DESIGN WRITING AND RESEARCH SUMMER INTENSIVE
June 3-14
2 undergraduate studio credits, $2,000

As publishing outlets proliferate and design's social and environmental implications become more profound, it is more important than ever to write about design engagingly and intelligently. 

SVA's MFA program in Design Criticism is pleased to announce a design writing summer intensive aimed at those who would like to refine their skills as thinkers, researchers and storytellers. For practicing designers, this is a chance to examine the profession and its impact through projects, articles and blog posts. Clear thinking, deep research and engaging expression are vital skills in a contemporary designer's toolkit. For journalists and writers, this program offers methods and insights for understanding and writing compellingly about images, objects and spaces. 

A range of writing genres and imaginative approaches will be introduced. Working individually and in small groups, participants will experiment with essential techniques such as interviewing, archive research, close observation, analysis and critique, and then develop and finesse several projects. In addition to personal work, the development and execution of a team project will be undertaken. 

In addition to a robust daily schedule of seminars, lectures and field trips, each participant will have a workstation in SVA's beautiful light-filled D-Crit studio in New York's Chelsea district, and 24-hour access to department resources, including its extensive library. 

The intensive offers students and working professionals a unique opportunity to study closely with a faculty composed of leading writers, editors and bloggers. Lectures and field trips to New York sites and studios allow participants to directly interact with prominent designers, architects and urban planners. 

By the end of the program, participants will have completed several pieces of writing, formulated ideas for stories and garnered a robust set of tools and approaches for writing authoritatively and imaginatively about design.

Faculty and lecturers will include Steven Heller, Karrie Jacobs, Jennifer Kabat, Adam Harrison Levy, Alice Twemlow, Rob Walker, Mimi Zeiger. Studio visits will include: Anni Kuan, Mary Ping, Chris Streng, Zero + Maria Cornejo, Pentagram (Emily Oberman). 

PREREQUISITE: Participants must have a four-year undergraduate degree. NOTE: Samples of published or unpublished writing (such as essays, blog posts or articles) about design, architecture or related subjects are required for review and acceptance to this program.

For further information or questions regarding SVA's Summer Residencies contact:

Keren Moscovitch
Assistant Director, Special Programs
Division of Continuing Education
Tel: 212-592-2188
E-mail: kmoscovitch@sva.edu