Photos provided by Catherine Cavallo, Sabrina Castro, Fatema Tuz Zohora, and Kristy Caldwell.
On May 12, the undergraduate literary journal Utopia Parkwaylaunched its Spring 2026 issue in the Q-Side Lounge. The event began with an introduction from editor in chief Randy Vilchis and co-editor Catherine Cavallo, both graduating Design BFA students. In attendance were President Frank Wu and Provost Patricia Price, who took photos with the student editors. Each contributor received a copy of the 106-page publication, which features a wraparound cover illustration by Catherine Cavallo and Joshua Young. The event included readings from several creative writing contributors, including Charles Jacobus and Anna Radford (pictured), and a slideshow of visual art from the issue. Thank you to everyone who participated!
If you’re interested in becoming involved with the journal as a student editor, email one of the faculty advisors to be added to the mailing list: Ryan Black at [email protected] or Kristy Caldwell at [email protected]. Everyone on the list will be contacted before the first meeting of Fall 2026, where you’ll have a chance to learn more about the role.
Everyone is invited to the launch event of the Spring 2026 issue of Queens College’s undergraduate literary journal, Utopia Parkway. Physical copies will be available to browse, and student editors and faculty advisors will be on hand to answer questions. This year’s editors include Design majors Randy Abel Vilchis (editor in chief) and Catherine Cavallo, Design minor Lucila Gonzalez, and recent Design BFA graduate Joshua Young. Faculty advisors are Ryan Black (English) and Kristy Caldwell (Design). Read about the current editors here.
The Spring 2026 issue includes visual art contributions from design students Ching Laam Lo, Yubin Kim, Catherine Cavallo, Lucila Gonzalez, Verna Fong, Patsy Escotto, Sharon Whinston, Elena Leung, Jigdrel Dhendup, Randy Vilchis, Benjamin Cruz Sanchez, Jeanette Manmohan, Fatematuz Jahura, Michelle Huh, and Bonnie Chen.
The event will include a slideshow of all visual art from the issue and feature readings from several creative writing contributors. It’s a great opportunity to see what the journal is all about and meet students from other creative disciplines.
Look out for these among your Fall 2026 course offerings! This post will be updated with more information as it becomes available.
City Myth by Seoyoung Lee (used with permission).
Visual Worldbuilding (new course!)
Course Title: DESN 370 (003) / VT: Special Topics in Design — Visual Worldbuilding Day & Time: Wednesdays 1:40pm–5:30pm Course Code: 28955 Classroom: KP263 Instructor: Kristy Caldwell (questions? [email protected])
What makes a fictional place feel real? In this course, we explore how imagined worlds take shape through visual details—environments, objects, signage, materials, and other evidence of everyday life. These details can form the foundation for a variety of visual storytelling and communication design projects.
A world can be a whole universe or a single room. Through visual research, exercises including sketching and short reflective writing, and applied projects, you’ll develop a purposeful approach to building worlds informed by place, culture, and social life.
By the end of the course, you’ll create a blueprint for your own fictional world along with a set of finished pieces that show how it works in practice. Final pieces can connect to illustration, animation, or other communication design work, and you’ll be encouraged to tailor your approach to your own interests and strengths.
Animation Hotline
Course Title: DESN 370 (005) / VT: Special Topics in Design — Animation Hotline Day & Time: Tuesdays 2:00pm–5:50pm Course Code: 40306 Classroom: KP263 / Hybrid Instructor: Dustin Grella No prerequisites – All majors welcome – Permission of instructor required
Animation Hotline is a web-based series of micro-animations that use crowd-sourced voicemail messages for content. People call an open phone line and leave a message on any topic — a story, an observation, a poem, whatever they want. Those messages get selected and animated, usually in a single day, using whatever experimental technique best fits the story. The project has screened at the Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals, MoMA, and has been featured in the New York Times.
In this course, students work as a production team to build their own branded project using the Animation Hotline model. The class will develop an original identity, select messages from the voicemail archive, and produce 12–16 short animations over the course of the semester. The full arc is covered — concept development, brand building, animation production, sound design, post-production, and public release.
This is not a traditional animation class. The production needs designers, illustrators, programmers, sound artists, writers, editors, social media strategists, and project managers. You don’t need to be an animator to have a real role on the team.
The course is offered as a hybrid class — QC students work in person in KP263, students from other CUNY colleges can participate remotely. This is a working production studio, not a lecture. Expect to collaborate, make creative decisions, and ship finished work.
The course is led by Professor Dustin Grella, whose animated work has screened internationally and who has collaborated with Lars Von Trier, Amazon Studios, and the Intrepid Museum.
To request permission, email [email protected] with a brief note about who you are, your major, and what you’d bring to the team. Students from other CUNY colleges may enroll through ePermit via CUNYfirst. The Fall 2026 ePermit deadline is August 21, 2026.
“Voices of Harlem” by Alliima Belton, Spring 2025Calligraphy by Oliver Siedlik, Fall 2025
Lettering & Calligraphy
Course Title: DESN 370 (004) / VT: Special Topics in Design— Introduction to Lettering & Calligraphy Day & Time: Thursdays, 10am–1:50pm Course Number: 28954 Classroom: KP481 Instructor: Amy Kim Delahanty
New to typography, or already love letters? Unique and beautifully crafted lettering makes for stand-out portfolio pieces and is a useful asset for a multitude of projects. In a digitally saturated field, handskills are becoming increasingly rare and valuable. Calligraphy is perfect if you’re looking for a break from the screen, and interested in learning a meditative practice to enhance your design process.
This is a beginner-friendly course for letter enthusiasts that are looking to express themselves through hand-crafted letterforms. This is not a type design course that results in a digital font, but rather explores the artistry and bespoke qualities of hand-drawn lettering and calligraphy. We will study them separately, and you will leave the course with a solid understanding of the difference between calligraphy, lettering, and typefaces.
You can expect a variety of exercises and projects that progressively build hand skills with various tools and mediums. Lettering projects will combine analog and digital techniques, whereas calligraphy work will all be completed by hand. Supplies are provided for in-class work (pens, ink, paper, iPads).
AI x Design
Course Title: DESN 370 (006) / VT: Special Topics in Design — AI x Design Day & Time: Mondays 1:40pm–5:30pm Course Code: 40308 Classroom: In person Instructor: Danne Woo
In the rapidly evolving landscape of design, generative AI stands at the forefront, offering groundbreaking possibilities and posing new challenges. This course is designed for design students seeking to explore the potential of AI in the creative process. Students will delve into a comprehensive exploration of various AI tools, including Adobe Firefly, ChatGPT, DALL-E, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, Eleven Labs AI, Runway ML, and others, learning to integrate them into design workflows.
The course combines theoretical learning with hands-on projects, enabling students to not only grasp the functionalities of these tools but also understand their practical applications in real-world design scenarios. As they progress, students will be encouraged to develop a critical perspective on the use of AI in design, particularly focusing on the ethical considerations such as bias, authorship, and the societal impact of AI-generated content.
Through lectures, workshops, guest speaker sessions, and collaborative projects, students will gain a nuanced understanding of how AI can augment, transform, and sometimes challenge traditional design methodologies. The course culminates in a final project where students will apply their learned skills to create comprehensive design works that reflect their mastery of AI tools and their thoughtful engagement with the ethical dimensions of AI in design.
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