Renate Gokl is a graphic designer, an Associate Professor at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago [SAIC], and the Chair of the Department of Visual Communication Design [VCD] where she also teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses. Her career spans twenty-five years as both a designer and educator. Her work focuses on typography and book design—primarily for cultural and educational institutions—and is known for its resonant information structures. Her areas of expertise: typography / book and publication design / information structures + systems / visual organization / methodology / visual narrative. Her research and creative activity + interests: typographic structures / re/interpreting text / exploring poetic qualities/potential of typography / interconnections/relationships.
Since 1992 Gokl has maintained a freelance graphic design practice, Renate Gokl Design, specializing in book design, identity design, and varied print collateral for clients such as museums, galleries, educational institutions, university presses, architects, artists, and designers, and produces self-initiated projects ranging from artists books to letterpress prints. Other professional experience includes: Associate + Senior Designer Studio Blue, Chicago, IL [2004-2006]; Senior Designer University of Chicago Press , Chicago, IL [2001-2004]; Designer, Forsythe Design Boston, MA [1990–1992]; Art Director/Designer Marshall Field’s Advertising Chicago, IL [1986-1988]; Designer Strandell Design Chicago, IL [1985-1986].
Gokl earned a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, which she attended from 1980 to 1985. She received her MFA (Master of Fine Arts) in Graphic Design from the Rhode Island School of Design in 1990 [Thesis: Things Are Not As Simple As They Seem: The Power of Implication]. She lives in Hyde Park with two cats.
Gokl joined the faculty of SAIC in 2006. Gokl has stated that, "First and foremost, we want students to cultivate a sense of joy in their work and to develop their personal voice as designers/artists... Additionally, we want them to be independent, conceptual and critical thinkers, have strong and adaptable working processes, and to be aware of how they position themselves and their practice in relation to theory, history and methodology.” Prior to her SAIC appointment, Gokl was at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was tenured, and taught courses from 1992-2001.
Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, 2007; In the Studios of Paris: William Bouguereau and his American Students (book), Philbrook Museum of Art & Yale University Press, national competition
Fifty-sixth Annual Chicago Book Clinic Show, 2007; Chicago Book Clinic;In the Studios of Paris: William Bouguereau and his American Students (book), Philbrook Museum of Art & Yale University Press, midwest regional competition
AAUP Book, Jacket & Journal Show, 2006; Association of American University Presses, New York; 'Who Wrote the Book of Love? (book cover), University of Chicago Press, national competition & traveling exhibition
Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, 2006; Beyond/in Western New York (exhibition catalogue), Albright-Knox Art Gallery, national competition
STEP Magazine Design 100, 2005; Beyond/in Western New York (exhibition catalogue), Albright-Knox Art Gallery, national competition
Fifty-third Annual Chicago Book Clinic Show, 2004; Chicago Book Clinic Hagia Sophia (book), University of Chicago Press, midwest regional competition
50 Books/50 Covers, 2004; American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York; Boys will be Boys (book), University of Chicago Press, national competition & traveling exhibition
Fifty-second Annual Chicago Book Clinic Show, 2003; Chicago Book Clinic; Civil and Corrupt Asia (book), University of Chicago Press, midwest regional competition
50 Books/50 Covers, 2002; American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York; A View by Two: Contemporary Jewelry (exhibition catalogue), RISD Museum, national competition & traveling exhibition
AAUP Book, Jacket & Journal Show, 2002; Association of American University Presses, New York; Creating Mental Illness (book cover), University of Chicago Press
Forty-ninth Annual Chicago Book Clinic Show, 2000; Chicago Book Clinic; Seven Rules of Rikyu (artists’ book), midwest regional competition
AIGA Communication Graphics, 1999; American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York; Schaudt Landscape Architecture (brochure), Peter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture
UCDA 29th Annual Design Competition, 1999; University and College Designers Association;Die Bücher Ber Künstler (poster), Krannert Art Museum; Ilya Kabakov: The Boat Of My Life (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum, national competition & exhibition
77th National & 12th International Art Directors Club Exhibition, 1998; The Art Directors Club, New York; Schaudt Landscape Architecture (brochure), Peter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture
44th Annual Type Directors Club Exhibition, 1998; Type Directors Club, New York; Schaudt Landscape Architecture (brochure), Peter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture
Nineteenth Annual 100 Show, 1996; American Center for Design, Chicago, Illinois; Selected Mountain Poems of Stonehouse (artists’ book)
74th National & 9th International Art Directors Club Exhibition, 1995; The Art Directors Club, New York; Distinctive Merit Award, Vernon Fisher (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum; Merit Award, Alfred Now: Contemporary American Ceramics (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
Forty-sixth Annual Chicago Book Clinic Show, 1995; Chicago Book Clinic; Alfred Now: Contemporary American Ceramics (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
Seventeenth Annual 100 Show, 1994; American Center for Design, Chicago, Illinois; Al Held Italian Watercolors (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
AIGA Communication Graphics, 1994; American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York; Al Held Italian Watercolors (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
1994 Museum Publications Design Competition, 1994; American Association of Museums, Washington DC; First Prize in magazine category, Krannert Art Museum Biannual
Annual Simpson Paper Competition, 1994; Al Held Italian Watercolors (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
73rd National & 8th International Art Directors Club Exhibition, 1994; The Art Directors Club, New York; Al Held Italian Watercolors (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
Forty-fifth Annual Chicago Book Clinic Show, 1994; Chicago Book Clinic; Honor Award, Al Held Italian Watercolors (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
40th Annual Type Directors Club Exhibition, 1994; Type Directors Club, New York; Al Held Italian Watercolors (exhibition catalogue), Krannert Art Museum
UCDA 24th Annual Design Competition, 1994; University and College Designers Association; Silver Award, school of art and design outstanding achievement award, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
AIGA Communication Graphics, 1992; American Institute of Graphic Arts, New York; RISD jewelry & light metals (catalogue), RISD Metals Department
How Magazine, Annual Self-Promotion Competition, 1992; Merit Award, forsythe design holiday card
Ucross Foundation Ucross, Wyoming, April 1999; Received through a competitive process, a residency of 4 weeks. Designed, composed, and printed by letterpress a limited edition book work, Seven Rules of Rikyu, which subsequently received an award of excellence from the Chicago Book Clinic, 2000.
Ucross Foundation Ucross, Wyoming, May 1995; Received through a competitive process, a residency of 4 weeks. Designed, composed, and printed by letterpress a limited edition book work, The Mountain Poems of Stonehouse, which subsequently received an award of excellence from the American Center for Design 100 Show, 1996
Dean’s Special Grant; College of Fine and Applied Arts, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999, 2000
Brody Faculty Development Grant; School of Art and Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1998, 1999, 2000
AIGA American Design Archives: Boys Will Be Boys; University of Chicago Press, Chicago, Illinois, 2003; A View by Two: Contemporary Jewelry; Renate Gokl, Chicago, Illinois, 2001; Schaudt Landscape Architecture Brochure; Renate Gokl, Urbana, Illinois, 1998; Al Held Watercolors; University of Illinois, Office of Printing Services, Urbana, Illinois, 1993
Rhode Island School of Design/Jewelry and Light Metals Dept.; RG Design, Somerville, Massachusetts, 1991
Denver Art Museum
New York Public Library Print Collection
Joan Flasch Artists' Book Collection
Samara, Tim, Design Evolution: A Handbook of Basic Design Principles Applied in Contemporary Design, Rockport Publishers, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 2008, p. 31
Cullen, Kristen, Layout Workbook, Rockport Publishers, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 2005, pp. 64–65, 75, 106, 162–165
The Best of Brochure Design 5, Rockport Publishers, Gloucester, Massachusetts, 1999, pp. 103, 171
Lewis, Rita, Adobe Pagemill 2.0 Handbook, Hayden Books, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1997, p. 295
Grear, Malcolm, Inside/Outside: From the Basics to the Practice of Design, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, New York, 1993, p. 154
Diagram Graphics, PIE Books, Tokyo, Japan, 1992, p. 101
Brochure Design Forum, PIE Books, Tokyo, Japan, 1992, Vol. 2, p. 55
Business Card Graphics, PIE Books, Tokyo, Japan, 1992, p. 162
365: AIGA Year in Design 25, AIGA, New York, New York, 2004, p. 168
365: AIGA Year in Design 23, AIGA, New York, New York, 2002, p. 393
Graphic Design USA: 20, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York, 1999, p. 123
Typography 19, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York, 1998
77th Art Directors Annual, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York, 1998, p. 342
Nineteenth Annual 100 Show, RotoVision SA, Switzerland, 1996
74th Art Directors Annual, RotoVision SA, Switzerland, 1995, p. 118
Graphic Design USA: 15, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York, 1994, p. 190
Graphis Packaging, The Graphis Press, Zurich, Switzerland, 1994, p. 182
73rd Art Directors Annual, RotoVision SA, Switzerland, 1994, p. 157
Seventeenth Annual 100 Show, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York, 1994, p. 117
Typography 15, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York, 1994, p. 188
Graphic Design USA: 13, Watson-Guptill Publications, New York, New York, 1992, p. 165
Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, November 2007
Print Magazine Regional Design Annual, November 2006
STEP, March/April 2006
Printmaking Today, Winter 2001, p. 33
“New Visual Artists ‘98, 20 On The Brink: Great Expectations,” Print Magazine, lii:i, 1998, pp. 195 and 200. Showcases work from 2 students in my course, Senior Graphic Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Museum News, The Magazine of the American Association of Museums, August 1994, Washington DC, p. 31
How Magazine, October 1992, p. 104
Art Aurea, Internationale Zeitschrift für Gestaltung, 1989, Germany, Vol. 3, p. 57
A. de Forest, “The Educated Eye,” ID Magazine, September/October, 1989, p. 48
K. Lenk, “Diagrams, Charts, Graphs,” Graphis Magazine, 1985, Zürich, Switzerland, Vol. 238, p. 58
Articles in Journals
R. Gokl, T. Ockerse, “Semiotics as Design Method,” Spirals 91, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, 1991, pp. 177–188
Design Issues, Volume 31:3 cover design, 2015
Master Paintings, book design for permanent collection, Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 2009
Fordham University Press, book and cover designs, Bronx, New York, 2005–present
University of Chicago Press, book and cover designs, Chicago, Illinois, 2007–present
Richard Gray Gallery, newsletter, postcards, and ads, Chicago, Illinois, 2008
Winnetka Congregational Church, typography for covenant stone and commemorative wall panel, Winnetka, Illinois, 2007
Loyola Press, book and cover designs, Chicago, Illinois, 2007
A(+D) to Z, Festschrift for type designer Professor Hermann Zapf in commemoration of being awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2003. Designed the packaging/binding/frontmatter for this limited-edition book of tributes. Invited graphic design alumni of UIUC’s School of Art and Design from the past 3 decades to contribute a specially designed page for inclusion.
Influence Across Fields, The Chicago Architectural Journal 10, 152 pages, The Chicago Architectural Club, Chicago, Illinois, 2002
A View By Two: Contemporary Jewelry, 48-page exhibition catalogue, Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, 2001
Knot Nots, Barbara Yoshida + Amy Hufnagel, artists’ book, edition of 100, New York, New York, 2000
Positions in Architecture, The Chicago Architectural Journal 9, 152 pages, The Chicago Architectural Club, Chicago, Illinois, 2000
The Architecture of Durisch + Nolli, 84-page exhibition catalogue, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, 2000
Architecture at Illinois, newsletter for alumni, donors, and friends, 32 pages, School of Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, 1999
University of Illinois Press, logo and visual identity system, Champaign, Illinois, 1999
David Clinard Design, visual identity system, New York, New York, 1999
Seven Rules of Rikyu, artists’ book, letterpress, 18-page accordion fold, edition of 50, self-initiated project, designed and printed while a resident at the Ucross Foundation, Wyoming, 1999
Crenshaw Stories, 32-page catalogue commemorating a public arts project by Buzz Spector for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, 1998
Frederic Spector Design Studio, visual identity system, press kit, promotional materials, Providence, Rhode Island, 1997–present
Peter Lindsay Schaudt Landscape Architecture, promotional brochure, announcements, and cards, Chicago, Illinois, 1997–2005
Selected Mountain Poems of Stonehouse, artists’ book, letterpress, 16 pages, edition of 30, self-initiated project, designed and printed while a resident at the Ucross Foundation, Wyoming, 1995
Naming, Timothy van Laar, artists’ book, 32 pages, Champaign, Illinois, 1995
Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, Illinois, primary designer of printed materials (exhibition catalogues, brochures, postcards, calendars, exhibition graphics) produced by the museum, 1991–1999. Selected work includes: contemporary art series catalogues, 1994–1999, featuring the work of mid-career artists in the Contemporary Art Series exhibitions, 24-36 pages each.
Ilya Kabakov: Boat of My Life, 174-page exhibition catalogue, 1998
Die Bücher der Künstler, poster, 1998
Alfred Now: Contemporary American Ceramics, 56-page exhibition catalogue, 1994
Krannert Art Museum Biannual Members Magazine, 16 pages, 1993–1995
Al Held Italian Watercolors, 122-page exhibition catalogue, 1993
Julio Larraz Paintings, 36-page exhibition catalogue, 1992
Gokl, Renata. Knot Nots: A Fairytale. Letterpress edition of 100
New Visual Artists 98. 52 Vol. Rockville: F & W Publications, Inc, 1998.
Invited Lectures, Presentations, and Juries
Association of American University Presses (AAUP) annual conference: connect, collaborate, panel presentation “50th Anniversary of the Book, Jacket, and Journal Show” addressing the current state of scholarly book design and digital publishing, Denver, June 2015
Served on the jury for the 2015 aaup book, jacket, and journal show, with Simon Johnston, Ned Drew, and Nola Burger, New York, January 2015
MPA book and media show, juror, annual Midwest Publishing Association Book and Media Show, Chicago, Illinois, August 2012
Program Committee AIGA Design Education Conference 2004
Using Type Well, presentation, American Association of University Presses Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri, June 2003
Commencement Address, School of Art + Design, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Urbana, Illinois, May 2003
Teaching and Practice, panel discussion, AIGA Chicago, Breakfast Series, Three Arts Club, Chicago, Illinois, September 2000
Graduate Education: fact or fiction, American Center for Design, Chicago, Illinois, 1993. Thesis exhibition accompanying national design symposium. Five schools (Rhode Island School of Design, North Carolina State University, Pratt, the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology, and Cranbrook) were asked to submit one thesis that best represented their design program and philosophy. The schools and their philosophies were the point of departure for the national symposium.
