About

Welcome to the personal portfolio of Denielle Emans. I am a Graphic Designer, Professor, Food Explorer, Coffee Junkie, Shoe Fiend and Novice Writer.

For the past seven years I have served as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design teaching a wide range of courses including advanced graphic design, imaging, typography, design for the screen, and senior seminar. During this time I have also maintained an active design career working from concept to production on print, web, and motion design projects for clients ranging from large corporations to small start-ups. I have been an active member of AIGA since 2001 and served on the Raleigh AIGA board as the Education Director in 2007 and 2008. I have worked as the Head Teaching Assistant at the NC State Summer Design Camp and participated in numerous education seminars and conferences concerning design in relation to culture, cognition and technology.

As a practicing graphic designer and educator, I am particularly interested in the growing field of design advocacy and its intersection with social entrepreneurship. In the classroom, I strive to educate students on how to conceive and execute their own projects for social change. The goal is to instill the self-motivation and collaborative spirit needed to facilitate sustained participation in civic life. In my professional design work I aim to create client relationships that address a pressing need within the community, while helping to promote projects and initiatives for the greater good. I have recently worked as a graphic designer for companies that range from WUNC (a local NPR Station) to international companies such as the World Bank. As much as I am aware that political and social problems require a collaborative approach, I sincerely believe that design thinking, outreach and communication techniques can profoundly influence and impact the world. I find the drive for my work is inspired by the words of Clement Mok who writes:

“One of the first things we have to do to correct these perceptions is to connect our work, our skills and our abilities to the challenges that are truly valuable, from an economic, social, cultural perspective. In other words, not just focus on the æsthetic value with which we want to imbue all our work, but look at the larger task at hand, and then figure out what we can bring to it.”

If you’d like to collaborate on a project or simply say “hello!” I’d love to hear from you. Simply visit the contact page and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.