Faculty

Alex Sommerville

 

Alex Sommerville 
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Foundation Studio Coordinator, 2D Form Studio 
Faculty Advisor, AIGA Chicago
kaplan20@uic.edu

MDes Graphic Design, University of Illinois Chicago
BS Architecture, University of Cincinnati

Formally trained in both graphic design and architecture, Alex Sommerville evokes the spatial and contextual, confronting the physicality of two-dimensional space and composition. Working across textile design, photography, and graphic installations, she seeks out opportunities to partner with interdisciplinary teams on projects that add to the narrative of people and place.

Alex is Director of Brand Development at Simple Truth, a branding firm in Chicago’s River North neighborhood where she has collaborated with organizations such as Baird & Warner, City Colleges of Chicago, BPI, and the Chicago Humanities Festival. Previously, she partnered with The Kroger Company to research “The Future of Convenience” and participated in the design of Microsoft’s pop-up shops at a variety of scales, from furniture design to the interiors of international flagship stores. Her work has been recognized by Graphis, AIGA, the Society of Typographic Arts, Marmara University in Istanbul, and the Adobe Creative Jam.

She currently serves as AIGA Chicago’s Faculty Advisor for UIC, and continues to pursue projects that confront the latent systems that shape children of Mexican-American immigrants, offering a vehicle to reflect their personal identity within a multicultural community.