Nathan Davis

Education

2007
California College of the Arts, San Francisco, California
MFA: Design

2004
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
BFA: Magna Cum Laude, Applied Visual Arts [Sculpture], Minor: Art History

Biography

Nathan currently teaches Surface Research in the Art Foundation program at VCUQatar. After studying sculpture at Oregon State, Nathan earned an MFA in Design at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Nathan began teaching at Ohio University and then Montana State University before coming to VCUQatar. He taught undergraduate graphic design for 5 years including courses in digital media, web design, identity systems, typography, publication design, design principles and a seminar on media studies called Landscape / Mediascape. Nathan also served as the Graduate Studies committee chair at Montana State, where he taught a graduate seminar on media and identity, and served on several MFA thesis committees.

In addition to his activity as a researcher and design educator, Nathan continues to maintain a professional practice through Arcadian Studio, a design studio and consultancy with his partner Jennifer Davis. Nathan’s design work has appeared in Print Magazine, Graphis, Under Consideration’s FPO Awards, Design Boom and Creative Quarterly.

design studio: arcadianstudio.com
personal research and teaching: nathanrossdavis.com

Teaching Experience

13-15
Assistant Professor, Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar (current)
Professor of Surface Research for Art and Design Foundation

09-13
Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Montana State University
Coordinator of Sophomore Design Curriculum, Graduate Advisor

08-09
Visiting Assistant Professor of Graphic Design, Ohio University
Professor of Design Methodology, Media and Graphic Design Principles

Previous Professional Experience

09-15
Partner, Arcadian Studio

Strategic brand communications, design and art direction (current)

07-08
Partner, General Creative Group, San Francisco, California
Brand consulting, brand strategy, concept development, collateral, retail and packaging design

05-07
Freelance Print Design, San Francisco, California
Independent and collaborative award winning print design, and art direction

2006
Design Intern, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Conducted brand experience research using qualitative research methodologies

Publications

2015
“TypeCon 2015: Type of Place,” The Uppercase Magazine blog, McRae, Allie.

2011
Participate: Design with User Generated Content. Armstrong, Helen &ZvezdanaStojmirovic, Princeton Architectural Press, 2011.

Presentations

2015
Meta Newhouse Co-P.I., “Type of Place” (paper presentation of collaborative research at TypeCon, the annual conference presented by the non-profit Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA), Denver Colorado

Foundations in Art Theory Education (FATE), Indianapolis, Tectonic Shifts
Panel Co-Chair: Jesse Payne, Assistant Professor VCUQatar
Panel Topic: Why Master the Skills Before Making Something that Matters?
Panel Presentation: “How Can Something Matter if the Matter is Wrong?”

VCUQatar Joint Advisory Board: “Intercultural Communication in Art Foundations”

2014
ATypI: Typographic Dialogs; “Type of place: Global Vernacular Type Archive.” Barcelona, Spain.

Design Inquiry 10: ACCESS; “A Dinner Table ‘What if’” Vinalhaven Maine, USA

2013
“Collaboration, Interaction, Participation: What Does the Rise of Participatory Culture Mean for Art and Design Education and Practice?” College Art Association Conference, New York City

Design Research Workshop, Syracuse School of Architecture New York, NY

2012
“Landscape / Mediascape: Materiality, Communication and Presence,” International Conference on the Image, Higher School of Humanities and Journalism, Poznan Poland.
Pecha Kucha; “Type of Place: Typographic Form and Cultural Identity,” The Ellen Theater, Bozeman Montana.

2011
Association Typographic Internationale (ATypI) 2011; Type of Place: Typographic Encounters in Reykjavik.
Foundations in Art Theory Education (FATE) 2011, St. Louis: “Designer as Artist.”

2009
FACTS Freshman Foundations Lecture: Graphic Design in the 21st Century
Montana State University.

Exhibitions

2014
Weingart Typography: Azores Discussions documentary film included in Wolfgang Weingart Retrospective exhibition. Museum Fur Gestaltung, Zurich.

Strange Wonders, Faculty Exhibition Msheireb Enrichment Centre, Doha Qatar

2013
“The Art of Design,” @ Deweese Gallery, Bozeman, MT.

2012
“Nieznane: Thread to the Unknown,” Polish Mediations Bienniale Special Exhibition, Poznan, Poland

“Gathered Thoughts” @ Helen E. Copeland Gallery, Montana State University, Bozeman Montana
“Air Hunger,” @ HonnunarMars Design Festival, Spring 2012, Reykjavik, Iceland
“Type of Place: Reykjavik and Roma” @ HonnunarMars Design Festival, Reykjavik City Library, Spring 2012, Reykjavik, Iceland.

“Absence as Pretext for Action” @ Utah State University, Logan Utah.

2011
Type of Place: Installation @ 101 Laugavegur, Reykjavik, Is.

2010
Faculty Exhibition @ US Bank Gallery, Butte Montana

2009
The Big Three @ Michael Rosenthal Gallery, San Francisco, CA

Visiting Faculty Exhibition, Trisolini Gallery, Athens, Ohio

2007
Enchanted Forest @ LoBot Gallery, Oakland, CA

MFA Thesis Exhibition @ The California College of the Arts, San Francisco, CA

Honors

2015
Graphis Design Annual 2016, Silver Award, “Tasmeem 3ajeeb!” Publication
Creative Quarterly 40: The Journal of Art and Design: Runner-up, Professional Graphic Design category “Tasmeem Doha: 3ajeeb in the Classroom”

2014
Virginia Commonwealth University Faculty Research Grant, Fall 2014: Type of Place: Creating a Global, User Generated Archive of Vernacular Typography.

2013
Virginia Commonwealth University Faculty Research Grant, Fall 2013: Type of Place: Creating a Global, User Generated Archive of Vernacular Typography. Partial funding to design and develop an iPhone app for the production of a user generated archive of vernacular typography.

Print Regional Design Annual: Far West Region; for David Peters Ceramics: Forever More Than Once, Exhibition Catalog.

2013 FPO Awards book and website for Dave Peters Ceramics: Forever More Than Once, Exhibition Catalog.

Undergraduate Scholars Program, Faculty Mentor, Funded Grant Proposal: Type of Place: Typography and Cultural Identity. Funding to sponsor two undergraduate researchers to conduct workshops for the Type of Place project in Budapest, Vienna, and Prague.

2011
Research and Creativity Block Grant, Montana State University

Adobe Design Achievement Awards Semifinalist

2009
Shortlist: Designboom Sound Innovation Competition

2007
Print Magazine Regional Design Annual

2005-07
Graduate Merit Scholarship, California College of the Arts

2001-04
Plinkiewisch Scholarship Recipient, Oregon State University

2004
Graduating Senior of Distinction Award, Oregon State University

2004
Oregon Graduates Show Selection, Portland, Oregon