ABOUT
Whether she’s designing book covers, catalog layouts, or brand identities, Susan Bowman’s overarching goal is to create something that resonates with their intended audience. Her process is inherently collaborative, as she works closely with her clients throughout the project. This approach she has developed over the course of her career. Her basic understanding is that each new design challenge she undertakes does not have a pre-existing solution. Instead, the first crucial step is to clearly define the core problems and key values that must be addressed. To do this, Susan engages a discovery phase, conducting research and collaborating extensively with the client. Her objective? To develop a comprehensive plan — a design brief that outlines the project’s objectives, constraints, and the client’s goals. This collaborative problem lays the foundation for the rest of her design process.
While Susan brings her own aesthetic sensibilities and design philosophy to each project, she sees herself as a conduit, a dynamic medium through which the client’s vision will be realized to the fullest. Her role is to interpret the client’s goals and to help them envision the potential of her design solution. At the heart of Susan’s approach is a balancing act in which she strives to infuse each project with her own creativity, while ensuring the final design aligns with the client’s needs. She achieves this through a process of ideation in which differing design solutions are tested against feedback from the client. The resulting product reflects her commitment to design principles, and her concern for typography. This multifaceted approach is central to Susan’s ability to deliver design solutions that are both innovative and impactful.
As a dedicated educator, Susan has imparted her vast knowledge to students over the past 20 years, teaching courses that range from Essentials of Design to Information Design: Advanced Visual Communication. Her tenure as Chair of the Department of Art from 2008 to 2016 included founding the Specialization in Graphic Design and the Biomedical Art and Visualization BFA programs, marking her as a pivotal figure in shaping the future of design education. Her students have gone on to successful careers at GHD Partners in NYC, the design studio Team in Brooklyn, NY whose clients include The Bronx Museum, Red Bull Arts, Samsung, and Google. Other students are currently working as Senior Graphic Design Lead at Maesa NYC and Associate Editor of Maps and Graphics at National Geographic.
At present, Susan continues to influence the design world as a consultant and creative director, focusing on her passion for enriching the visual and communicative landscapes of cultural institutions, artists’ publications, and catalogs. Her work not only reflects a deep commitment to aesthetic excellence but also to the meaningful integration of documentation and design in our culture.