Jason Tselentis has worked as a graphic designer in non-profit, educational, and studio domains since 1996. He holds an MFA in visual communication design from the University of Washington-Seattle and currently teaches graphic design and typography at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. His writing has appeared in Arcade, Eye, mental_floss, Open Manifesto, Print, and HOW magazines.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?

Becoming a husband and father.

What sound or noise do you love?

Laughter (so long as it’s not diabolical laughter, like the kind Ricardio—the “heart guy”—does on Adventure Time).

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I’ve done a fair bit of fiction writing, such as short stories, and last year, I wrote a stage play. Writing a play was my first attempt at long form storytelling, and I’m in the process of revising it.

What’s some good professional advice you’ve received?

Natalia Ilyin, who was my graduate school teacher and later my mentor, told me, “Writing is rewriting.”

What are you currently working on?

I’m looking at ways to get design into K-12 classrooms, whether it’s through curricular means such as classes or after school programs. My advisory board colleague Rachel Martin suggested that our own Mentor Matchup become a place where we pair local designers with high schoolers, which would be a great way to let high schoolers interested in design, advertising, and web development do some shadowing with a professional. The truth is that many high schoolers are now required to conduct some job shadowing, but so few of them have access to designers, or even know what we do.

Each month, AIGA Charlotte strives to highlight one of its members. If you have any ideas for our next spotlight, please contact Mark Iafrate at miafrate@charlotte.aiga.org.