UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
I’m Spencer Roberts, a no-BS designer pursuing a B.S. in Communication Design at the University of Cincinnati — in the city where I’ve studied, worked, eaten, and scratched my design itch since 2019. I’m passionate about designing brand identities, environmental graphics, and making things move, all with a typographic through-line. What do you need to know about me? I have a love for letters and doing weird things with words, I’m the basic kind of colorblind, and I’m serious about joking.
WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INSPIRED?
I seek inspiration in observation, often borrowing from the forms, textures, and colors of historic Cincinnati.
WHAT AREA OR AREAS OF DESIGN ARE YOU HOPING TO WORK IN OR SPECIALIZE IN?
My work is governed by a need for narrative. An ideal focus would be in branding and strategy — allowing me to explore identity design through research and copywriting, custom lettering and typography where appropriate, and a mixed bag of print and environmental applications.
WHAT IS ONE THING THAT DESIGN SCHOOL HAS TAUGHT YOU THAT YOU DID NOT EXPECT?
Design school taught me that good design is not created in a bubble, to surround myself with good company, and that I can always rely on the opinions of my peers.
WHO IS SOMEONE YOU LOOK UP TO IN YOUR FIELD? EITHER TODAY OR HISTORICALLY?
Working alongside my professor, Reneé Seward, in the UC Digital Futures Learning by Design Lab, we’re on a mission to create literacy typefaces that empower young students struggling to read through the power of type design and emerging technology.
