Intent/Content

May 31–June 2, 2007
Nashville, TN

Conference committee (representing all four Tennessee AIGA chapters: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville): Lucas Charles, Todd Duren, Seth Johnson, Noel Lorson, Wade Lough, Sarah Lowe, Deborah Shmerler, Val Sloan, Cary Staples and Rebecca Targ

Join graphic design educators and graduate students from across the country to examine preparing future designers for professional practice and scholarship.

Intent/Content creates, fosters, and promotes dialog in design practice, teaching, theory, and writing. Participants will present current research and teaching methods in papers, panels, and exhibits. The aim is to raise the level of design-driven thinking in schools in the Southeast and across the country.

We also endeavor to establish and reaffirm standards for design education. Educators will discuss and compare curricula in core courses, design fundamentals, conceptualization and ideation, digital techniques, studio sequences, portfolio development, and graduate studies.

The core content of our conference is divided into four categories : discovery, integration, application, and teaching. Discovery as the pursuit of new knowledge which is created through investigation and inquiry. Integration as the synthesis of advancing knowledge coming from design and other disciplines. Application as speculation about how the new knowledge might be deployed within the social issues of our times. Teaching as conveying the new knowledge in innovative ways. Through paper presentations, breakout sessions, and poster displays the intent of design education scholarship will be further explored.

Join fellow faculty and graduate students to help establish flexible but common standards for faculty promotion and tenure. What really constitutes design research? We'll look at several examples and definitions, see innovative new design projects, hear noted speakers and panels, participate in roundtable discussions, and get to know our peers.

Intent/Content website

For more information contact Deborah Shmerler dshmerle@utk.edu.