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Erik A. Evensen

Program Director / Professor

Phone 715-232-5324
Office 323C Applied Arts

Erik Evensen is Professor of Design and director of the MFA program. His teaching, research, and creative work focus on the synthesis of illustration and visual communication design, and the communication of ideas through visual storytelling. He teaches studio courses in design drawing, illustration, concept art, graphic design, and typography, and graduate seminars in design research and design education.

He began his career as a graphic designer and illustrator in coastal New Hampshire and the greater Boston area. His design practice includes advertising, branding, publication design, and a number of credits in the entertainment industry. As an illustrator, his comics industry credits include the “Ghostbusters” and “Back to the Future” comic series from IDW Publishing, and the Xeric-winning graphic novel “Gods of Asgard,” the definitive comics adaptation of the Norse myths, which has been the subject of many academic papers and adopted as a textbook at several universities. He is also the art director, game artist, and co-producer for the tabletop games “Marrying Mr. Darcy” and “Distilled.”

Erik has presented at and reviewed for academic conferences sponsored by the Design and Emotion Society, IASDR, MODE Summit, AIGA, the Congress of Medieval Studies, and the Polytechnic Summit. A student of Design Research pioneer Liz Sanders, his academic research on educational board game design is a featured case study in her textbook, “Convivial Toolbox: Generative Research for the Front End of Design.” As an instructor, he has been recognized with the College of Arts & Human Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award, and as a Faculty Ally.

Erik holds an MFA in Design from Ohio State University, graduating Phi Kappa Phi. He received a BA in Studio Art from the University of New Hampshire, and a Post-baccalaureate Certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.