Alan Caballero LaZare (he/him) is a Colombian American designer, artist, and educator whose work emphasizes community engagement and the reimagining of design history to be more inclusive and empowering for the next generation of students.

As an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at George Mason University, he redesigned the Graphic Design History course to embrace pluralistic narratives and decentered the Eurocentric canon.

In his essay, “The Road to Flores de María,” published in SHIFT{ED}, Dialogue: Proceedings of the AIGA Design Educators Community Conferences, he tells the story of how he used design to collaborate with community leaders to help school children in a remote Colombian village near where his family has lived for generations.

Alan began his career as a graphic designer working with world-renowned architect and designer Michael Graves. He was a lead designer for the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts rebrand, and he created packaging for the iconic Michael Graves product line at Target, as well as for an innovative line of assisted living products.

He is currently working on a book with Dina Benbrahim and Lisa Maione titled Against the Grain: A Graphic Design Histories Workbook, a practical and thought-provoking resource designed to help educators, students, and practitioners move beyond and decenter the white, male, heteronormative, and hero-driven Eurocentric canon.

He also serves as a working board member for The People’s Graphic Design Archive.

Attend remotely via Zoom: https://temple.zoom.us/j/95809199941