Amanda Horton

Author of "Incomplete Design History"

February 6, 2023

Amanda (Mandy) Horton holds an MFA in Design and currently teaches graduate and undergraduate courses at Oklahoma State University and at the University of Central Oklahoma in the areas of design history, theory, and criticism. Mandy's specialty is in design history, and she has developed multiple courses on this subject, including an award-winning History of Graphic Design online course, and is director of the Design History minor at the University of Central Oklahoma. Her present research interests include the history of appropriation and its use in design, the effects of capitalism on design, as well as women and their contributions to graphic design history. Most recently Mandy has worked with the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum to develop online curriculum through the Smithsonian’s online Learning Lab website. Mandy is also an active member of AIGA and has previously served on the AIGA Oklahoma board and has served as a board member of Integrative Teaching International. Mandy has been featured on the CAA podcast, as well as three episodes of the Design Recharge Podcast with a CliffsNotes style version of graphic design history and is in the process of starting her own podcast on design history called Incomplet Design History.

"Incomplete Design History" is the continuation of a creative and research project that culminates in the development of a podcast focusing on the history of graphic design. It is an ongoing multi-layered creative project, exploring topics outside the existing design history canon. As the project is intended to be ongoing, seasons focus on specific themes or areas of interest that have largely been overlooked in the current design history canon, hence the title of the project and podcast, “Incomplete.” The podcast's first season focuses on “Women in Design History” and episodes were released in fall of 2021. The project's second phase centered on the “BIPOC contributions to Design History”. Many scholars admit the current literature on graphic design history is significantly lacking in the discussion of minorities and their contributions to its history. Recent events have brought to light the continued inequities in this country that BIPOC Americans experience and their place and role in graphic design history is no exception. Subsequent seasons will include the contributions of women, minorities, non-western themes, and other topics generally not covered in current graphic design history textbooks.

Link to Open Access Work: https://shareok.org/handle/11244/336577 

URL: https://library.okstate.edu/news/celebratingbooks/2023-honorees/amandahorton

Last Updated: 4 December 2023