Karen Cheng

Karen Cheng is Professor of Visual Communication Design in the University of Washington School of Art, Art History and Design, where she has taught since 1997. She received her Master’s Degree in Design from the University of Cincinnati's College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning, where she studied type design with graphic design faculty member Heinz Schenker, a graduate of the Basel School of Design in Switzerland. At the University of Washington, Karen's research activities span both authored publications as well as creative work. She is the author of Designing Type, a book described in reviews as “indispensable for anyone who designs type” and “a very well done and handsome book… an invaluable reference destined to be a classic in the field.” The first edition of Designing Type was published by Yale University Press in 2006, and has since been translated into German, French, Spanish, Chinese and Korea. Appealing to both educators and practitioners, it was immediately and very positively received as a seminal work in the field, becoming a required course textbook at several universities. As a practicing designer, Karen focuses on information design—both the design of data/information graphics, and the design of forms, maps and other functional communications. Her design work has received numerous national and international awards, including a nomination for a US National Design Award in 2011.