Lauren Thorson

Lauren Thorson (b. 1986, Iowa) is a designer who works in education, studio production, and as a partner of Studio-Set (a collaboration with Jasio Stefanski).

Her practice involves design commissions and consultation, mechanical drawing, information architecture projects– developing scalable frameworks for the serendipitous and strategic— and collaboration. Her ongoing investigation of the mechanical XY pen plotter surveys computer graphics and computer art, and expands its origins through new recordings, rigorous production, and self-patterning.

She has exhibited, published, and lectured in the US and abroad, and has won national and international awards for her design work. She maintains an active role with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) VIS conference’s Arts Program (VISAP) and organizes the Seoul Series Workshops, an annual program fostering collaboration and research between design professionals and students in Seoul, South Korea.

Lauren is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Graphic Design at Virginia Commonwealth University. She was a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Minnesota and worked as a Researcher at the Interactive Visualization Lab. She holds an M.F.A in Visual Studies from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design, a B.A. in Communications Studies, and a B.F.A in Graphic Design from the University of Iowa.