Omari Souza
University of North Texas
Design
Email:

Education

MFA, Kent State University, 2017.
Major: Design Research
Degree Specialization: Visual Communication Design
Dissertation Title: Title Chasing Vertical: Diversity & Recognition in the field of Graphic Design
MFA, Kent State University, 2017.
Major: Visual Communication Design
Dissertation Title: Title Chasing Vertical: Diversity & Recognition in the field of Graphic Design
BFA, Cleveland Institute of Art, 2015.
Major: Technology and Intregrated Media
BFA, Cleveland Institute of Art, 2009.
Major: Graphic Design
Degree Specialization: Technology and Intregrated Media

Professional Positions

Academic - Post-Secondary
Assistant Professor, University of North Texas. (August 17, 2022 – Present).
Assistant Professor, Texas State University. (January 01, 2019 – Present).
Assistant Professor, Laroche College. (August 17, 2017 – December 14, 2018).
Adjunct Professor, Kent State University. (August 2016 – September 2017).
Adjunct Professor, Cuyahoga Community College. (January 2017 – May 2017).
Professional
Lead Design, User Researcher, Capital One. (July 11, 2022 – Present).

Licensures and Certifications

Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator, IBM. (March 8, 2019 – Present).

Enterprise Design Thinking Co-Creator, IBM. (March 08, 2019 – Present).

Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, IBM. (February 17, 2019 – Present).

Enterprise Design Thinking Practitioner, IBM. (February 17, 2019 – Present).

Professional Memberships

International Society of Visual Literacy. (January 2019 – Present).

Development Activities Attended

Workshop,"Inspire Camp," Kent State University, Kent, OH, United States of America. (July 2016 – July 2016).

Teaching

Teaching Experience

University of North Texas
ADES 1513, Contextual Research Methods, 1 course.
ADES 1543, Foundations of User Centered Design, 1 course.
ADES 2523, Digital Patterns and Systems, 1 course.
ADES 3548, Topics In User Experience Design, 1 course.
ADES 4518, Cause Based User Experience Design, 1 course.
ADES 5410, Foundations & Frameworks of Interaction Design, 1 course.
ADES 5420, Human Centered Interaction Design 1, 1 course.

Teaching at Other Institutions

Texas State University, ARTC 5399B - THESIS, Fall 2021.

Texas State University, ARTC 5360Q - EXPERIENCE DESIGN, Spring 2021.

Texas State University, TYPOGRAPHY I, Spring 2021.

Texas State University, ARTC 5343 - COMM DESGN SEMINAR, Fall 2020.

Texas State University, ARTC 4314N - DESIGN FOR EXPERIENCES, Summer 2020.

Texas State University, ARTC 5399A - THESIS, Spring 2020.

Texas State University, ARTC 1301 - COMM DSGN FOUN I, Fall 2019.

Texas State University, ARTC 5340 - ISSUES & CRITICISM, Fall 2019.

Laroche College, Digital Photography, Spring 2018.

Laroche College:, Foundation Design II, Spring 2018.

Laroche College:, Special Topics: Creative Process, Spring 2018.

Laroche University, Foundation Design I, Fall 2017.

Laroche University, Graphic Design I, Fall 2017.

Cuyahoga Community College, Advertising, Spring 2017.

Cuyahoga Community College, Graphic Design 1, Spring 2017.

Kent State University, Motion Design, Fall 2016.

Kent State University, Typography 1, Fall 2016.

Kent State University, VCD 13001 INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN STUDIO, Spring 2016.

Kent State University, VCD 13001 INTRODUCTION TO VISUAL COMMUNICATION DESIGN STUDIO, Spring 2016.

Directed Student Learning

Dissertation Committee Chair,"INNOVATION IS THE NEW BLACK BOX: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN," Design. (August 2020 – May 2021).

Dissertation Committee Chair,"Lost on the Trail: Investigating Hiking Wayfinding and Trail Navigation," Design. (August 2019 – May 2020).

Dissertation Committee Chair,"Societal Perceptions of Femininity as Impacted by Gendered Branding, and the Social Responsibility of Designers,," Design. (January 2019 – May 2019).

Awards and Honors

The 2019 Design Incubation Educators Awards, Design Incubation. (October 2019 – Present).

Design Incubation Educators Awards selected, Design Incubation. (August 2019 – October 2019).

Research

Published Intellectual Contributions

Abstracts and Proceedings
Souza, O. A. (2020). Call and Response | Equitable Design Frame Work. https://designincubation.com/publications/abstracts/call-and-response-equitable-design-frame-work/
Souza, O. A. (2019). African Americans in Advertising: Images, Stereotypes, and Symbolism. https://designincubation.com/tag/african-american/
Souza, O. Making the World a Better Place: Design for Social Good. 46. UCDA Design Education Summit.
Book Chapter
Souza, O. A. (2020). Passive, Brutish, or Civil? Racist Motifs in Every Day Branding.
Broadcast Media
Souza, O. (2022). Episode 437: Omari Souza.
Souza, O. (2021). Episode 19 Omari A. Souza - Works in Process podcast. https://www.wip.show/ep/19/
Souza, O. (2021). Episode 05 — It’s about time we are catalysts of change.
Souza, O. (2017). 213: Omari Souza Revision Path.
Journal Article
Souza, O. (2019). Hue Design Summit. Other. Taylor & Francis Group.
Newspaper
Souza, O. (2020). Language, Symbolism And The Toxicity Of Trump's Rose Garden Address.

Presentations Given

Creative Works Cited in Conference Papers / Presentations

Souza, O., Work in Progress Podcast, Work in Progress 19. (2021).

Demonstration

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), FALL 2023 LECTURE SERIES AT THE CUDC, INCLUSIVITY MATTERS: ELEVATING VOICES IN THE ANTHOLOGY OF BLACKNESS, Kent State University CUDC, Cleveland,OHIO, United States of America. (2023 – ).

Design Work

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), Graffiti to Graphics: 50 Years of Hip Hop and Design, Hip Hop as a tool of Critical Making, SEGD, Virtual, United States of America. (2023 – 2023).

Invited Talk

Souza, O. (Presenter), Design Lecture Series, Fall 2023, Inspirational Dialogues: An Inside Look at 'The State of Black Design', Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh,PA, United States of America. (2023 – ).

Souza, O. (Panelist), Capital One Experience Summit, Intersectional Design, Capital One, Virtual, United States of America. (2022 – 2022).

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), Atlanta Design Week, Design and the Black Image, Atlanta Design Festival, Atlanta,GA, United States of America. (2021 – 2021).

Souza, O., Where are the Black Designers, Decolonizing Design, virtual. (2021).

Souza, O., IBM - It's about time Podcast, It’s about time we are catalysts of change, IBM, Virtual. (2021).

Souza, O., Design Collective Guest Speaker , Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, New York. (2021).

Souza, O., Austin Design Week, More than Elevating Voices: Changing Power Structures Within Design, Virtual, Austin, TX, United States of America. (2020).

Souza, O., Fall National College Media Convention, The pot unmelted: Racism in media, Virtual. (2020).

Souza, O., Conference, Call and Response | Equitable Design Frame Work, Design Incubation, Fordham University, New York, NY, United States of America. (2020).

Souza, O., Concordia University’s Black Box Theatre, Fall 2019 TADOHE Diversity and Inclusion Panel, Texas State University, Austin, TX, United States of America. (2019).

Souza, O., Conti, E. (Presenter), DESIGNING ACROSS DIVIDES: CO-CREATING TOOLS FOR COMMUNITY CHANGE, Millennial Social Responsibility, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, United States of America. (2019).

Keynote/Plenary Address

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), Design Forge 2022, Research for Activism: Redesigning Higher Education for Justice, Elon University, Elon University, Elon, NC, United States of America. (2022).

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), Black Ignight, Branding America, Black Ignight, Virtual, United States of America. (2021 – 2021).

Lecture

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), BIPOC Design History, Iterative Identity: Art Deco, World’s Fair, and American limits on humanity, Polymode, https://bipocdesignhistory.com/About, United States of America. (2021 – 2021).

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), 51st Annual Conference of the International Visual Literacy Association, African Americans in Advertising: Images, Stereotypes, and Symbolism., International Visual Literacy Association, Leuven, Belgium, Belgium. (2019 – 2019).

Souza, O. (Presenter), Lee, A. J. (Presenter), The Digitally Engaged Learning (DEL), Challenging Western Dominance in Technology for Increased Inclusivity and Access, The Digitally Engaged Learning (DEL), Austin, TX, United States of America. (2019 – 2019).

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), Design Incubation Colloquium 5.3: Merrimack College, African Americans in Advertising: Images, Stereotypes, and Symbolism, Design Incubation, Merrimack College,North Andover, Massachusetts, United States of America. (2019).

Souza, O. (Presenter), Lee, A. J. (Presenter), 108th CAA [ College Art Association] Annual Conference, DECOLONIZING DESIGN TOWARDS SYSTEMIC EQUITY, College Art Association, Chicago,Il, United States of America. (2019 – 2019).

Souza, O. (Presenter), UCDA Design Education Summit, Making the World a Better Place: Design for Social Good, UCDA, Youngstown University, Youngstown, OH, United States of America. (2018 – 2018).

Panel Presentation

Souza, O. (Author & Presenter), AIGA DEC LENS Symposium, Expanding the Design Canon: The State of Black Design and the Lens of Inclusivity, AIGA, New York,NY, United States of America. (2023 – ).

Souza, O. (Panelist), Sharma, M. (Panelist), Denmead, T. (Panelist), Garcia, A. (Panelist), The Onstead Institute, Department of Art Education present: Education as Experimentation 3 Symposium, Studious Drift: Movements and Protocols for a Postdigital Education, University of North Texas, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas, United States of America. (2022 – ).

Souza, O. (Panelist), SXSW, IBM Designs A New Culture: Racial Equity in Design at Austin Marriott Downtown Waller Ballroom DEF, SXSW, Austin,TX, United States of America. (2022 – 2022).

Souza, O. (Panelist), Afrika Design Design Day 2021, Entrepreneurship and Leadership, Design Kenya Society, Nairobi, Kenya, Kenya. (2021 – 2021).

Souza, O. (Panelist), Austin Design Week 2021, More than Elevating Voices: Changing Power Structures within Design, AIGA Austin, UT Austin, United States of America. (2020 – 2020).

Souza, O. (Chair), Disarl, G. (Presenter), Sorensen, D. (Presenter), Harris, L. (Presenter), Design Incubation Colloquium 6.3: Fordham University, Call and Response | Equitable Design Frame Work, Design Incubation, Fordham University, Bronx, NY, United States of America. (2020).

Souza, O. (Panelist), Lee, A. J. (Panelist), Murdoch, J. (Panelist), Hughes, L. (Presenter), AIGA Design Educators Community conference, The Past, Present, and Future of “Good Craft, AIGA, Herron School of Art + Design, Indianapolis, ID,, United States of America. (2018 – 2018).

Paper

Souza, O., Pivot 2020, African Americans - Advertisements + Social Perception, Tulane University, Online. (2020).

Podcast Interview

Souza, O., IBM, virtual. (2021).

Artistic and Professional Performances and Exhibits

Other. Souza, O., "Design of Buisness, Buisness of Design Minisodes," , Virtual, United States of America. (July 2022 – Present).

Media Contributions

Internet
Eye Magazine. (September 2020).
The New York Review of Architecture. (September 2020).
Diversity Tech. (August 2020).
Magazine
"Best books of 2023 — Architecture & Design," Financial Times. (November 17, 2023).
"Black design and activism in Cleveland Author/designer Omari Souza highlights the need for design diversity and equity in new book.," Signal Cleveland. (November 9, 2023).
"Five Essential Design Books to Decolonize Your Studio, Library, and Classroom," Print Magazine. (October 31, 2023).
"10 books to read this summer," Domus. (July 21, 2023).
Texas State University Digital Newsroom. (September 2020).
The Power Broker Magazine. (September 2020).
TV
Design in America. (June 2021).

Contracts, Grants and Sponsored Research

Grant - Research
Souza, O., "The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments, Advancing Black Arts in Pittsburgh," Funded. (Present).

Service

University Service

Chairperson, State of Black Design Conference | Planning Committee. (September 22, 2023 – September 23, 2023).

Committee Chair, State of Black Design Conference | Planning Committee. (March 2022).

Chairperson, State of Black Design Conference | Planning Committee. (September 2020 – April 2021).

Chairperson, State of Black Design Conference | Planning Committee. (September 2020).

Professional Service

Other, The International Visual Literacy Association (IVLA). (January 2019 – Present).

Other, AIGA. (2017 – 2018).

Member, YMCA PNC. (2017 – 2018).

Public Service

Member, International Visual Literacy Association. (January 2019 – Present).

Consulting

Other, Design for America, Chicago, IL. (February 2022 – Present).

Other, Civilla, Detroit, MI. (January 2021 – Present).

For Profit Organization, The Watson Group / Unilever Global, Chicago, United States of America. (June 2022 – August 2022).