Join designer Kelly Walters, author of the new book Black, Brown + Latinx Design Educators: Conversations on Design and Race, alongside design educators David Jon Walker and Shantanu Suman as they discuss the intersection of language, politics and typography in their design practice.

In this panel discussion, Kelly will share highlights from the interviews in her new book, and engage in a critical dialogue with contributors Shantanu and David about how handwritten calligraphy has the power to express necessary political truths and how Indian culture can be explored through Devanagari.

Together they will share where they find inspiration and how they have navigated the design industry.

David Jon Walker is a Graphic Designer and Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee. He is also principal of Rhealistic Design, a design consultancy that is active locally and nationally. As a sought-after Black creative, Walker works with national political candidates, PACs, large non-profits, governmental entities, and varying businesses lending his talents to their marketing efforts to increase awareness and further campaigns. He examines social cues and the historical past to shape the aesthetic of his visual voice for personal lettering projects.

Shantanu Suman is an Assistant Professor of Visual Communication at Ball State University, in Muncie, Indiana. In a career spanning over seventeen years, Shantanu has worked in India and the United States as an art director, graphic designer, documentary filmmaker, and design educator. Shantanu constantly draws inspiration from his Indian roots and uses Hindi typography within his work to make Devanagari script relevant in the current design discourse.

Kelly Walters is an Assistant Professor and the Associate Director of the BFA Communication Design program in Parsons School of Design at The New School. In her independent design studio Bright Polka Dot, she works across platforms to create publications, exhibitions, and digital experiences for educational and cultural institutions. Her ongoing design research interrogates the complexities of identity, systems of value, and shared vernacular in and around Black visual culture.

TDC Members get free access to this event! Contact director@tdc.org to receive a free access code.