CUP’s core staff supports the organization from day to day, but CUP projects are designed and implemented by teams of artists, designers, educators, activists, and researchers.
Aamina Ganser is a designer based in New York. Her work includes publications, branding and identities, environmental, posters and art direction for clients ranging from independent artists, to brands, urban & public spaces, publishers and educational institutions.
Aamina was raised in the suburbs of Orange County, and researched in Tanzania, Story Coached with The Moth’s Community Outreach program, led arts education workshops in museums and organized one of New York’s City’s largest art fairs at the Park Avenue Armory.
She received a BA in World Arts & Cultures from UCLA, and an MFA in Graphic Design from CalArts.
closeLeah Garlock is a visual and interactive designer with an insatiable curiosity for other cultures. In May 2016, she graduated from Syracuse University’s VPA Communications Design and Newhouse Photography programs. During her studies, Leah received a grant to explore the cross-cultural identities of Korean American Adoptees, producing a short documentary and multimedia exhibit from her research. She employs an empathy-driven design process where she’s had the opportunities to serve on a wide range of socially conscious design projects. In her free time, Leah can be found hiking the trails of the Adirondacks, fueling her love of coffee, traveling, and reading good books.
closeIsaac Gertman is principal of The Independent Group (US), a multi-disciplinary design practice that collaborates with diverse individuals, organizations, and commercial clients to create distinctive work that establishes meaningful, lasting connections with audiences. In addition, Isaac is among the fulltime faculty at Maryland Institute College of Art and is the Design Fellow at The Wassaic Project, in New York. Isaac’s work has been recognized by the AIGA and Society of Publication Designers. Isaac earned an MFA at the Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art.
closeLaura Giraudo is an Art Director and Graphic Designer from Argentina, living and working in NYC.Born in Tucumán, she majored as Graphic Designer at the Universidad de Buenos Aires, where she also taught the subjects Typography, Editorial and Graphic Design. After finishing her studies she established her own studio and then moved to Milan, Italy to complete a Visual Design Master Course at the Scuola Politecnica di Design (SPD).Through the years she has collaborated with different brands such asLAN, Greenpeace, GREY, Kraft Foods, Camelbak, the Center of Urban Pedagogy and Random House, among others, and artists like Lucía Cuba and Irving Flores.She’s currently the Creative Director and partner at Bardo Ind., a graphic design studio based in Brooklyn, NY.
closeMelissa Gorman is a multi-disciplinary designer, artist, and entrepreneur living and working in Brooklyn, NY. She recently earned an MFA in Design from the School of Visual Arts. Her design practice is primarily concerned with visual identity and branding for local startups and small businesses. In her art practice, she is interested in the idea of preservation through illustration, creating a time capsule of aspects of the city through portraits of places bound for extinction. She likes cats more than dogs, finds that yellow is the predominant color in her work, and finds it hard to turn down dessert. costd.com
closeJoshua Graver is a Brooklyn-based graphic designer that focuses on art direction, branding, motion graphics, print and web design, soundtracking, and problem solving. He enjoys the company of family, friends, and house plants; and he is passionate about social and environmental justice. joshuagraver.com
Joshua was a 2013-2014 Public Access Design Fellow and worked on Shifty Business.
closeCole Hannan is a director/animator/all-around-visual-artist based in Brooklyn, NY. He loves to make art and use a myriad of mediums to express myself. Currently he is concepting an episodic dreamscape fantasy video series, hand-painting a line of t-shirts and creating animated commercials for them, pitching bands for music videos, writing weird psychedelic songs on guitar, all the while working professionally as an editor/animator/designer. www.ilovemonsters.com
closeHola, I’m Luisa, a graphic designer from Colombia currently based in Brooklyn. I believe in the power of design as a tool to start conversations, make complex topics more accessible, and mobilize people towards a common goal. I received my MFA in Design Authorship and Entrepreneurship from the School of Visual Arts in 2015, and have experience working on printed matter, editorial, branding, and motion graphic projects for diverse clients such as UN Women, the Knight Foundation, the Parkinsons Foundation, the International Book Fair of Bogotá, and a number of independent visual artists.
When I am not designing, I can be found exploring new neighborhoods on my bike, cooking for friends and friends of friends, or in nature. Always in the company of a good book and a cup of tea.
closeNick Johnson is a Brooklyn based Graphic Designer and former CUP Fellow for Change in Design. Originally from Detroit Michigan, Nick Studied at Western Michigan University where he received his BFA in Graphic Design. Nick moved to New York in pursuit of new skills, challenges, and experience in order to better prepare him for helping to solve complex problems in all capacities as both a designer and community member.
closeHi there! I’m a designer and founder of As the Crow Walks, a studio that specializes in cartography—an endeavor to convey the magic of cities and its web of corridors, life, and creativity. I also realize a variety of branding and marketing projects for clients engaged in the arts, culture, and community building. With any project, I’m interested in telling lucid narratives that empower people with constructive knowledge about the environment we exist and move in. I have a degree in Architectural Studies from Brown University, with further studies in graphic design at Parsons. https://asthecrowwalks.com/
closeAriel Kennan draws upon her experience in multidisciplinary design to lead research, concept development, and design, collaborating closely with design teams, clients, vendors, and partners. Her passion is where experience design meets scale – from the palm of the hand to entire cities, and everything in between. She has created new mobile learning concepts, websites, kiosks, media walls, digital signs, new institutions, and new communities. arielkennan.com
closeMatt Khinda is a designer trying to make cities better for the people who live in them. Originally from Washington, D.C., he currently lives and votes in New York City where he works as a designer at the Mayor’s Office for Economic Opportunity. He holds a BFA in Industrial Design from RISD.
mattkhinda.city
closeDavid Knowles is a graphic designer and artist specializing in the fields of art, culture, and entertainment. Past and present work includes designs for Art Los Angeles Contemporary, Harper’s Magazine, GAMeC Bergamo, Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, Movement Research, Publication Studio, and Peradam Publishing Group. He has collaborated with dozens of individual artists, writers, and musicians on original books, publications, and exhibitions. His work is held in the collections of MoMA Library and the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.
closeRaj Kottamasu is an artist, designer and urban planner. His work includes animation, print & web design, illustration, design research and cultural programming for organizations including The Architectural League of New York, Public Policy Lab, The Participatory Budgeting Project, and the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation. Raj also currently teaches Information Graphics in the Programs for Sustainable Planning & Development at Pratt Institute. He served as a Public Access Design Fellow in 2012, producing the animated video ‘Work Forced’ in collaboration with CUP and Damayan Migrant Workers Association. He holds a Master’s degree in City Planning, with a certificate in Urban Design, from MIT. rajworks.com
closeSean Kuhnke works as graphic designer in New York City. He holds a MFA from Yale University and a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University. Prior to attending graduate school he worked seven days a week at two different printing companies: during the week producing separations for offset printing and on the weekend pulling screenprinted wallpaper by hand. His work is fueled by experimentation in various printing processes. In his practice he seeks out ways to empower others through education and has lectured/assisted in workshops at VCU Qatar, The Ventriloquist Summer School Oslo, and SUNY Purchase.
closeJenny Kutnow is an interdisciplinary designer who uses graphic design to elevate architecture and urban design through open discourse and civic engagement. She holds a Masters in Graphic Design from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Furniture Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. Jenny has worked with Pentagram, OLIN, and Arquitectonica and she has lectured and critiqued at MICA, the University of Pennsylvania, and Miami-Dade College. Jenny is currently writing a book on the relationship between graphic design and architecture and she will be working with CUP on the upcoming Educator’s Guide, “Backyard Politics.” jennykutnow.com
closeL & L is the design partnership of Leigh Mignogna and Liz Seibert. We first started working together as MFA students at Pratt, where we developed a design process that is iterative, collaborative and concept-driven. With every project, our goal is to identify core values and extend them into intelligent, engaging designs. We received recognition for our typeface design at the 26th International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno in 2014 and at AIGA/NY in 2013. Previously, we published a book through Pratt Press on interdisciplinary design education, called Five Conversations on Graphic Design and Creative Writing.
closeTatiana Lam is a graphic designer and motion graphics animator residing in NYC, specializing in broadcast packaging and communication design for social movements. Her aim is to address and build culture through design. She studied film and anthropology at Yale University. Currently, Tatiana works at Lorne Michael’s post-production house Broadway Video, collaborating with notable clients like NBC, SNL, Nickelodeon, National Geographic, the Emmys and various other award shows. Her work spans a wide range of design disciplines, but amongst her favorite projects are: a set of promos featuring an animated character called Tera Byte, set design for The More You Know, interactive works that reimagine historical photographs at 30 Rockefeller Center, a title sequence for the comedy series Tough Love, an animated infographic explaining economic inequity for Colorlines, and a network identity for the show Colored Criticism.
closeRebecca is a Brooklyn-based designer and artist who works across disciplines and materials, from websites and brand identities, to videos and performances. After earning her degree from Harvard’s Visual and Environmental Studies department, Rebecca worked as a Designer at Purpose, where she designed brand identities, websites and civic engagement platforms for major nonprofits and socially-driven corporate campaigns. Currently, she designs digital experiences and brand expressions for progressive brands and businesses as a means to create community and foster social change. She thinks screenshots are the medium of the future, and she believes in the radical potential of animated GIFs. www.rebeccalieberman.com
Rebecca was a 2013-2014 Public Access Design Fellow.
closeCarmen López is a design researcher and social innovator with the heart of an artist. She combines her visual communication skills, design thinking, and ethnographic research to positively impact the world. Born and raised in Ecuador, moved to California to study at Art Center College of Design. She became a resident at Fabrica of Benetton in Treviso, Italy, and worked at La Facultad, an independent advertising agency in Ecuador. Her diverse background has given her the right tools to work on her passion to make a difference. She recently graduated from the Design for Social Innovation MFA program at SVA.
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