We are pleased to announce that even more of our graduating MFA students have accepted faculty and consultancy positions.
Aaron Huffmann, Graphic Design, MFA 2011
Aaron Huffman will soon be joining the faculty at his alma mater, Cedarville University, as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design. His additions to their program include professional experience in branding and recruitment as well as graduate and teaching experience from his studies here at Notre Dame. “I have learned so much about teaching from professors Robert Sedlack and Ingrid Hess. Their approaches have significantly impacted my own personal teaching style.” He hopes to teach his students “to design purposefully and strategically, moving beyond the mere application of visual style to a project. Instead, students will learn to implement design-thinking and the graphic design process to create meaningful and effective visual communication.” New perspectives gathered from both his graduate and professional experiences will complement the strengths of Cedarville’s design program.
Charlotte Lux, Industrial Design, MFA 2011
After graduation, MFA candidate Charlotte Lux plans to join a Chicago-based consultancy, IA Collaborative, where she had the opportunity to intern last summer. “I look forward to contributing to their user-driven design approach,” says Charlotte. This approach is based on qualitative research that investigates the needs of users, such as medical patients or symphony ticket purchasers, and aims to blend those needs with the goals of the client, such as a medical equipment manufacturer or an online symphony ticketing site. Her MFA thesis project centered on the experiences women face when undergoing diagnostic breast procedures. Read more (link: http://artdept.nd.edu/news/18533). Now she hopes to draw upon and further develop what she has learned from her thesis.
Describing herself as “a hybrid designer-researcher,” Charlotte believes this company provides the perfect environment, bringing researchers and designers together as a team working toward a common goal. While studying at Notre Dame, she has had opportunities to work collaboratively "...with students and faculty from various departments across campus including business, engineering, psychology, architecture and design.”
Lux also shares that working with Notre Dame's industrial design faculty has been invaluable in her development as a designer because of the expertise they have in the field. “Working with Ann-Marie Conrado—who has extensive experience in healthcare design research—on my thesis project has helped me to refine my design approach, with an emphasis on research and design strategy.” Professor Conrado’s background in anthropology and its practice of ethnographic research helped Lux to effectively utilize methods of ethnography in her design project.