Vernacular Graphic Design

One thing that it is important to instill in students is an awareness of the vernacular design environment that they are immersed in everyday--and how it is regionally unique. Amidst the parade of international design stars that form the core of most graphic design history courses it is refreshing to include some local content, especially of the sort that does not get featured in course books. Personally, I love images of faded, hand drawn signs, the kind that were used to advertise pharmacies and grocery stores in Chicago's residential neighborhoods. This thread can also lead to some great student projects when you ask them to collect and analyze images from their own communities. At September's SECAC conference, Nancy Sharon Collins and Daniela Marx offered up a stunning film that featured interviews with unheralded designers and other industry professionals from the New Orleans area. If only every region had such dedicated people to chronicle the byways of graphic design!