Neeta Verma is an Associate Professor in Visual Communication Design at The University of Notre Dame. For over 25 years she has led a design firm, working exclusively for museums, cultural organizations, not-for-profits, and educational institutions. Working for national and international clients, like the American Red Cross, The New York Botanical Garden, Whitney Museum of American Art, and The Wildlife Conservation Society. Her design practice spans branding and marketing, way-faring, and web development. Throughout her career, she has defined the role of visual communication design as one that serves as a catalyst within a societal context. She brings her rich professional experience in the industry to influence, mold, and inform classroom experiences. She believes that as educators, designers, and communicators we have a responsibility towards creating a discipline that is not just determined by “need,” but more importantly by “relevance”. Her areas of research and teaching focus on Social Design examined at the intersection of social innovation and collaborative practices, and Visualization of Data explored within the context of aesthetics, ethics, and politics of representation. Her current research projects focus on developing educational materials for the visually impaired in India and Mitigating Youth Violence in South Bend, United States.
She holds an MFA from Yale University and an MDes from the National Institute of Design, India. Her work has won several awards including Graphis, Core77, Graphic Design USA, A’Design Awards, and International Design Awards. She has presented her research at both national and international conferences. She currently serves on the SEGD Task Force and CAA’s Committee on Design.
2021
Honorable Mention in the DNA Paris Awards for Graphic Design/Typography, 2021.
2020
• Honorable Mention in the London International Creative Competition for Graphic Design
2019
• Winner of the Silver Award in the Graphis Design Annual Competition, 2020.
• Winner of the international A’Design: Iron Design Award for 2018-19 in the Social Design Award category for project titled, Insights: Signage for Visually Impaired Girls
• Honorable Mention in the Graphis Poster Annual Competition, 2020
2018
• Appointed to serve on CAA’s Professional Committee on Design. The appointment runs from February 2019 in New York through February 2022 in Chicago
• Winner of the 2018 American Graphic Design Awards™ competition for poster design titled, Bridging Two Continents
• Winner of a runner-up CORE 77 Award in the category of Design for Social Impact for a project titled, inSIGHTs: Instrumenting conducive environments for the visually impaired in India
2017
• Recognized for outstanding work as a scholar, teacher, and citizen of the university and appointed to Robert J. Sedlack, Professor of Visual Communication Design Collegiate Chair
2016
• Honorable Mention at the International Design Awards for Visual Identity and Branding Campaign for the Albuquerque Youth Symphony Program
• Member AIGA [American Institute of Graphic Arts]
• Member AAM [American Association of Museums]
• Member SEGD [Society for Experiential Graphic Design]
• Member CAA [College Art Association]
• Member DRS [Design Research Society] s
• Member NCAA [National Council of Arts Administrators]