Jessica Helfand and Michael Bierut, writers, graphic designers, and co-founders of Design Observer, will join the Yale School of Management as faculty in design this summer.
In 2003, Helfand and Bierut worked with writer Rick Poynor and author and designer William Drenttel to establish Design Observer, a website with news, features, and essays on design, urbanism, innovation and pop culture.
Helfand and Bierut believe that a quality faculty, solid curriculum, and involvement in the 28-school Global Network for Advanced Management will allow the Yale School of Management to introduce and integrate design across its programs.
“At SOM, we will approach it as one might a second language, introducing theory and practice, defining visual grammar, reframing expression, construction, and craft,” Helfand and Bierut wrote on Design Observer. “Can we move beyond the clichés of whiteboards and Magic Markers, away from Post-It notes and buzzwords, and past the overused promises of ‘design thinking’ to define new ways of exploring the value that design can bring to business—and to a larger world? We think so—and SOM does, too.”
Helfand graduated from Yale with Master of Fine Arts and has taught at the university since 1994. She has written books on subjects like graphic designer Paul Rand and the information wheel. Her book on scrapbooks, titled Scrapbooks: An American History, was named the best visual book of 2008 by The New York Times.
Bierut, a partner with Pentagram, the world’s largest independent design consultancy, is a Senior Critic in Graphic Design at the Yale School of Art. With Pentagram, he has led identity and branding strategies for companies like Benetton, Verizon, and the New York Jets, and his work has been added to permanent collections at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
Related Stories
| Feb 17, 2012
MacInnis joins Gilbane board of directors
MacInnis is the chairman and recently retired CEO of Connecticut-based EMCOR Group, Inc.
| Feb 16, 2012
Gain greater agility and profitability with ArchiCAD BIM software
White paper was written with the sole purpose of providing accurate, reliable information about critical issues related to BIM and what ArchiCAD with advanced technology such as the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server provide as an answer to address these issues.
| Feb 16, 2012
TLC Engineering for Architecture opens Chattanooga office
TLC Engineering for Architecture provides mechanical, electrical, structural, plumbing, fire protection, communication, technology, LEED, commissioning and energy auditing services.
| Feb 16, 2012
Summit Design + Build begins build-out for Emmi Solutions in Chicago
The new headquarters will total 20,455 sq. ft. and feature a loft-style space with exposed masonry and mechanical systems, 15 foot clear ceilings, two large rooftop skylights and private offices with full glass partition walls.
| Feb 16, 2012
Highland named president of McCarthy Building Companies’ California region
Highland moved into this new role in January 2012 following a six-month transition period with Carter Chappell, the company’s former president, California region.
| Feb 16, 2012
Big-box retailers not just for DIYers
Nearly half of all contractor purchases made from stores like Home Depot and Lowe's.
| Feb 16, 2012
4.8-megawatt solar power system completed at Jersey Gardens Mall
Solar array among the largest rooftop systems in North America.
| Feb 15, 2012
Fourth-generation Ryan to lead Ryan Companies AE team
Ryan leads a team of eight architects, four civil engineers, two landscape architects and two virtual building specialists in their efforts to realize their customer’s vision and needs through Ryan’s integrated project delivery system.
| Feb 15, 2012
NAHB sees gradual improvement in multifamily sales for boomers
However, since the conditions of the current overall housing market are limiting their ability to sell their existing homes, this market is not recovering as quickly as might have been expected.
| Feb 15, 2012
Skanska secures $87M contract for subway project
The construction value of the project is $261.9 M. Skanska will include its full share, $87 M, in the bookings for Skanska USA Civil for the first quarter 2012.
