hikatielupton@gmail.com
Graphic Design
In-person, Online, Hybrid mentor (in-person and online)

BIO 

In my current studio practice, I create projects using a combination of print, pattern, package, and product design, incorporating multiple mediums: graphic design, screen printing, prototyping, and installation. My work aims to investigate relationships between design constraints and parameters within systems. The tactile nature of the work is heavily-influenced by my interest in play and participation and how both can be incorporated into design solutions. Most recently, I have been interested in experiential graphic design and alternative display installations, combining two-dimensional graphics with three-dimensional applications.

In the fall, I will start as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Interactive Media at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. For the last two years I taught at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, and lived nearby in Myrtle Beach. My work has been exhibited at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, Can Can Wonderland (the first arts-based public benefit corporation in Minnesota), the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and Coastal Carolina University.

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY & MENTORSHIP

I am committed to being an active participant in each student’s development, and I expect the same in return from each of my students. I believe the joint effort between student and teacher, which will then turn to designer and client is a valuable asset every student should develop. Creating mutual respect, students feel welcome to share ideas, engage in conversation, offer peer feedback, and express their concerns. The environment of my classroom explores individual expression while advocating the importance of teamwork, placing value on the interconnectedness of how seemingly unrelated topics could inform a body of work.

Design research should be an investigation using your hands — learning by doing — with an ebb and flow between playfulness and formality. Experiential learning has been an integral aspect of my practice, and I hope this enthusiasm translates to my students.