Eric Benson

About

Eric Benson is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and Chair of Graphic Design & Design for Responsible Innovation at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Born in Arizona and raised in Mid-Michigan, he earned his BFA in graphic and industrial design from the University of Michigan in 1998 and his MFA in design from the University of Texas at Austin in 2006. His MFA thesis, which became the award-winning sustainable design website www.re-nourish.org, marked the beginning of his focus on sustainable design and life-centered systems thinking. His research explores how life-centered systems thinking informs design practice, critique, and storytelling, particularly within climate action and sustainability. Benson has developed projects such as the agri-fiber paper lab Fresh Press and hosts the climate action podcast Climify. His work emphasizes sustainable systems and responsible innovation, and he has published and lectured internationally on sustainable design. Benson's contributions have been recognized through numerous awards and exhibitions at notable venues including The Walker Art Center, the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, and the Hammer Museum.

Research topics

• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Science
• Chemistry
• Optics
• Nanotechnology
• Materials science
• Psychology
• Mathematics education
• Physics

Selected publications

• Design to Renourish

  2017-01-06 · 37 citations

  book1st authorCorresponding

  Inspiration is everywhere when you stop to not just smell but watch the roses. Mother Nature’s interwoven relationships between all life can serve as a powerful model for graphic designers to create sustainable print and digital work. Design to Renourish is a book for the graphic design professional that helps to integrate sustainability into their workflow through a design process called systems thinking. This process asks the graphic designer to approach a design problem by being more informed…

  PublisherDOI

• Green Fabrication of Stackable Laser‐Induced Graphene Micro‐Supercapacitors under Ambient Conditions: Toward the Design of Truly Sustainable Technological Platforms

  Advanced Materials Technologies · 2024 · 23 citations

  Abstract Extensive research into green technologies is driven by the worldwide push for eco‐friendly materials and energy solutions. The focus is on synergies that prioritize sustainability and environmental benefits. This study explores the potential of abundant, non‐toxic, and sustainable resources such as paper, lignin‐enriched paper, and cork for producing laser‐induced graphene (LIG) supercapacitor electrodes with improved capacitance. A single‐step methodology using a CO 2 laser system is…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Dezombies and the Coming Design Apocalypse: Confronting the Urgent Need to Increase Racial Diversity and Environmental Awareness in University-Level American Communication Design Programs

  Dialectic · 2017-10-18 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  When movie director George Romero introduced the modern conception of the zombie in his film "Night of the Living Dead" in 1968, he created an enduring metaphor for depicting the societal impact of rampant conspicuous consumption. His allegory for the consumer is that of a mindless, empty shell of a being who is only connected to its fellow humans by its incessant need to have its ravenous hunger satiated by the consumption of living brain tissue. The persona of the zombie metaphorically represe…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Sustainable Design Education Rethought: The Case for Eco-modernism

  Design Principles and Practices An International Journal—Annual Review · 2011-01-01 · 4 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Emotional eco-modernism: Is using bamboo really enough?

  2011-01-01 · 3 citations

  article

  Sustainability as a concept has begun to be more fully integrated into the American undergraduate design curricula. Our design students are more aware than previous generations of the increasing need for more thoughtful and responsible use of materials and resources, however it seems that apathy and politics prevent full acceptance of sustainable models of creation. Moreover, our educators must quickly become more skillful in environmentally and socially responsible design methodologies to creat…

  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Carmine Balascio

  University of Delaware

  6 shared

• William Balascio

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  4 shared

• Lawrence Hotchkiss

  University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

  4 shared

• João Coelho

  Universidad de Sevilla

  3 shared

• Pamela Napier

  Indiana University

  2 shared

• John Jennings

  2 shared

• Andrew M. Birmingham

  1 shared

• Maria Morais

  1 shared

Labs

• Eric Benson's LabPI

Education

• MFA, Design

  University of Texas at Austin

  2006

• BFA, Design

  University of Michigan

  1998

Similar researchers at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

• Conrad Bakkerh-11
• Jennifer Amosh-10
• Carlos Aguiarh-3