Carissa Henriques is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design who specializes in democratic design and design for social impact. Her work delves into design’s social role, including design’s ability to foster inclusive communities through collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to making and storytelling. Her current research interest involves urban palimpsests, and the manner in which the creation, history, and layering of visible vernacular (signs) impact linguistic landscapes, particularly in areas of colonial influence.
Her teaching covers design for social impact, arts entrepreneurship, exhibition and experience design, brand identity, typography and type design, and capstone/thesis direction. She also founded, directs, and teaches a cross-disciplinary study abroad trip for young designers to Scandinavia that focuses on “Design and Sustainability,” whose main focus is multi-disciplinary study of sustainable design at scale: from cups to streets.
Henriques has presented her research and held workshops nationally and internationally, at Ashoka U, Venturewell, a2ru, AIGA Design Educators Committee, and (B)Academics (B-Corps).
She holds an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Design: Visual Communication and a BFA from James Madison University. She is currently an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at James Madison University.
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