Participants

Bram Boot

After having finished my studies in geo informatics (cartography) I decided to pursue studies at the Utrecht School of Arts. As a student of interaction design I became very interested in all aspects of design that determine the behaviour of the users. The presentation of information is one of the major aspects, which, in my opinion, makes it a very important issue. Besides that I am very interested in psychology and visualising information. Participating in the idX exchange programme gives me the opportunity to broaden my mind. Studying in Detroit for a couple of months has been a very good experience and certainly has enhanced my appreciation of life. Seems to me only more good things are going to happen.

Brittany Budil

I am currently studying at the Free University of Bozen/Bolzano in Italy this summer semester for the IIID Exchange. In the fall of 2005 I will return to my home institution, the University of Idaho - USA, where I will finish my fourth and final year for my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with an emphasis in both graphic design and interface design. I have become quite interested in the field of information design over the past year and may consider working in that area after graduation.

Anna-Carin Carnebro

I am a third year Swedish student of Information Design at Mälardalens University, Eskilstuna, Sweden. I spent the last semester at the University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA, under the idX exchange programme. For many reasons it was one of the greatest experiences in my life. I have always had a genuine interest in information design, but now the interest has deepened and I have discovered additional areas of information design I was not aware of before. I am very curious about how many other areas the Summer Academy will reveal. My personal aspirations are to get to know more people that share tmy interests, being in an international atmosphere and working all together on an interesting project. Seeing information design from different angles and what it actually can be like in real life, not only what we are taught in school. As well as getting ideas on what to base my upcoming thesis on.

Lesley Fleishman

Lesley Fleishman is a freelance graphic designer in New York, working mainly with Estee Lauder and similar beauty industry clients. She graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2001, receiving a BFA in Visual Communications and minors in Art History and Business. She is doing her best to achieve a well-rounded and solid foundation in design, working in branding, packaging, merchandising, and web, and to make alliances with many talented individuals along the way. Because she feels the limitations in her design experience she is constantly trying to challenge and expand her creative process. The IIID/AIGA Summer Academy will be a great opportunity to do just that, and she believes it has the potential to be a place for collaboration, exchange, and remarkable discovery among a diverse group of people.

Rein Groot

I am currently a student of interaction design at Utrecht School of Arts. I finished my third year and hope to round off my studies next year and to start designing some cool stuff and earning money :). Previously to interaction design I completed studies in multimedia design. Because predominantly I became skilled in using tools such as Dreamweaver and Photoshop, but did not learn very much about design, I decided to continue my studies. Next to my studies, together with a friend I am a freelance web designer. In my leisure time I read books in philosophy, psychology, globalisation and world politics. I did not make plans for the time after my studies already, but up to now all choices I had made served only to ferry me to the right places and in favourable situations. So I will keep on going with the flow and watch out for opportunities.
http://www.reingroot.nl/

Tugcan Güler

I have been working as a designer for almost seven years. My professional life started with school projects and part time jobs. It continued as an art director in advertising agencies and led me to the academic environment, which helped me to find my style and to build on this strong foundation. Currently I am writing on my PhD thesis on information graphics. My desire is to become a university teacher later. I have produced many works during my career as a graphic designer. It became evident to me that in these works which were mostly commercial- my personal style was evident in nearly all of them. No matter how different the circumstances, the way of looking at things remained the same. For me, the most important issue of design is the value of details in my work. Representing graphic works that make information understandable to the general public without making unnecessary aesthetic sacrifices suits my style perfectly well. In this respect, I have come to understand that information graphics are ideal for my line of work in general. Information graphics is a relatively new area in Turkey. Deepening my studies, meeting colleagues from this field and working in a team, this is why I take part in the summer academy. My contribution to information graphics could be to cover both experimental and functional works which result from the interaction with the group.
Downloads/Guler-Portfolio-6MByte.pdf

Robert Guyser

My name is Robert Guyser. My first artistic revelations probably occurred with the aid of photosensitive shadowgram paper in the backyard of my childhood home in Phoenix, Arizona. My family has since moved to Chicago, where starting with an art & communications themed BBS system in 1995 I have been involved in digital graphics and online visual culture for the last 10
years. Residing in a large industrial building that also houses the self-engineered equipment I use to create interactive artwork as well as handmade silk printed posters, my work often involves unusual materials, processes, concepts, or execution. I attend undergraduate Industrial Design School at Columbia College of Art & Design and hope to find a home at the crossroads of design and art object creation. In addition to visual arts, I have been involved in several Chicago music projects and continue to create music and sound art. I have also contributed art & design criticism to a number of Chicago art, music, and culture fanzines.
http://www.clockworkchicago.com/robert.htm

Amanda Hogg

Amanda Hogg is a senior at Columbia College in Chicago, Illinois. She studies graphic design and has recently become interested in the field of information design. After graduating from Columbia next spring, Amanda plans on working as a designer in Chicago and eventually going back to school to earn a Masters Degree in Information
Design. In her free time, Amanda likes reading, crossword puzzles, metal work, snowboarding, dancing and singing karaoke. She's enjoying her time in Bolzano, Italy, and looks forward to collaborating with the other exchange students in July.

Sofia Jonsson

I am 24 years old and come from Sweden where I live in a town called Västerås, which is situated one hour west from Stockholm. After having studied humanities for three years, I started to study Text Design at Mälardalen University, where I am currently studying. I have always been interested in words, writing and graphic design so text design was for me the ultimate choice.
After completing my second year at Mälardalen University I took a one-year-break and went to London to work as an au-pair and I continued my studies in text design at Mälardalen University afterwards. The semester at University of Idaho under the idX Exchange Programme was one of the best experiences in my life. Besides that I was abroad and met a lot of nice people it was interesting to learn more about other approaches to information design.
Right now I only have my thesis left to do before I get my degree in text design. I have not yet decided what to write about and I hope to get some more ideas in Bolzano in July.
I like travelling and take every opportunity to do so. One of my favourite places is London and I go there whenever I can. I love all the things you can do there, the people and the pulse. I also like having a busy schedule and therefore I think that London is the perfect place to be. There is always something to do there. Since I like travelling I would really like to do my thesis somewhere abroad as well, maybe in London.

Kathryn Koozer

Kathryn Koozer has a background in fine arts and design. She has worked with website coding, info design, interaction design, and graphic design.
Originally from Idaho she comes from a small town and attends University of Idaho in an even smaller town. She has an affinity for all things living and is fond of hiking and photography.

Nathan J. Manire

Nathan began creating art at a very young age. Beginning with simple still lives at the age of 9 his talent was easily recognizable. He later advanced to creating more complex drawings and paintings. Upon his introduction to the computer he became interested in Graphic Design, while still maintaining his drawing/painting skills. Currently he is a student at Wayne State University studying for a Bachelors degree in Fine Arts, with a concentration in Graphic Design. In the future Nathan plans to work in the Design field and increase his portfolio, while influencing the public through his designs.

Philip Neufeldt

My home university is the Free University of Bolzano in Italy. I am French and German by nationality and grew up in Munich. I have finished my semester at the Columbia College Chicago and enjoyed this exchange for multiple reasons. Being in my second year of studies I thought this exchange came in the right time to experience something new and Chicago was a great place for it! The unique urban atmosphere, the vibe and the diversity of the people, in combination with all my classes I have taken here, deepened my understanding in communication and information design. My courses covered most of my passions being film, graphic design, photography and newly web design. Regarding the summer academy I look forward to meet new people sharing the same interests in "meaningful" design, through which we hopefully will be able to help the people from Cape Verde.

Prof. Angela Norwood

I am an Assistant Professor of Design at York University in Toronto. Originally from the US, I worked as a graphic designer for several years in firms in Chicago and North Carolina before earning my master's degree at North Carolina State University. In addition to teaching Information Design courses here at York, my focus is on the changing nature of the designer's role, in culture, business, education. I am interested in multi-disciplinary teamwork, especially as it relates to using design to address multi-faceted cultural issues. I look forward to meeting and working with everyone at the Summer Academy.

Federica Richiardone

I am a second year student at the Free University of Bolzano/Bozen in Italy and my major is graphic and industrial design. I am currently in Chicago as an exchange student at Columbia College under the idX exchange programme. I have a strong background in Foreign Languages with emphasis on Anglo-American Literature. Lately I had the possibility to explore the information design world, appreciating it and getting more involved with it. I am sure that this workshop in Bolzano will be an interesting occasion to exchange our different points of view.

Megan M. Rodzik

My name is Megan Rodzik and I am currently studying graphic design at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan USA. I have been in the program there for 3 years now and Im very lucky to have some really knowledgeable, encouraging teachers. We focus mainly on graphic design in printed media.
I was also able to spend five months studying in Holland. While there, I participated in the idX exchange program for Information Design. I am very proud and honored to be included in the first group of Information Design students. I look forward to the Summer Academy in Italy where I will be able to further my education and experience in that field.

Abigail Smith

My interest in information design started late in my undergraduate program at Parsons School of Design, where I earned a communication design degree with a concentration in information design. After graduation, I began "virtual volunteer" web design work for an NGO in Lusaka, Zambia. Upon developing a relationship with the director of the Non-Profit, I realized there was so much a designer, like myself, could do to breach the digital divide.
And I also realized how much more there still is to learn! I am hoping that this summer's academy will help improve my skills while at the same time profiting the citizens of Cape Verde.
http://www.abigailsmith.net/

Asim Evren Yantac

I have been working as a freelance designer for the last seven years. Graduating from the Interactive Media Design Programme of Yildiz Technical University, I started my master degree studies under the Art and Design Programme of the same university. During my education, I worked as a junior art director at the advertising agency Pars/McCann-Erickson for one year. Realizing that I need a lot more things to read and research, I quit working and accepted the offer of the position as research assistant under the Interactive Media Design Programme . Currently I am working on my thesis on "Helping creativity in sound design for interactive media design".
http://www.siyah.net/evren/