Graphic Design Alumnx Talk

Ray Masaki (GD ‘23) is a Japanese-American graphic designer, writer, and educator based in Tokyo, Japan. He studied illustration at Parsons School of Design, type design at The Cooper Union, and received an MFA in graphic design from the Vermont College of Fine Arts. He runs his own studio practice, RAN, and teaches at the Professional Institute of International Fashion in Shinjuku, Tokyo. He resides in the Shibuya neighborhood with his wife Lindsay and black labrador Konbu.

Robyn Lindquist (GD ‘22) is an artist, graphic designer, and AI creative researcher, graduating from VCFA in the spring of 2022 with a Master’s degree in Graphic Design.

Her thesis research delved into the programmable aspects of humans and computers, exploring the concept of the “hackable human,” human-computer relationships, free will, and the interplay of human genetics, suffering, creativity, and technology. Ultimately, she peeled back many layers in considering the role humans play in shaping a world where technology is winning the evolutionary race.

In her current body of work she explores meaning and making within the symbiotic relationship between artificial intelligence and human creativity. She is illustrating this collaboration by crafting a series of ceramic sculptures, initially conceived in Midjourney, and subsequently being brought to life through the touch of human hands. During this process she enjoys the challenge of replication as well as the conversations around AI that arise in the ceramic studio where she works.

Segun Olude (GD ‘14), CDP is an experienced graphic design professional with a track record of creating personal, professional, business, and institutional brands and identities. He has designed various communication materials, including magazines, books, postage stamps, emergency-relief communication materials for international non-governmental organisations (I-NGOs), and various collateral materials.

Apart from his current professional design practice, ’Segun’s dossier as a sessional university instructor includes curriculum development and teaching subjects such as Graphic Design Studio, History of Visual Communication, and Design Theory and Criticism. To help build capacity, he conducts self-initiated professional design seminars at universities, polytechnics, and public venues throughout Nigeria to help fill knowledge gaps, improve design capacity, and help decolonise design thinking and production.

Since his MFA at VCFA, ‘Segun has become even more involved in various community initiatives around Canada. He helps empower BIPOC designers through education and educates general audiences about human rights, decolonisation, and indigenous Yoruba knowledge systems. He spoke eloquently in support of the Emancipation Day Bill, passed unanimously in the Manitoba Legislative Assembly, and followed up with a storytelling performance that received a standing ovation at the Museum for Human Rights in August 2022. (He credits his new-found confidence to the support received as a student at VCFA).