Design Criticism

Between 2016 and 2020 Brian’s writing practice was focused on design criticism. His essays were published by Design Observer and AIGA’s Eye on Design. Beginning in the Fall of 2019 Brian began teaching a course on critical writing for the Electronic Design and Multimedia program in the art department at The City College of New York. He continues to teach this course every Fall and Spring semester—it is part of the department’s core curriculum.

Prior to this period his writing practice was focued on conceptual poetry. Following this period his writing practice shifted from design criticism to fiction. 

ESSAYS
▸ The Role of Letterforms in Reading Instruction
▸ Reaching for Resilience in the Time of Covid-19
▸ Why it Matters to Me if Designers Read and Write
▸ The Tension Between Graphic and Type Design
▸ Should Book Publishing Leave New York City?
▸ Undesigning Our Identity
▸ The Fear on Both Sides of a Design Pitch
▸ Voting ≠ Hoping
▸ Questioning Graphic Design’s Ethicality
▸ Remembering Russ D’Anna
▸ The Wandering Center of Our Attention
▸ The Shape of a Design Mentorship
▸ Fail Fast, Hasten Slowly
▸ The Architecture of Graphic Design’s Discourse
▸ How We Read Matters
▸ De-specializing Design Education
▸ Privilege-Centered Design
▸ Empathy in Book Publishing
▸ Design as a Third Area of General Education
▸ Graphic Design is a Literary​ Discipline
▸ How The Title “Art Director” Limits the Role of Design in Publishing
▸ The Tales Behind the Branding of 32 Storied Book Publishers