Rozina Vavetsi

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Rozina Vavetsi is a visual designer and associate professor in the Department of Digital Art and Design at New York Tech. With more than twenty years in higher education, Vavetsi teaches a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate graphic design courses, and she actively contributes to various academic initiatives, such as revising curricula, designing new courses, engaging in partnerships with local high schools and international universities, and serving as a liaison with the design community.

Bringing industry experience, forward-thinking pedagogy, and loyal commitment, Vavetsi strives to align academia with the professional world and encourages students to continually explore new territories of design and emerging technologies, fostering problem-solving and innovation. An essential component of her teaching philosophy is instilling in students the significance of elevated everyday design, which has the potential to enrich and uplift communities and enhance user experiences.

Furthermore, Vavetsi has dedicated a total of nine years to her roles as Academic Coordinator and Chair of the Digital Art and Design Department..

As a graphic designer, Vavetsi has showcased her work in notable locations around the world, including London, Milan, New York, Las Vegas, and Athens. Her work has earned recognition in prestigious graphic contests, such as Graphis, Good 50x70, How Design Adobe Commemorative, and Graphic Design USA In-house Design, and has been highlighted in both print and online design publications like Graphis, Creative Quarterly and Graphic Design USA.

Vavetsi runs a small design studio, managing client projects alongside her personal creative endeavors. Additionally, she is committed to contributing to the design community by offering pro bono design services to organizations like the American Cancer Society and local theater groups.

Vavetsi earned her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Athens, Greece, and later obtained a Master of Science in Communications Design from Pratt Institute in New York. She maintains an active membership in professional organizations including the Type Directors Club and AIGA.

Recent Projects/Research

• Anasa. Designed Brand Identity for a boutique summer rental. Sifnos, Greece. (2024)
• Après Ski. Designed Brand Identity and collateral materials for an annual high school event. Manhasset, NY. (2023)
• Teatro Grattacielo. Leading Digital Art and Design students in the creation of digital projections for stage backdrops in a variety of theatrical productions, including Julietta e Romeo, Carmen, and La Vestale. (2022–present)
• RESORB. Designed brand identity for RESORB, a European Union funded project for an on-demand biodegradable opto-electrical system. Pisa, Italy. (2022)
• Manhasset Theater Department. Designed posters, invitations, t-shirts, and playbills for more than thirty Middle School and High School plays and musicals. Manhasset, NY. (2013–2023)
• American Cancer Society. Designed invitations, journals, posters, and other collateral materials for various annual fundraising events. New York, NY. (2014–2018)
• Gaia Theater Group. Designed posters and playbills for several theatrical plays. Port Washington, NY. (2014–2018)
• Sculptors Guild. Designed catalogs for the Laws of Attraction and Transformations exhibitions on Governor's Island. New York, NY. (2014–2015)
• BIOFIT Academy. Designed the branding for a high-performance sports club. Athens, Greece. (2012–2016)
• Bruce Beasley. Designed banner and posters for the renowned artist's exhibit at the Shanghai Sculpture Space. Oakland, CA. (2008)
• Department of Greek Education, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese. Designed illustrations and publication design for the New York Regents exams and the "Greek as a Second Language" book. New York, NY. (2002–2005)
• Primordial Design, Inc. Designed branding, exhibition design and software information architecture for a medical technology startup. San Mateo, CA. (2004–2008)

International Conferences

Conducted various workshops at design schools around the world:

• Brassart Creative Schools. Taught a week-long workshop on Multi-sensory Packaging design to a group of 12 undergraduate Graphic Design students. Nantes, France. (February 2024)
• Design Principles and Practices Conference. Presented Environmental Graphic Design for Social Change. Valencia, Spain. (March 2024)
• Brassart Creative Schools. Taught a week-long workshop on Guerrilla Advertising and Innovative Packaging to a group of 19 undergraduate Graphic Design students. Nantes, France. (February 2023)
• Graphic Stories. 8th International Conference on Visual Communications on Tolerance. Presented Graphic Design: "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly." (March 2022)
• Brassart Creative Schools. Taught a five-day workshop on Guerrilla Advertising and Innovative Packaging to a group of undergraduate Graphic Design students. Nantes, France. (2023)
• École de Communication Visuelle (ECV). Taught a five-day workshop on Design Remix on graphic design and typography to a group of undergraduate students. Bordeaux, France. (2017)
• École de Communication Visuelle (ECV). Taught a five-day workshop on Retro Graphics on graphic design and typography to a group of undergraduate students. Paris, France. (2016)
• École de Communication Visuelle (ECV). Taught a five-day workshop on Information Graphics to a group of undergraduate students. Bordeaux, France. (2015)
• ArtCom. Taught a 3-day workshop on Information Design to a group of graduate students. Casablanca, Morocco. (2015)
• École de Communication Visuelle (ECV). Gave a five-day workshop on Information Design to a group of undergraduate students. Paris, France. (2014)
• École de Communication Visuelle (ECV). Gave a five-day workshop on Information Design to a group of undergraduate students. Paris, France. (2013)

Research/Presentations/Exhibitions

• Graphic Stories: 8th International Conference on Visual Communications on Tolerance. Presented Graphic Design: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Nicosia, Cyprus. (2022)
• New York Tech Gallery 61. Exhibited the infographic Loevingerʼs 9 Stages of Ego Development. New York, NY. (2019)
• Arts in Society Conference. Presented Information Design as a Means of Visual Communication. Lisbon, Portugal. (2018)
• Design Principles and Practices Conference. Presented Design your Information. Barcelona, Spain. (2014)
• UCDA National Design Education Summit. Presented Design for Better Understanding. Madison, WI. (2012)
• Design Principles and Practices Conference. Presented The Hidden World of Graphic Design Revealed. Los Angeles, CA. (2011)
• Design Principles and Practices Conference. Presented Graphic Design: Beyond Aesthetics. Rome, Italy. (2011)
• University of New Haven. Presented The Hidden World of Graphic Design. New Haven, CT. (2010)
• MAPACA Conference. Presented The Wide Wild World of Graphic Design. Alexandria, VA. (2010)
• ATINER Conference. Presented Graphic Design Undercover. Athens, Greece. (2010)
• American Institute for Graphic Arts (AIGA). Published the online article The Wide Wild World of Graphic Design. (2010)
• UCDA National Design Education Summit. Presented New Curricula for New Times. Mobile, AL. (2009)
• Triennale di Milano. Exhibited Brutal Appetite, winning poster of the 50x70 Design for Good contest. Milan, Italy. (2008)
• AIGA Design. Participated in the Urban Forest Project with the Underground Forest finalist digital illustration. Times Square, New York, NY. (2006)

Honors and Awards

• Awarded a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Fellowship for the project: "Participatory Design and the Decolonization of the Curriculum in South Africa." (April, 2024)
• Graphis. Silver Award for the Poster Celebrating 20 Years of SOURCE. (2023)
• CITYarts. Making a Difference Trough the Arts Award, an honorable recognition for being a dedicated educator and an award-winning designer. (2021).
• Graphic Design USA, InHouse Design. Multiple Awards:
  
  • Pieces of Peers – POP! poster (2018)
  • Breaking into the Creative Market poster (2018)
  • A Midnight's Summer Dream poster (2017)
  • The HIVE logo (2016)
  • Lincoln World Peace Poster (2016)
  • American Cancer Society (2014)
  • Allan Shedlin Memorial Golf promotional materials (2014)
  • SOURCE 2014 poster (2014)
• Creative Quarterly, The Journal of Art and Design. Featured designs:
  
  • Truth Undercover digital illustration. (2010)
  • Good 50X70. The Social Communication Project, Winner. Brutal Appetite. (2008)
  • Possibilities, a HOW commemorative winning poster. Las Vegas, NV. (2006)

Courses Taught at New York Tech

Undergraduate Courses

• Academic Internship
• Advertising Design
• Design Principles
• Editorial Design
• Information Design
• Package Design
• Portfolio
• Typography
• Visual Identity

Graduate courses

• Business Practice
• Content in Design
• Design for Print
• Graduate Research Assistantship
• Information Design
• Interactive Design
• Paper and Exhibition
• Production Issues for Print
• Professional Critiques
• Thesis Orientation
• Thesis Production I
• Thesis Production II
• Thesis Proposal

Contact Info

• rvavetsi@nyit.edu
• Website