Author: Ksenya Samarskaya
This source was published in the American Institute of Graphic Arts in November 2020. Ksenya Samarskaya’s article breaks down the teaching methods of Offshore Studio and studio-based teacher, Isabel Seiffert. Samarskaya caught up with Seiffert via phone call and dove deeper into how her teaching mechanism and techniques vary in each school she teaches. The article is split up according to each question asked by Samarskaya: 1.) Beginning with how Seiffert adapts to different institutions; 2.) Range of assignments she brings to the classroom and other workshops; 3.) One takeaway lesson she tries to encourage students and; 4.) Seiffert’s method of instruction relates to the famous Swiss style of design. Within the first paragraph, Samarskaya introduces the audience to the hardworking teacher, Isabel Seiffert, who aims to encourage her students at Offshore Studio, University of Arts Bern, Zurich University, and several more educational institutions. She then asked Seiffert multiple questions that open the door to how she teaches, looking at certain curriculums and broadening the work of typography. The second half of the questions dive deeper into lessons that Seiffert wants her students to take away from her courses; the balance of craftsmanship, concept, and exploring beyond the studio. Samarskaya wraps up her article by explaining how Seiffert mixes in Swiss-style design to her students and why it’s essential to design education.
Ksenya Samarskaya is a Russian, multi-disciplinary designer, with an emphasis on typography. She splits her time between Lisbon and New York and specializes in visual communication via brand strategy, identity design, typography, and other collaborative designs for the internet. Samarskaya is mostly interested in landscape perspectives that help provide fresh and universal approaches to design. She currently works at Samarskaya & Partners as a creative practitioner in Brooklyn, New York.
Samarskaya, Ksenya. “Offshore Studio’s Isabel Seiffert on Her Teaching Practice + Merging Concept and Form.” Eye on Design, 10 Nov. 2020, eyeondesign.aiga.org/offshore-studios-isabel-seiffert-on-her-teaching-practice-merging-concept-and-form/.
