United Kingdom
Communication Design in the United KingdomCrossing the Pond: Communication Design in the United Kingdom
Leaders: Elizabeth Resnick and Leland Burke
Travel dates: February 26 - March 14, 2010 (Spring Break and week prior)
Departments: Animation, Graphic Design, Illustration
The UK is recognized internationally for cutting edge and innovative communication design: illustration, design, advertising, motion graphics and animation. The hub of much of this activity is located in London, one of the greatest cities in the world for art, design, music, theatre, sports, shopping and a host of other activities. London is home to writers, politicians, artists, musicians, designers and over 7 million people with communities from every corner of the earth - it has a unique mixture of history and avant-garde culture.
Scotland, with its own proud history and traditions, centers itself in the vibrant cities of Edinburgh and Glasgow. Sampling both London's global sense, and Scotland's distinct identity, provides a glimpse into what feeds the creative identity of the British Isles.
This course will investigate all areas of communication design as they give shape, form, and content to contemporary British culture. The course will meet on Fridays 9:00 a.m. - noon and we will travel to London and Scotland February 26 - March 14, 2010. During the visit we will engage in conversations with design consultancies and smaller studios, illustration collectives and independent illustrators, and animators with visits to animation studios/facilities.
Elizabeth Resnick, Professor of Graphic Design, holds both a B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. She serves on the Board of Directors of the AIGA Boston chapter and has organized numerous graphic design lectures and events over the past 15 years including three large exhibitions: russell mills: within/without (1991) with Teresa Flavin; Dutch Graphic Design: 1918-1945 (1994) with Alston W. Purvis; and Makoto Saito: Art of the Poster (1999) with Jan Kubasiewicz.; The Graphic Imperative (2007) with Chaz Maviyane-Davies. Her book publications include design for communication: conceptual graphic design basics for John Wiley & Sons Publishers (2003) and Graphic Design: A Problem-Solving Approach to Visual Communication for Prentice-Hall Publications (1984). Elizabeth also writes short critical commentaries and event reviews, and has published interviews with prominent designers and design educators in EYE (England), AIGA Journal of Graphic Design (USA), Graphics International (England), tipoGra¬ca (Argentina) and IDEA (Japan). Liz has led similar travel courses to the UK in 1990, 2005 and 2007.
Leland Burke, Associate Professor of Animation, holds a B.F.A. from the University of Georgia, and an M.F.A. with Honors from the Rhode Island School of Design. Prior to teaching at MassArt, Leland worked in graphic design, illustration, and animation for a wide range of international clients. Some of these include NBC, MTV, Nickelodeon, The New York Times, Vogue, IBM, Coca Cola and others. Leland's work in all 3 fields of communication design has received recognition in design, advertising and illustration annuals along with multiple screenings at international film festivals. In 2001, Leland began the animation department at MassArt. In 2008, it was recognized as one of only two undergraduate programs of highest international standing by the prestigious Ottawa International Animation Festival. It remains the youngest US animation program to be recognized in this manner. Leland initiated and organizes an annual weeklong trip to attend the festival in Canada for over 60 students each fall. Along with his duties at MassArt, Leland serves as visiting lecturer of animation at the University of Pennsylvania.