Professor, University of Wisconsin–Stout
Erik A. Evensen is Professor of Design and Director of the MFA in Design at the University of Wisconsin–Stout, where his teaching load includes courses in design drawing and visualization, concept art, illustration, graphic design, typography, and design research. In 2022, he was recognized with the College of Arts & Human Sciences' Outstanding Teaching Award. He began his career as a graphic designer and illustrator in coastal New Hampshire and the greater Boston area. His design practice includes advertising, branding, publication design, and a number of credits in the entertainment industry, including the graphic novels "Gods of Asgard" and "The Beast of Wolfe's Bay," the licensed comic series "Ghostbusters" and "Back to the Future" from IDW Publishing, and the tabletop games "Marrying Mr. Darcy" and "Distilled." Erik's MFA thesis on design research methods for tabletop games is widely cited in the research on educational game design, and is a featured case study in Convivial Toolbox: Generative Research for the Front End of Design, by Elizabeth Sanders and Pieter Jan Stappers. He has presented at and reviewed for academic conferences sponsored by the Design and Emotion Society, IASDR, MODE Summit, AIGA, KEER, the Congress of Medieval Studies, M+DEV: Midwest Game Developers Conference, and the Polytechnic Summit. Erik holds an MFA in Design from Ohio State University, a BA in Studio Art from the University of New Hampshire, and a post-baccalaureate certificate from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University.
