Gillian Harvey
Director of Graduate Programs
Associate Professor, Design Studies
Office: 377A Fine Arts Building
(780) 492-5092
gharvey@ualberta.ca
Areas of Teaching and Research
Visual Communication Design, Information Design, Typography + Document Design, Wayfinding + Signage, Design for Decision Making, Social Marketing
Biography
MA, Information Design, University of Reading, UK, 2004
Gillian Harvey is an Associate Professor in Design Studies, Department of Art & Design at the University of Alberta (Canada), where she teaches design theory, practice, and research in the area of Visual Communication Design. Gillian works with private and public sector clients in education, health care, and government as well as with non-profit organizations. She has designed social marketing campaigns, data visualization, and complex wayfinding systems. Her research focuses on information design, design for decision making and signage and wayfinding. She structures complex information in order to make it understandable for people, and advocates for the importance of human-centred design. Her recent work uses applied design research for the purposes of communicating medical procedures in emergency situations. Her research interest in signage and wayfinding has led to opportunities to explore and analyse wayfinding systems and their importance to urban growth and development within a city.
Gillian's work has been recognized with a dozen regional, national, and international awards, and she has published in the International Institute of Information Design's Journal of Information Design. She is a professional member of International Institute of Information Design (IIID), and the Graphic Designers of Canada. She is the president of the Edmonton Wayfinding Society (Edmonton), and the IIID World Region Representative for Canada.
Recent Research
