Design Education Talks ep. 60 – Lia Vilahur

The Education of Attention: Esen Karol on Design, Publishing and Joy Teaching Designers to See: A Conversation with Esen Karol Design Education Talks

In this episode of Design Education Talks, I am joined by graphic designer, publisher, editor and educator Esen Karol for a thoughtful conversation about what it means to educate designers in an age of distraction, artificial intelligence and accelerating change. Drawing on her experience at Pratt Institute in New York and through her independent cultural criticism journal Manifold, Esen reflects on the changing role of the design educator, the importance of editorial thinking, and why the future of design education depends on cultivating attention, curiosity and meaningful human relationships rather than simply teaching software or preparing students for employment.Together we explore the value of studio culture, deep reading, writing, publishing and critique as essential components of creative education. Esen argues that students need more than technical skills or polished portfolios; they need opportunities to experience the world directly, develop confidence in their own actions, and discover their unique voice through making, reflection and dialogue. The conversation examines how joy, discipline and slow observation can become powerful teaching methods, and why publishing remains one of the richest educational frameworks for developing critical thinking, collaboration and cultural awareness.More than a discussion about graphic design, this episode is an exploration of the future of art and design education itself. We consider how schools can resist standardisation, rebuild communities of learning, and create spaces where students learn not only to communicate, but to perceive, question and think independently. It is a conversation for educators, designers, students, researchers and anyone interested in how creativity is formed, how culture is transmitted, and why the most important work of education may still be helping people learn how to see.Since its inception in 2019, Design Education Talks podcast has served as a dynamic platform for the exchange of insights and ideas within the realm of art and design education. This initiative sprang from a culmination of nearly a decade of extensive research conducted by Lefteris Heretakis. His rich background, intertwining academia, industry, and student engagement, laid the foundation for a podcast that goes beyond the conventional boundaries of educational discourse.See all of our work on on https://linktr.ee/thenewartschoolFollow us on twitter at @newartschoolRead our latest articles at https://newartschool.education/and https://heretakis.medium.com/Equipment used to produce the podcast:Rodcaster pro IIRode NT1 5th generationElgato Low profile Microphone ArmMonster Prolink Studio Pro microphone cableThe rest of the equipment is here 👉https://kit.co/heretakis/podcasting
  1. The Education of Attention: Esen Karol on Design, Publishing and Joy Teaching Designers to See: A Conversation with Esen Karol
  2. Simon Collins – What Design Schools Get Wrong About the Real World
  3. Graham Fink – Why Process Matters More Than Finish in Creative Work
  4. Dan Vlahos – Dynamic Media, Critical Thinking, and Design Pedagogy
  5. Jan Kubasiewicz on Teaching Design as a System of Meaning

Lia Vilahur Chiaraviglio is currently the Director of International at ERAM College, Girona, and a Graphic Designer. During her professional career she worked as: interior architect, industrial- graphic designer, and managing multidisciplinary teams. She co-founded and managed together with Eric Olivares the design studio, Inlightdesign SCP.

As an artist, she works mainly with collage and acrylics and sometimes with watercolour and woodprints. She participates in international congress and teaches workshops for different design faculties in Latin America, Asia and Europe. From 2004 to 2014 she worked as a teacher at the IED (European Institute of Barcelona) being the professor of the following subjects: Design Foundation, Colour and Trends, Material and innovation, Lighting, Presentation Techniques and Project Communication, at both bachelor and master levels. In the academic field she also worked as external coordinator, for the degree in Interior design at IED Barcelona, and as Program Leader for the Degree of Graphic Communication of the Northampton in ERAMCollege.

She worked for Materio FAD, on the research and divulgation of materials innovation. She is co-author of the book “Drawing for graphic designers”. Her education background is at Art History (UAB, Barcelona) with a one-year exchange student (University of Bologna). A BA Interior Design from IED Milan, with a cumulus exchange at Lahti Polytechnic Finland. And the “Renewable energies, Sustainability studies” from MasterD.

On linkedin is available more information about the studies and Curriculum Vitae. https://www.linkedin.com/in/lia-vilahur-chiaraviglio

Portfolio: www.liavilahur.com

Art-works and inspiration photography in Instagram @liavilahurchiaraviglio

Info about talks, conferences and workshops, awards and more: https://www.facebook.com/lia.vilahurSupport the show

Follow us on twitter at @newartschool
Visits us on https://linktr.ee/thenewartschool
Read our latest articles at https://heretakis.wordpress.com/
and https://heretakis.medium.com/

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