When Norman Ives received his MFA in design from Yale University School of Art, Alvin Eisenman, head of the graphic design department, invited him to join his newly assembled faculty, which included many of the leading designers and innovators of both the United States and Europe.

Teaching Style

Ives proved to be a naturally gifted teacher and was recognized for this by being awarded teacher of the year honors. He was admired for his succinctness, straight forward commentary, mature criticism, and supportive nature. Ives’s teaching style was low key and personal, and he preferred to meet with small groups in his studio to discuss assignments.

Ives was engaged and disciplined. His work ethic was an inspiring example of concentration. That approach spilled over to his student “crits.” But his wry humor could soften the blows of his critical comments. “What’s next? Did you try this? Did you try that?” He pushed students to probe, reveal more and resolve the form being developed.

Teaching Legacy

From the generations of Ives’s students, a number became leading designers who launched a renewed respect for the field of design. Equally important was a small cadre of students who became exceptional teachers of design. Their lessons were passed on to a bounty of generations. What sounds like classic inbreeding in fact enriched the original program.

Beyond Yale

Ives’s prolific flow of activity as an artist, graphic designer and publisher did not keep him from devoting a great deal of energy to his teaching, not only at Yale, but at other institutions. In 1963, Ives was Visiting Professor at the Royal College of Art in London. He spent the remainder of the 1963-64 academic years as Visiting Professor at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and while there was given a one-man exhibition at the university art gallery.  From 1960 to 1962, and again from 1965 to 1968, he was Visiting Professor at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.

Impact

From the generation of Ives’s students, a number became leading designers who launched a renewed respect for the field of design. Equally important was a small cadre of students who became exceptional teachers of graphic design. Their lessons were passed on to a bounty of generations.