IAD Welcomes Assistant Professor Terry Londy
Terry Londy
This year, Terry Londy will be joining Florida State’s Interior Architecture and Design Department, expanding the Department’s expertise into graphic design including publication design, wayfinding, and environmental graphics. Londy will be teaching the Design Foundations I course this year and is developing a new graphic design course for interested graduate students in Art, Art Education, Art History, Interior Architecture & Design, Theatre and Dance, which will debut in spring 2021.
“The Department of Interior Architecture & Design is excited to welcome new assistant professor Terry Londy to our ranks,” said Jill Pable, chair of IAD. “Mr. Londy’s previous practice experiences in environmental design and graphic design will lend wonderful richness to students’ understanding and project experiences, preparing them for the diverse expectations of design practice in their careers. Tapping his knowledge in graphic design courses yet to come for the Department and the College of Fine Arts is an exciting prospect that will assist students of many backgrounds.”
Londy is a highly experienced graphic designer from Detroit and Chicago and has worked with firms including Forcade Associates, CallisonRTKL and Gensler. Previously, Londy served as an instructor at DePaul University, and his prior research explored the impact of social media and its impact on public interaction with a memorial in the Midwest. The College of Fine Arts asked Londy about his experience as a professional designer, working as a designer in academia and more.
CFA: What led you to seek an academic career in design?
Londy: As a professional, leading a team of designers and developing them has been something I have thoroughly enjoyed. The transition from the professional realm to academia will allow me to still develop and invest in others, but early in their design career in a much broader sense. The more prepared they are when they leave the better chance at their success. It’s amazing to watch others grow and flourish, especially when they are your students.
CFA: What has it been like to move from the Midwest to Florida?
Londy: It has been quite a change, but a great one in many ways. The pace of life here is much more relaxing, In Chicago, we have one speed…GO. Here, it is about enjoying what is around you. The heat is a bit of a shock, but I will not be shoveling snow anymore, I’m trading shovels for SPF 45.
Retail Entry Signage Design with CRTKL Dallas Team.
CFA: What contributions do you envision providing to students’ learning and projects?
Londy: Bringing a professional studio mindset to the classroom is a great way to set the tone for their career to come. I view my role as a collaborator more than anything, knowing it is all about developing professional skillsets and making the work shine together. I think building trust with the students is imperative. When they understand the feedback is about making their work stronger, you start to foster a lasting mentor/mentee-like partnership in their academic life. Having a diverse design background in several disciplines including graphic design, interior design, furniture and fabrication, will help bring a unique style and fresh set of eyes to student work and their learning process.
CFA: What would you like your new and prospective students to know?
Londy: Design and learning should be fun. We are problem solvers and all of us love a good challenge, but at the root of it , we should be having fun… making things awesome. Everything we do is centered around people, the design, the interaction, and more importantly the relationships that can be built through the process of what we design. These relationships can be with designers collaborating, with the contractors putting everything together, with the client presentations, or even with the people interacting in the newly imagined space. We create a lasting bond, and this symbiosis is essential to our longevity. In all aspects leave them better than you found them. Make an impact in someone’s life.