Through Process

Mitch and Josuha look at the year ahead by talking about how design education and design practice live in different contexts, and how each should be approached differently. We also discuss the role of time in the design process, and how the painter Gerhard Richter approaches his work.

Mitch and Josuha welcome back Jarrett Fuller to the podcast to talk about his decision to leave a job at Facebook and attend graduate school at Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore. We talk about what went into choosing MICA, what the program is like, the difference between a BFA and an MFA, and how it feels to be a teacher instead of a student.

Mitch and Josuha chat with Ian Lynam about his hybrid practice of teaching, writing, and designing. After considering the anti-intellectual trend that seems to be growing in graphic design culture, they discuss what needs to change in design criticism, education, and practice. They also discuss process-oriented teaching pedagogy, and Ian asks everyone to reveal their design heroes.

Mitch travels to Providence, Rhode Island and visits his alma matter: the Graphic Design department at the Rhode Island School of Design. There he speaks with longtime faculty member Lucinda Hitchcock and department head John Caserta about the radical changes the BFA program has gone through over the past couple of years. They talk about inquiry-based and on-demand learning, flexible outcomes, and transparency and knowledge sharing among faculty and students.

In a special episode of Through Process, Mitch and returning guest Nancy Bernardo are joined by designer and educator Martin Venezky. We recorded this conversation with a live studio audience of RIT Graphic Design students. We spoke with Martin about his studio practice, teaching form, using photography, attending Cranbrook, and his influences.

In the second of a two-part conversation, Joshua and Mitch continue their talk with Dan Ibarra about Schoolhaus, which is a new model of non-traditional design education that Dan co-founded in Minneapolis.

In the first of a two-part conversation, Joshua and Mitch talk with Dan Ibarra from Aesthetic Apparatus about Schoolhaus, which is a new model of non-traditional design education that Dan co-founded in Minneapolis.

Mitch is joined by returning guest Nancy Bernardo to talk with designer and educator Elliott Earls. Elliott is the head of the 2D MFA program at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. In addition to an examination of why the Cranbrook experience is unique among graduate programs, we talk about critique methods, graduate versus undergraduate education, the problem with computers, and why making good work is so damn hard.

Mitch and Joshua are joined by designer and educator Nancy Bernardo for a talk about bullshit. We discuss the value (or not) of bullshit, post-facto rationalization, and consider what would happen if designers were not allowed to bullshit about their work.

Mitch and Joshua welcome back design critic Chappell Ellison for a talk about feedback, groupthink, and why designers need to learn to accept criticism. We also have a group therapy session about the pitfalls of Twitter, social media, and opinions.