Assistant Professor of Visual Communication Design, Tenure Track

Description

The Department of Art, Art History, and Design at the University of Notre Dame invites applications for a tenure-track faculty position (Assistant Professor) for an accomplished designer whose research integrates critical scholarly inquiry in Visual Communication Design. We seek a candidate whose expertise demonstrates a strong design foundation in both traditional and emerging areas of the discipline, with particular emphasis on forward-thinking approaches that prepare students for the rapidly evolving landscape of the 21st century. Duties include research, teaching, and service.

Candidates should demonstrate a deep understanding of contemporary design scholarship, technological innovation, and critical methodologies that reflect the expanding role of design in society. The successful applicant will contribute to the development of a dynamic, inclusive, and relevant curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, creative problem-solving, and socially engaged design practices while successfully preparing them to thrive in diverse design careers.

This position offers the opportunity to join a vibrant academic community committed to advancing the role of design in shaping culture, technology, and the human experience.

About the Design Program

Visual Communication Design at the University of Notre Dame lays emphasis on the art, science, and practice of building platforms and experiences that create tangible communication between content

and users through traditional and contemporary media. The VCD program offers instruction in areas of typography, studio practice, brand identity, packaging, UX/UI, motion design, interaction design, community-based design, information design, and design research. The VCD program is established around human-centered design principles. The program focuses on building a deep empathy with stakeholders and solving wicked problems with contextual solutions that derive from a holistic vision. The design division (ID and Visual Communication Design) offers MFA, BFA, and BA degrees, as well as a minor in Collaborative Innovation. The Minor is a dynamic catalyst for process-based, cross-disciplinary collaboration between various academic departments across the university. Design is part of a multi-disciplinary creative studies department that includes studio artists and art historians, all committed to a collaborative teaching and learning environment within the context of a liberal arts education.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• A terminal degree (MFA, MDes) or equivalent in Visual Communication Design, Graphic Design, Interaction Design, or a closely related field.

• Candidates are expected to demonstrate disciplinary expertise and excellence with a strong record of accomplishment in the field of visual communication design.

• Candidates must demonstrate a viable, socially-engaged, and intellectually rigorous research trajectory, which can be situated across diverse areas, including interdisciplinary scholarship that bridges critical inquiry with creative investigation.

• To support instruction across the curriculum and contribute to curricular development, candidates should hold expertise in two or more of the following areas: motion graphics, UI/UX, digital/emerging/social media and technologies, design history, speculative or critical design, art direction/advertising design, brand/identity, package design, typography, and data visualization.

• Demonstrated proficiency in discipline-standard technologies, software, and contemporary digital media platforms.

Preferred Qualifications • Evidence of effective teaching in higher education.

• Evidence of, or clear potential for, integrating distinctive approaches in research and/or teaching that advance the discipline.

• Demonstrated versatility across both traditional and digital media.

• Experience incorporating emerging technologies into pedagogy or creative endeavors.

• Strong interpersonal and collaborative skills, with the ability to contribute effectively to a diverse academic community.

Application Instructions

To Apply: Please include the following:

» A letter of interest

» Curriculum vitae

» Statement of research interests and/or professional practice agenda

» Statement of teaching philosophy

» 20 examples of research/creative work and/or professional practice

» Examples of student work (if available)

» Three references (contact information only)

Links to professional websites are welcome.

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Deadline

Review of candidates will begin November 1, 2025, and continue until the position is filled.