KU Design Symposium Lecture Series
For nearly 40 years, the KU Design Symposium 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.
Spring 2023 Schedule
Lectures begin at 6:00pm and are free and open to the public either in person in Budig Hall, 130 or online via Zoom: LINK / passcode: 214530
February 2
Hallmark Designer Panel | Budig 130
This panel discussion with designers from Hallmark’s global headquarters in Kansas City will provide insights about what it is like to be a creative professional at one of the nation’s most iconic companies. Hallmark, which began as a one-person greeting card business in the early 20th century, is now a multifaceted media, retail, and manufacturing company employing more than 20,000 employees around the world.
February 16
Janelle "Longanisa" Quibuyen | Online
Janelle "Longanisa" Quibuyen is a Filipini-American graphic designer and artist. Her most recent work has been in the digital realm, strategizing and designing social media campaigns that transform complex ideas into digestible content and compelling stories that build and mobilize online communities.
March 2
Donny Rausch | Online
Donny Rausch is an animator, visual effects artist, and KU alum. After completing several award-winning animation shorts, he was recruited to work as a paint artist on The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since then, Rausch has worked on feature films such as Spider Man 2, Alice in Wonderland, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and many others. In 2016, his work on the bear attack sequence in the Academy Award-winning film, The Revenant, was awarded by the Visual Effects Society.
March 23
Pixy Liao | Online
Pixy Liao is a multidisciplinary Chinese artist based in New York City. Born and raised in Shanghai, Liao’s work explores the fluidity, tensions, and persistence of cultural norms. Liao has participated in exhibitions internationally, including at Fotografiska, Rencontres d’Arles, Asia Society, the National Gallery of Australia, and many other others.
April 6
Gabriele Fumero | Budig 130
Gabriele Fumero is a graphic and type designer for the Associazione Archivio Tipografico, an organization focused on the preservation, study, and the practice of typographic arts in Torino, Italy. Fumero is one of five designers practicing within Archivio Tipografico’s in-house design collective, Studio 23.56. The studio has worked with clients that include A24, Apple TV, Gabriela Hearst, Marc Jacobs, and Taschen Books.
April 20
Jason Decker | Budig 130
Jason Decker is an industrial design manager at Textron Aviation. A graduate of the KU Industrial Design program, he entered the aviation design field with extensive experience in graphic and illustration work and then developed into a leading designer in the industry. A recipient of a 2022 Business Aviation Top 40 Under 40 Award for Innovation, Decker now leads multidisciplinary teams of design specialists for the global aviation company.
May 4
Shawn Brackbill | Budig 130
Shawn Brackbill is a photographer and director who has worked with some of the most iconic publications, brands, and artists in the world. His extensive portfolio includes editorial, fashion, and promotional projects for a range of clients that include publications such as ESPN, The New York Times, and Vogue, and brands such as Burberry, NIKE, and Oscar de la Renta. He has captured portraits of musicians ranging from Earl Sweatshirt to Elvis Costello to St. Vincent.