About
Ryan Waller is a partner at Other Means, a Brooklyn-based graphic design studio working with architects, artists, curators, editors, and institutions.
Work Experience
The graphic design program focuses on the development of a cohesive, investigative body of work, also known as the student’s thesis. At Yale, the graphic design thesis is conceived as a loose framework within which each student’s visual method is deployed across many diverse projects during the two-year course of study. While every thesis project is unique, there are several common features: a focus on methodology, the application of a visual method to studio work, and the organization of the work in a thoughtfully argued written document and “Thesis Book.”
The individual collection of graphic design work by each student is supported on several levels simultaneously: studio work led by faculty meeting weekly; small six-person thesis groups meeting biweekly; individual sessions with writing and editing tutors; and lectures, presentations, and workshops.
RISD's graduate program in Graphic Design prepares students for professional practice by emphasizing the roles of social context, media and aesthetics in the production of visible language systems. As a reflection of the discipline itself, the program encourages a nimble and intelligent response to constant change and burgeoning technology, while building a strong foundation of formal, aesthetic and analytical knowledge.
MFA candidates choose between two program tracks: a two-year option for students entering with undergraduate degrees in graphic design or other visual communication, and a three-year option for those with degrees in liberal arts, the sciences or fine arts. Built on a sequence of required courses, the curricula for both allow candidates to tailor individual courses of study through cross-disciplinary electives.
Projects
Easy Lessoning is a series of casual lectures, drinks and small talk, at a studio. The lecturers speak about graphic design and related fields, their work or the work of others.
Easy Lessoning launched on a Friday in 2014 and keeps returning, here and there.
Typography Summer School is an annual, weeklong design workshop that brings together practitioners and participants to study, exchange ideas, and investigate the discipline of typography. The school was formed in London in 2010 by Fraser Muggeridge. Other Means initiated the New York session in 2013.
One of the intentions behind forming Other Means was to investigate ways a studio could contribute to the community of design practitioners interested in questioning the discipline of graphic design—how it is taught and practiced, and the role it plays in shaping culture. We admired the format and independence of Fraser’s program and felt that something similar was missing in New York, where the only other summer design programs were organized by academic institutions and professional organizations.
Exhibitions
Parallel-Parallel is a gallery of works by graphic designers that
a) have been postponed indefinitely,
b) will never be realized or published,
c) were published for an event that will never take place because of this damn virus.
We believe that graphic design plays with potential realities and with this current crisis we want to see what has been left, on pause, in your hands.
SculptureCenter's annual LIC Block Party will feature art and entertainment for all ages, taking over the whole of SculptureCenter and the length of Sculpture Street (also known as Purves Street) in Long Island City. The program will include live performances; family-friendly art activities; an Artists' Market, showcasing affordable and functional art and objects; and food from local restaurants.
In July 2014, the Museum of Arts and Design inaugurates NYC Makers: The MAD Biennial, an exhibition that spotlights the creative communities thriving across the five boroughs today. The first exhibition to be organized under the leadership of MAD’s new Director Glenn Adamson, NYC Makers showcases the work of 100 makers—highly inventive artisans, artists, and designers who create objects or environments through exquisite workmanship and skill. Exemplifying the Museum’s ongoing commitment to craftsmanship across all creative fields, the exhibition serves as a platform not only for makers who typically display their work in a museum setting, but also those who operate behind the scenes.
Launched on November 11th, 2011 in New York, The Carousel Collection is an ongoing project by Estonian artist Triin Tamm (born 1982). The collection now consists of almost 100 artistic contributions in the form of slides and has already been to the Corner College in Zurich (2011), the San Serriffe in Amsterdam (2012), the Kallio Kunsthalle in Helsinki (2012), the Contemporary Art Center in Vilnius ( 2012) and in the kim? Contemporary Arts Center in Riga (2012). The works are always presented using slide projectors with a round magazine.
Awards
Every year, the Swiss Federal Office of Culture (FOC) organizes The Most Beautiful Swiss Books competition to honor outstanding achievements in book design to promote and showcase high-quality book production, with particular attention being paid to works that express contemporary trends.
This time-honored competition identifies the 50 best-designed books and book covers of the year.
This time-honored competition identifies the 50 best-designed books and book covers of the year.