December 1997

Sophomore visual arts professor designs a technology-intelligent department

By Hilarie Eldridge, '99, Intern in the Office of Public Affairs

Louisiana chapter of the American Institute for Graphic Arts (A.I.G.A.)... Loyola student chapter of the A.I.G.A....New course in typography... Study abroad program in Prague...What do these things all have in common? They were all brought to Loyola by graphic design professor, Dana Bartelt.

Prior to joining the Loyola faculty two years ago, Bartelt engaged in numerous activities in Raleigh, N.C. She worked in a variety of fields of design, including, landscape architecture, and cartography, as well as graphic design. She later proceeded to incorporate these things into her own design company, Synergraphics, for 18 years. Bartelt then reached a period when she wanted to do more of her own work and educate future designers of America. She became a part-time professor of graphic arts at North Carolina State University, while conducting research and curating exhibits. Meanwhile, Bartelt remained active at the local and national level of the American Institute for Graphic Arts (A.I.G.A.).

Loyola appealed to Bartelt primarily because graphic design is part of the art department. She believes the focus on design has become so popular that it has separated from the study of fine art. Loyola's liberal arts program provides students majoring in graphic design with a solid background. They not only learn design principles, but gain an understanding of things that also contribute to effective graphic design. From courses such as philosophy and psychology, students gain valuable knowledge in areas such as problem solving, client needs, and target audiences, Bartelt surmises.

As soon as she arrived at Loyola, Bartelt began her quest for excellence in the graphics department. She is currently revamping the university's design program with additions such as her new course in typography. For the past 10 summers, she has moderated a program for students to study in Prague and is continuing with the program at Loyola. This program provides students with an excellent opportunity to broaden their horizons in the world of art and open their minds to cultural differences reflected in art.

Bartelt initiated a Loyola student chapter of the A.I.G.A., making Loyola the first school in the country to establish a student chapter. Because of this honor, the university has received and will continue to receive additional exposure for its graphics program. The organization is a great mechanism to bring in local designers to speak to students, Bartelt affirms. She said Loyola's example has currently been followed by numerous other universities, providing a national network of graphic design students. In addition to the student chapter, Bartelt also instituted Louisiana's first chapter of the A.I.G.A. here in New Orleans, bringing national designers to the city.

The A.I.G.A. holds a national conference every two years. This year, it was held in New Orleans. The focus of the conference was "Design of Culture and Culture of Design." It focused on the tremendous power of influence that visual communicators have over the public, especially now as the trend of multimedia technology continues to thrive. This brought to question the impact of the computer on designers and professionals. This subject could not have been more timely. Bartelt is struggling with students and their beliefs that computers can "do it all." As she explains it, "There is more to design than the finished product or logo. We must not ignore the important tools that provide a good foundation for the finished product, things such as design theory and concepts, and typography, among others."

From traveling throughout Eastern Europe, she gained a love for the poster, which Bartelt defined as "public graphic art for the people." This fascination led her to conduct three years of research in which she studied Israeli and Palestinian political posters. The posters she used in her research are the focus of an exhibition titled Both Sides of Peace. It also was the topic of her lectures at the Royal College of Art and the London College of Printing in October and inspired her to write a book, also titled Both Sides of Peace, which will be released at the end of the year.

During her research phase, Bartelt fully realized the power of the media and how destructive it could be if used in the wrong way. In Both Sides of Peace, she illustrates how the media has influenced Americans to associate Palestine with terrorism. Contrary to that image, the people she encountered in Palestine were peaceful, possessed national pride, and had the desire for their children to receive an education, she noted. This experience gave Bartelt an even greater incentive to teach students the importance of using their power as "manipulators" of graphic arts in a responsible way.

Based on this theme, she developed a project for college juniors called Design Action, in which students must design material according to a particular cause. They are to do this by research of materials which influence particular groups of people. This is an attempt to teach students the importance of research as an integral part of design.

Bartelt has great expectations for the future. Her vision is to make Loyola's graphic design program one of the best in the country. This is to be achieved by the continued implementation of new programs and by continuing to build on existing courses tied to fine art. If the last two years are an example, Bartelt is well on her way.