Meet Sharon and Guy

As a creative collaboration, Sharon and Guy question and investigate the process of design — the ways in which ideas are expressed and disseminated, ranging from the micro level of experimental typographic form and self-authorship to the macro level of creating publications and exhibitions. Recent works include exhibitions in Chicago at the Art on the Mart, Mana Contemporary (for Tiger Strikes Asteroid), and 150 Media Stream. Among their recognitions, they were named in Design 50 by Newcity in 2022. Currently, they are chairing the 2023 STA100, the annual design competition held by the Society of Typographic Arts.

Sharon Oiga received an MFA in Graphic Design from Yale University and BFA degrees in Graphic Design and Photography from the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC). She has partnered with multidisciplinary design firms, including Studio/lab Chicago, where she specialized in identity, brand strategy, publication design, and packaging with collaborators in the business, science, arts, health, and education sectors. In her role as Professor and the Chair of Graphic Design at UIC, she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in design, typography, and thesis. Sharon’s work — and her students’ coursework — is consistently recognized through awards, publications, exhibitions, and funding. A two-time recipient of major funding by Sappi Ideas That Matter, Sharon was also honored to receive the student-voted UIC Silver Circle Teaching Award. She and Guy have written about their teaching in Designer Magazine, a UCDA publication. In the design community, she serves on the board of the Society of Typographic Aficionados and the Chicago Design Archive, and on the advisory council of Diversify by Design, as well as recently serving as a juror for the Communication Arts Design Competition. Additionally, she is allergic to cats.

Guy Villa Jr holds a BFA from the University of Illinois Chicago, with a major in Graphic Design and additional concentration in Photography. Experienced in design direction and publication design, he is highly recognized with awards and was named a Platinum Winner by Graphis for which he was interviewed and featured in a Graphis publication. He was also interviewed by Print magazine and his work was published in the annual. In his role as an Assistant Professor and the Coordinator of Graphic Design at Columbia College Chicago, Guy teaches graphic design and typography, and serves as Advisor to the Latino Alliance. Aside from teaching and design practice, he speaks at conferences regularly and gives presentations at regional, national and international venues. He is also Chair of the STA Design Inspiration Weekend, an annual forum for designers held by the Society of Typographic Arts. Recently, he was a juror for the international SOTA Typography Award as well as a proposal reviewer for the TypeCon Education Forum and AIGA Shift Virtual Summit. Additionally, he loves cats.