Lauren Nicholas

Adjunct Professor, CIT Support Staff

Courses:

Typography
Intro. to Graphic Design
Publication Design
Interactive Design

Education:

B.M. Saxophone Performance, Moravian College
Minor, Graphic Design, Moravian College
M.M. Saxophone Performance, The Boston Conservatory

Biography:

Lauren Nicholas, a freelance designer and saxophonist, has worked for various clients and educational institutions providing information design and marketing concepts for the past ten years. In combining her extensive study of music and graphic design, Lauren has built a career based entirely on the creativity of communication. She teaches graphic design courses, private music lessons, and performs as a soloist as well as in a variety of ensembles. Lauren also works for the CIT department on the user support team at Moravian.

Artist Statement:

My work with the language of typography and design is strikingly similar to my work with the language of music. Over the past decade, I have watched my work in sound and graphic design continue to merge and overlap. One medium inspires the other and in turn is inspired by influences and experiences in my life. Leonard Bernstein said, “The best way to ‘know’ a thing is in the context of another discipline.” The basic unit of sound is a tone, which can be related to a pixel or point on the ‘canvas.’ Each tone exists at a specific position within a composition, and like a letterform, the tone interacts with the space in a figure/ground relationship. The tension and release that is created defines the meaning and value of the piece.

My career as a teacher and performer—in music as well as design—provides both a good model for my students, and a valuable artistic outlet for me. In the classroom I aim to create an environment where students learn to harness their creativity to produce solid design concepts, and through practical experience, discover the rigors and realities of the design field. Learning is a lifelong endeavor and teaching is the catalyst.