AFA | Design Talks: Dr. Cheryl D. Miller in partnership with AIGA Austin

Graphic designer, educator and author Cheryl D. Miller aims to end the marginalization of BIPOC designers through her civil rights activism, industry exposé trade writing, rigorous research and archival vision. A nationally recognized advocate for equity and inclusion in graphic design and founder of the NYC social impact design firm Cheryl D. Miller Design, Inc. She currently serves as Professor of DEI in communication design at Art Center College of Design, Distinguished Senior Lecturer in design at the University of Texas–Austin (where she was the 2021 E.W. Doty fellow) and adjunct professor at Howard University and University of Connecticut. In 2021 she was an AIGA Medalist “Expanding Access,” a Cooper Hewitt “Design Visionary” awardee and an Honorary IBM Design Scholar, “Eminent Luminary.” She is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Vermont College of Fine Arts and the President’s Global Advisory Board of Maryland Institute College of Art. She completed Freshman Foundation studies at The Rhode Island School of Design. She earned a BFA in Graphic Design from Maryland Institute College of Art, an MS in Communications Design from Pratt Institute, an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary and an honorary degree in Humane Letters from Vermont College of Fine Arts, Doctor of Fine Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art, the Rhode Island School of Design and The Pratt Institute. Her essays appear in PRINT and Communication Arts, and her D&I-related professional research is archived in the Cheryl D. Miller Collection at Stanford University and Herb Lubalin Study Center, Cooper Union.

American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is the professional association for design. We connect our creative community through programming that inspires, educates, and advocates for design. AIGA advances design as a professional craft, strategic advantage, and vital cultural force. As the largest community of design advocates in the United States, we bring together practitioners, enthusiasts, and patrons to amplify the voice of design and create the vision for a collective future. We define global standards and ethical practices, guide design education, enhance professional development, and make powerful tools and resources accessible to all. 

Design Talks is presented by the Austin Foundation for Architecture in collaboration with a new design organization each month.