Today we’d like to introduce you to James Grady.
James, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
In July 2017, I left a long-standing post at Fathom Information Design to pursue a full-time teaching position at Boston University in the College of Fine Arts. I created new syllabi and taught graduate and undergraduate students in the Graphic Design Department.
It has been both extremely challenging and rewarding to transition from my previous, long-standing role in the design industry to teaching full-time, and I could not be happier. I have truly enjoyed the opportunity of getting to know and working with the talented and dedicated colleagues at BU. I also can’t say enough about the experience I’ve had with the students. I can see so much of myself in many of them and it has been a pleasure to see them develop.
I’ve taught many courses including graduate studio, graduate typography, web, and motion design. These courses give me the opportunity to activate a lot of the work I did in my thesis “shift” while in Graduate School at the Rhode Island School of Design. I helped the students with strategies and methodologies they could apply to their theses. I introduced them to concepts of liminality and recontextualization, at the same time I had them focus on tactical projects like translating a static print project into a video or interactive piece.
Taking on the full-time position has also opened up the opportunity for me to develop another longtime dream of starting my own design practice. In August 2017 I established Design Axl, LLC.
This has given me the opportunity to work with great clients in healthcare artificial intelligence, beverage branding, and UI/UX app development. These clients are a natural extension of my nearly twenty-year career in branding and data visualization. Prior to teaching full time and starting my own studio, I’ve worked on projects with Nike, Volkswagen, Warner Brothers, Google, Samsung, The World Bank, The Clinton Foundation, and The Gates Foundation to name a few.
I also taught Information Design and Visualization at MIT for three semesters from 2016–2017. I have done many speaking engagements including Visualized NYC, Beautiful Data at Harvard, and SATE at Carnegie Mellon University.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been very challenging and rewarding. Trying to balance teaching and client work is a juggling act. It’s great to have the foundation and consistency with the teaching, but keeping a regular client stream is the most challenging part.
Design Axl – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are a boutique practice that helps organizations build their brands and visually communicate the data at the heart of their businesses. We’ve worked with cutting-edge clients in healthcare, technology, food/beverage, and the arts, providing them with print and interactive design, UI/UX, information design, and data visualization.
Design Axl is led by James Grady, a Boston-based designer and educator with nearly two decades of broad-based experience.
James’ design approach is a powerful combination of theory and execution. Informed by an empirically based methodology that he developed as part of his MFA thesis at Rhode Island School of Design, it encourages a deeper level of creative exploration, which he balances with an unparalleled understanding of the brand and visual communication.
This intersection of education and practice continues to inform Design Axl’s creative approach. As an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Boston University, James has a unique testing ground to develop new ideas and share them with young, engaged students eager to push the boundaries of what design can do.
Central to our approach is close collaboration with clients. We become an extension of your team, working side by side with your executives, engineers, and marketing to shape your organization’s brand. You help us understand the mission of your organization and the power of your data, we find novel, impactful ways to visually communicate that story, and why it matters to the world.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
Being offered the Assistant Professor position at Boston University. You can always find a job working for someone else, but I feel it is an honor and privilege to be able to teach others.
Contact Info:
- Address: 808 Commonwealth Ave 4th floor 406G Boston MA
- Website: https://www.axl.design/
- Phone: 617 461-6296
- Email: james@axl.design
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jamesjgrady/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/jamesjgrady
- Other: https://medium.com/@james_grady
Image Credit:
Liz Linder
Getting in touch: BostonVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
