KU Design Professional Lecture Series
For over 40 years, the KU Design Professional Lecture Series (formerly Hallmark Symposium) has enriched educational experiences by introducing KU students to designers and artists working in a wide range of disciplines and professional fields.
Fall 2025 Schedule
Lectures begin at 6 p.m. in 3140 Wescoe Hall on the KU Lawrence campus, except where stated otherwise. Events are free and open to the public.
August 21
Tad Carpenter is a designer, illustrator, author and founding partner of Carpenter Collective, a Kansas City, Missouri-based graphic design and branding studio. Carpenter has illustrated over twenty children's books and designed over 200 gig posters for musicians, bands and tours. He is passionate about personal projects such as his weekly SUNday Suns and Made in the Middle. In 2017, he was named a Graphic Designer to watch by GDUSA.
September 4
Jeff Breazeale is a designer, brand strategist and founding partner at The Matchbox Studio. He has worked for over 25 years helping clients identify brand opportunities and develop creative solutions. At The Matchbook Studio, Breazeale has led teams developing work for clients that include American Airlines, Dallas Museum of Art, FedEx, Fossil, Neenah Paper, The State Fair of Texas, and dozens more. In 2020, Breazeale launched MBX Real Estate Creative, a sister-agency to Matchbox dedicated to multi-family residential branding.
Septemper 18
Aggie Toppins is a graphic designer, collagist and scholar who thinks about where graphics come from, what they do, and how they change over time. She combines a studio background with humanities methods to explore meaning making in visual and material culture. Her book Thinking Through Graphic Design History: Challenging the Canon (Bloomsbury, 2025) surveys the terrain where historical research and visual communication meet. The project challenges traditional understandings of graphic design history, offering ways for designers to shape socially engaged, critical practices.
October 2
Adam Henry is an animator, writer and producer with over 20 years of experience working in film and television. Beginning his career at Warner Brothers as an animator on the critically-acclaimed feature film, Iron Giant, Henry went on to serve a variety of roles – including storyboard artist, producer, and showrunner – at Disney (Penn Zero, Tinkerbell Movie), Dreamworks (She Ra, Jurassic Park), Nickelodeon (Kung Fu Panda, The Loud House, Ni Hao Kailan, Random Cartoons, Robot Monster) and Netflix (Dogs in Space).
October 23
Jeremy Vickery is an artist specializing in light and color who works in film, television and video games. Credits include Assassins Creed, Brave, Cars, Fallout, The Incredibles, Inside Out, Ratatouille, Wall-E, Westworld, Uncharted and many more. Committed to demystifying the art and science of storytelling and visual communication, Vickery founded Lighting Mentor, a company that provides educational courses, workshops, and apprenticeship programs to students and other artists seeking to enhance their skills.
Virtual Lecture | Zoom
Meeting ID: 874 3230 7884 | Passcode: 0000
November 6
Wesley Bedrosian is an illustrator and art director whose editorial illustrations have appeared in numerous publications, including The Boston Globe, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Magazine, The New York Times, Scientific American, Vanity Fair and The Wall Street Journal. He has taught and lectured at Parsons School of Design, Pratt Institute and The School of Visual Arts.
November 20
Titus Smith is a seasoned UI/UX designer and the founder of The Hideout®, a design consultancy based in the Vinland valley outside Lawrence, Kansas. His extensive professional journey includes foundational experience in fast-paced environments like ESPN and key roles within the advertising industry, establishing a robust background in design strategy and execution. Currently, he leverages this real-world history to shape the next generation of talent as a design instructor at KU, while simultaneously leading The Hideout® in delivering impactful, user-centered solutions for clients.