer to subjectivity is data/research. Designers possess a very unique skillset in that they tend to be particular about details, endlessly curious, and naturally empathic. Those tools can be applied to any problem/opportunity. The designers of yesterday who made things look pretty can now confidently call themselves creative problem-solvers who are experts in process.

HOW IS QU’S GRAPHIC DESIGN PROGRAM CHANGING IN RESPONSE TO MARKETPLACE DEMANDS?

Gary Meacher: Recent surveys conducted by AIGA (The Professional Association for Design) suggest that most working designers are skilled in drawing, painting, photography, film and video, user interface and user experience design, data visualization, coding, copywriting, and art direction. “Non-design" skills, like mentorship, leadership, project management, research, and public speaking play large roles as well. As a design practitioner myself, I can attest to the market's need for these skills and take pride in continuing to use my own freelance practice as a guinea pig for informing our curricular development. All of the faculty in the Art & Design Department are creative practitioners with active studios, freelance clients, and art exhibitions. We recognize the need for balancing high-level conceptual abilities and strong technical skills.

Gary Meacher: In the past 4 years our design program has been completely refreshed. We've revised traditional courses in graphic design and web design while also adding brand new courses in user experience and user interface design, motion design, typography, and service learning oriented coursework in our design for change course. I'm particularly proud of our newest push towards collaboration by including computer science and communication courses within our degree track. With an eye to the future (and proper technical and financial support), I'd like to explore new courses in video production, animation, game design, and a catch-all for everything new in what I'm currently workshopping as an “emerging media” course.