A couple weeks ago, we answered a phone call from Jennifer McHughs, an UMN alum, who was interested in viewing our complete set of the Émigré magazines. Émigré is a unique and cutting-edge San Francisco publication which published 69 issues from 1984 to 2005, under art directors Rudy Vanderlands and Zuzana Licko.

Jennifer wrote about her visit to GMD:

"On a recent visit to Minneapolis I was searching for information on design activities in the Twin Cities area. One thing led to another and I discovered the Émigré Magazine Index housed at the Goldstein Museum of Design. What luck! After contacting the Museum staff, they arranged for a visit to their collections library. I invited a friend to join me, who works in the field of interior design and textiles production, and we enjoyed this interesting afternoon together.

"Kathleen Campbell and Sharlene Balik gave us an introduction to the library with an explanation of its collection, history, and proper handling procedures of the materials in conservation. We were able to browse through the entire collection of Émigré graphic design magazines, taking notes and asking questions. In particular, this has been useful for my research on the archiving of graphic design materials, the importance of a graphic design magazine like Émigré (which is no longer in publication) to the industry, and the significance of 'collecting' contemporary design in general.

"I greatly appreciate your swift and generous attention and thank you for a productive and thought-provoking visit. It was the highlight of my day."

We are very happy that Jennifer and her friend could visit GMD and that our collection assisted her with her studies. We encourage everyone to keep GMD in mind when doing research. Our collection of great objects could help you with your research in the future. Click here to search our collection online. If there are certain objects you would like to see in person, please contact our Assistant Curator, Jean McElvain, at 612.625.2737 or jmcelvai@umn.edu to set up a time to come and view them.

Hope to see you soon!

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Jennifer McHugh is a researcher in the history of arts, design and cultural heritage. She is a pre-doctoral student focusing on the intersection of communication through graphic design and typography and its place in contemporary cultural heritage. She has recently completed a Masters degree in Management of Cultural Heritage at the Universitat de Girona in Spain. Her previous studies include International Relations (University of Sussex) and Spanish (University of Minnesota).

In this season of political dialogue, join us for "Design and Political Communication," a lively panel discussion and reception Wednesday, October 24, at 6:00pm, 22 McNeal Hall. The exhibition "We the Designers: Reframing Political Issues in the Age of Obama" will be open in 241 McNeal until 6:30pm. Light refreshments will be served.

Above: Christopher Brand: American, b. 1985 I.O.U. 2011 Digital Print 60 x 43 in.

Politicians, journalists and pundits use language. Graphic designers use visual language. Drawing on two realms, designers unite visual and verbal content in compelling communication. In a divisive era, when words alone have not been enough, can the power of design help unite citizens on the issues? Thirty one participating contemporary graphic designers wield opinion and analysis to inform and persuade about the unique issues facing the Obama administration, among whom are College of Design Associate Professor Daniel Jasper and Professor Steven McCarthy.

Above:Timothy Goodman: American, b. 1980 OH... 2008 Photograph of marker on post-its/inkjet print 24 x 11.5 in.

The panel will consist of:

David Brauer, MinnPost local media reporter
Daniel Jasper, associate professor graphic design
Steven McCarthy, professor graphic design
Facilitator: Trevor Miller, College of Design director of external affairs (former senior aide and political & communications director for the re-election campaign of Senator Russ Feingold, D-Wisc.)

Come be a part of the discussion about how graphic design and politics are related!

This program sponsored in part by:
Graphiculture
Spunk Design Machine
Media sponsor--Radio K

It has recently become clear how difficult judging is; although we are no Project Runway, choosing one graphic design package from 18 diverse student projects is no easy task. This semester, Daniel Jasper's GDES 2351 Text and Image course worked with GMD to create marketing materials for the upcoming exhibition Quest for the World's Best Baskets. GMD supplied the students with professional images of the baskets and information about their origins and the exhibition. Each student created a poster, postcard, banner and text panel, all presented as one cohesive marketing theme from each student.

The process began with each student creating three drafts of a poster design. Each of the three designs represented a communications idea that could be applied to the other marketing materials. During a class session the students presented their three drafts, allowing GMD staff and guest curator Suzi McArdle to choose one of the three options for the student to continue working on. In a class of 18 students, and 54 draft designs, it was both exciting to see such a wide variety, and challenging to choose only one for each student. Through discussing and asking questions of each student, we were able to give them an idea of how to move forward. The students each gave a final presentation, speaking about the reasoning behind the campaign they created, followed by questions from GMD staff and McArdle.

We would like to recognize the top five students and winner: Scott Campbell, Jill Geldaker, Liz Qi, Brody Steineck, and winner Katie Moraczewski. Although the top five pieces are all very different, we were intrigued by each of their designs for different reasons. Liz's is fun and fresh, while Scott's is traditional and elegant, Jill's is colorful and detailed while Brody's is thought provoking; each of the 18 students took the time to create great designs. Ultimately we found that Katie's bold and contrasting designs had a simple and professional look that stood out from our previous marketing materials. We look forwarding to working with Jasper's classes next year, and although it is always a difficult choice, it is always a joy to see an array of designs from the students.

By Jenny Parker: Goldstein Museum of Design Graduate Assistant, MFA candidate in Graphic Design and Museum Studies

Working closely with college students is one of the many benefits of being part of the U of MN College of Design. Twice a year for the past two years, we have worked closely with Graphic Design classes as they create marketing materials for GMD exhibitions as a class project. Last fall GMD had the opportunity to work with Professor Daniel Jasper and his Graphic Design class on the marketing designs for the exhibition Character in Costume: A Jack Edwards Retrospective. Guest curators Tim Carroll and Liseli Polivka spoke with the class about the assignment and shared stories about Edwards and his life.

When asked about the experience, Carroll remarked; "Both Liseli and I found the process working with students to be exhilarating. We wanted that involvement." Both curators were anxious to see the finished designs, and Carroll found that; "The presentations all had merit. Everybody came up to the plate and brought something interesting." It was a difficult decision, not only because there were so many great designs, but because each student created two poster designs, leaving the curators to choose one from a pool of forty-four. After much debating, one of Amber Lee's posters was chosen as the winner from a pool of six semi-finalists (Cooney, Ebert, Fladmark, Geris, and Stahel).

Amber Lee's original poster design

GMD's "Wall of Fame"

By Jenny Parker
Goldstein Museum of Design Graduate Assistant, MFA candidate in Graphic Design and Museum Studies