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hilary short

is a creative director; trained as a graphic designer, and writer. she is preoccupied by thoughts of archives, evidence, information, and power.

education

university of illinois chicago (uic)

master of arts in design criticism | may 2022

thesis: design is the evidence, the evidence is not design.
advisor: dr. robert somol
uic

master of design in graphic design | may 2020

thesis: pre-occupied, rematerializing obituaties.
advisor: jack henrie fisher
temple university 

bachelor of arts in sociology | may 2009

with a minor in french

scholarship

schiff writing fellowship | nominee 2022

news-on-papers after newspapers

news-on-papers after newspapers is a review of another graphic designer’s work of painted gradients atop the nytimes. the review connects this work to a longer lineage of artists and designers incorporating the newspaper as either a symbolic or indexical element.
belladonna* matters of feminist practive v.2 | summer 2022

eyebrow archive

eyebrow archive is an autoethnographic essay based in textual representations of plucked eyebrows. a close reading of each brow is theoretically connected to larger social norms and trends.
refract journal | winter 2020/2021 | $100 honorarium | click here to go to refract

bloodlines, kinship

bloodlines + kinship are part of a series exploring family traces through the archive and heteropatiarchal lineages. bloodlines is a 228-inch long installation depicting the fantasy of ancestry and kinship is a poster depicting ‘spheres of memories.’ both are accompanied by short, theoretical essays. participated in artist symposium.
schiff writing fellowship | nominee 2020

erasing erasure

erasing erasure is a reading of a journalistic image of the removal of a confederate statue. both hanging from an industrial apparatus and floating above a plinth, this essay addresses the in-between aesthetics of a captured image.
dutch design week | selected by jury 2020 | CLICK HERE TO GO TO DDW ARCHIVE

pre-occupied

pre-occupied is a series of 12 rematerialized obituaries. a content analysis drives the color-coding and experimental text. conditional logics force the obituaries to react to invisible structures.
uic library archive award for graduate research | first prize winner 2019 | $300 award | CLICK HERE TO GO TO ANNOUNCEMENT

desk as a stage

desk as a stage is an installation recontextualizing common mid-century office objects through a feminist lens. all modernist paper archives contain the invisible labor of secretaries. each object—rolodex, inbox, outbox, memos, calendar, globe—is recentered on the office worker. there is something one must “do” in order to complete the installation.
chicago art book fair | 2019 | copies sold

flight of fantasy

flight of fantasy is a risograph publication. grounded in a contract between a bank and university, each spread re-connects the self-referential document. the bold green lines draw connections between the reference and referent and begin to create a symbolic language of their own. the accompanying collection of dragons and currency glyphs are playful juxtapositions of the university currency ‘dragon dollars.’

work history

UIC college of architecture, design, and the arts

adjunct faculty | summer 2022

prepare incoming freshmen for the transition from high school to college-level expectations as an artist/maker. help students begin to articulate their voice and decision making process. 

teaching assistant | spring 2022 + fall 2020

assist professor with classroom management for 80+ students (arch 200: architecture and society). responsible for one-third of student’s growth and learning comprehension throughout the semester. offer feedback on writing and understanding of topics. develop rubrics, maintain gradebooks.

instructor | spring 2020

co-instruct 80+ students on building successful portfolios (des 410: senior colloquium). develop syllabus with the learning objective to better understand the vast field of design and navigating the job market. conduct two portfolio reviews. invite design professionals to give talks and share their experience, giving students the opportunity to ask questions.
UIC office of diversity

director for diversity initiatives | aug 2022–aug 2023

w/t creative director for diversity education.  
  • research, design, implement, monitor, and evaluate trainings related to the development of diversity strategies on campus
  • provide expertise to the vp for diversity informed by best practices in developing trainings and programming efforts related to diversity and inclusion
  • oversee the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of e-trainings to support faculty in the classroom
  • establish and implement short and long range goals, learning objectives, and strategic dissemination plans to increase staff and faculty awareness of best practices in diversity and inclusion efforts
  • hire, train, develop designers to ensure objectives are met
  • plan, assign, and review work of designers

graphic designer for diversity education | aug 2017–may 2022

e-learning creative developer for diversity education topics
  • synthesize research, translate complex concepts into engaging, practical content
  • generate original imagery and develop interactive elements to meet learning objectives for each module
  • direct media team to develop various assets such as animation and videography
  • create and maintain user interface
  • conduct focus groups and incorporate findings to better the user experience
  • edit language for tone and clarity
  • present work to various stakeholders

graphic designer | aug 2015–may 2022

brand development and strategy
  • ideate themes related to initiative or program
  • translate core principles, visually
  • sketch and present possible directions while articulating the various visual impact of each direction
  • mock-up applications
  • create a systems approach across platforms
  • innovate fresh designs while adhering to university guidelines

branding strategist and consultant

dr. nadine naber | sept 2019–may 2022

  • develop branding
  • manage print and web assets and materials
dr. maria krysan | sept 2017–may 2018
  • develop book tour slides visually depicting core sociological concepts and research
dr. deborah napolitano | sept 2020 
  • develop branding for political campaign
  • manage print materials

other

co-director for 2020 design seminar series 

  • conceptualized theme and title “UP END END UP” 
  • invited four designers to speak on the practical impacts of speculation
  • created print and web assets

guest critic des 400

  • offered feedback to thesis proposals to bdes students

 
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