Cheryl D. Miller
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Cheryl D. Holmes Miller (born 1952) is an American graphic designer,
Christian minister In Christianity, a minister is a person authorised by a church or other religious organization to perform functions such as teaching of beliefs; leading services such as weddings, baptisms or funerals; or otherwise providing spiritual guidanc ...
, writer, artist, theologian, and decolonizing historian. She is known for her contributions to racial and gender equality in the graphic design field, and establishing one of the first black-women-owned design firms in New York City in 1984. Her alma maters are the
Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of t ...
, Pratt Institute,
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
, and Union Theological.


Early life and education

Miller is of African American and Philippine American ancestry and identifies as
BIPOC The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
. Her paternal family is from Washington, D.C. and her maternal family is Filipino Creole from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Miller's grandmother was an indigenous Danish west Indian and Ghanaian. Her great-great grandmother is of Ghanaian descent from St. Johns. Her Philippine grandfather was part of the U.S. Filipino navy as a steward's cook during WWI in 1917. Her grandparents met at the USO and married. Having three Filipino lineages of their own, Miller's mother being one of them. Her mother, a Filipino-Creole, came to the United States to attend
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
. Her maternal Afro-Caribbean Saint-Tomian cousin Larry was installed as a chief of their tribe. Their tribe are artisans, specifically shipbuilders, wood carvers and make decorative coffins. Her paternal grandfather was white and American Indian with Patriotic daughters of American Revolution DNA. Miller's parents met at Howard University in Washington, D.C. where they settled and began the family of their own. She was a Girl Scout and when she won her first award, she was published on the section covers of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' and ''
Washington Star ''The Washington Star'', previously known as the ''Washington Star-News'' and the Washington ''Evening Star'', was a daily afternoon newspaper published in Washington, D.C., between 1852 and 1981. The Sunday edition was known as the ''Sunday Sta ...
''. As a child, Miller spent most of her days at museums looking at an era of contemporary art and the cadre of Washington color field schools. In 1969, her teacher told her that she will never make it as an artist, but her specific experiences and heritage became formative to her art practice. Miller graduated from Calvin Coolidge High School. In 1985, she received a Masters of Science in Visual Communications at the Pratt Institute. As a thesis project, she was asked to make a contribution to the field of graphic design and instead of a visual design project she wrote "Transcending the Problems of the Black Designer to Success in the Marketplace" as her thesis. Miller's 1985 thesis studies design, sociology and history to give a portrait of African American job prospects. She attended the
Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
for her BFA, but when Miller's father died sophomore year, she transferred to
Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of t ...
where she lived closer to her mother. She earned her BFA from MICA. Miller was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from the
Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...
in February 2021. In May of 2022, Miller was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. In June of 2022, Miller was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design.


Career

After finishing school, Miller worked in broadcast design where she created on-air sets and graphics. During this time she created the logo and identity for
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
. After 10 years in broadcasting, she moved to New York City and attended Pratt Institute, and then graduated from Union Theological Seminary.


Writing

In 1987, ''Print'' Magazine published an article on Miller's thesis titled "Black Designers Missing in Action." The thesis and article started a movement to research and promote more diverse designers and for the industry to develop a discourse on the role of diversity in the practice. In 1990, by ''Step-by-Step'' magazine published "Embracing Cultural Diversity in Design". In 2013 she wrote a memoir, ''Black Coral: A Daughter's Apology to her Asian Island Mother''. In 2016, the magazine published a follow-up to the 1987 article. The article spurred Stanford University design scholar Michael Grant and the library's special collection director, Regina Roberts, to archive the thesis and catalog of Miller's design work in the Cheryl D. Miller Collection the university. Miller's research found that post-Civil War, the Typographic Union of white printers shut out black and women artisans from the industry to further their own business goals. Miller's articles are the cornerstone of
AIGA The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity ...
's Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce. She is regarded as a trade writer to the graphic design industry. Her influence is seen in the way contemporary graphic designers critically engage with the discipline, on the direction of the field and creators who make up its community, and her thesis is highlighted as crucial text that paved the way for Black designers. Her writing encourages designers and critics to examine the design cannon and discover diverse voices and work who shaped the design industry today. She contends its important due to design's role in social history and by not documenting or understanding all of the industry's practitioners, our society has a weaker understanding of humanity. In 2020, Miller began additional work decolonizing the history of graphic design through a curated database titled ''The History of Black Graphic Design'', a curated database constructed with the support of Stanford University librarians Published on Medium in 2020 as part of Future of Design in Higher Education after watching Miller present at IIT Institute of Design, Eugene Korsunskiy writes about their experience listening to Miller share her views about contemporary graphic design elements that symbolize racism and oppression.
"I would like to retire the Paul Rand look. I would like to retire mid-century Helvetica. I want to retire flush left. I want to retire rag right. I want to retire white space. I want to retire the Swiss grid… It is the look of my oppressor… a mid-century era when it wasn’t easy to enter the NY marketplace as a Black designer. When I see that look, the only thing it says to me is, "You cannot enter. You don't belong. You're not good enough."


Design

In 1984, Miller moved to New York City with her husband, and until 2000, ran her own design studio, Cheryl D. Miller Design Inc. Some of the clients included
BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...
,
Chase Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chase Co ...
,
Time Inc. Time Inc. was an American worldwide mass media corporation founded on November 28, 1922, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden and based in New York City. It owned and published over 100 magazine brands, including its namesake ''Time'', ''Sports Illu ...
, and American Express. Her personal work was acquired by Stanford University Libraries. She is further collected at The Poster House, New York, and The Design Museum, The Hague. In 1992, Miller was commissioned by NASA to create the poster for Dr. Mae Jeminson. America's first African American woman astronaut. Available on YouTube, Miller reflects on your long career as a designer. She showcases pieces from her portfolio that are now part of Stanford University's Special Collections and Archives. On April 3, 2021, Miller was an expert guest on the ''Design Dedux'' podcast, where she spoke about gender and race equality in graphic design.


Christian ministry

Miller is a Master of Divinity graduate from the Union Theological Seminary in New York City. She was ordained in the
United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...
and the
American Baptist Churches USA The American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) is a mainline/evangelical Baptist Christian denomination within the United States. The denomination maintains headquarters in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The organization is usually considered mainl ...
and is a professional Christian minister.


Awards and residencies

In 2021, Miller was awarded an
AIGA The American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA) is a professional organization for design. Its members practice all forms of communication design, including graphic design, typography, interaction design, user experience, branding and identity ...
Award, one of the highest distinctions in the design field, to designers whose influence, careers, and bodies of work represent exemplary and unique stories of dedication to craft, career growth, and the tightly woven fabric of design, technology, culture, and society. "Miller is recognized for her outsized influence within the profession to end the marginalization of BIPOC designers through her civil rights activism, industry exposé writing, research rigor, and archival vision.". Additionally, the same year, Miller was awarded Cooper Hewitt's "Design Visionary" award. During the 2020 academic year, Miller became the Distinguished Senior Lecturer for Design and Designer in Residence at the
University of Texas at Austin The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,07 ...
. She is also a faculty member at
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
and Lesley University College of Art and Design where she teaches graphic design. In 2021, Cheryl became
Maryland Institute College of Art The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) is a Private university, private art school, art and design college in Baltimore, Maryland. It was founded in 1826 as the Maryland Institute for the Promotion of the Mechanic Arts, making it one of t ...
William O. Steinzmetz Designer In Residence Scholar. As part of this residency, Miller participated in “Voices: Black Graphic Design History,” where she held conversations with three other Steinmetz D webinar lectures. In 2021, IBM announced that Miller would be the inaugural IBM Design Scholar as part of its Honorary IBM Design Scholar residency program. Miller was awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters from the
Vermont College of Fine Arts Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) is a private graduate-level art school in Montpelier, Vermont. It offers Master's degrees in low-residency and residential programs. Its faculty includes Pulitzer Prize finalists, National Book Award winners, ...
, February 2021. In May of 2022, Miller was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art. In June of 2022, Miller was awarded a Doctor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. In October 2022, Miller was a The One Club Hall of Fame Inductee 2022.


Commencement Speeches

In May of 2022, Miller gave
commencement address
to graduating students at the Maryland Institute College of Arts. In June of 2022, Miller gave
commencement address
to undergraduate and graduate students at the Rhode Island School of Design.


Bibliography

* * ''Black Coral: A Daughter’s Apology to her Asian Island Mother'', Aage Heritage Press, 2013. * *Cheryl D Miller (December 2020)
"From 'Black Designers: Missing in Action' to 'Forward in Action': 3 Essential Industry Articles"
''PRINT.'' Retrieved 2021-01-06. *Cheryl D Miller
Black Artist in Graphic Communication


List of work and collaborative experiences

* William O. Steinzmetz Designer In Residence Scholar at Maryland College Institute of Art, April 2021 – Present * Part-time Adjunct Professor at
Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a Private university, private, University charter#Federal, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, classifie ...
, February 2021 – Present *Part-time Distinguished Senior Lecturer at the
University of Texas The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
(''Austin, TX),'' January 2021 – Present *Part-time Distinguished Lectured at Roger William University, January 2021 – Present * Part-time Adjunct Professor at
Lesley University Lesley University is a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education. As of 2018-19 Lesley University enrolled 6,593 students (2,707 undergraduate and 3,886 graduate). History ...
, January 2021 – Present * President Consultant, Cheryl D. Miller Design
Cheryl D. Miller Fine Art
2019–Present * Design Diversity Futurist
Design Diversity Group
June 2018 – Present * Contributing Archivist; Collected Artist,
The Cheryl D. Miller Collection
' at Stanford University, March 2018 – Present * Part-time Professor of DEI, in Communication Design at ArtCenter September 2022-Present


Collections and exhibitions


Maryland Institute College of Art Steinmetz Designer in Residence Exhibition, 2021
*The Cheryl D. Miller Collection at Stanford University
MvVo Art AD Show, New York
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The Poster House Museum, New York
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The Design Museum Deldel
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The Cheryl D. Miller Collection of Black Graphic Design History at The Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography
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* Mosley Gallery * University of Maryland Eastern Shore


References


External links

*
Miller, Cheryl D. ''Cheryl D. Miller Personal Archive''. , n.d.. Archival material.
Stanford University __FORCETOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, Cheryl 1952 births Maryland Institute College of Art alumni Pratt Institute alumni American graphic designers Union Theological Seminary (New York City) alumni American women graphic designers Living people Decolonial artists American women writers American women educators African-American graphic designers 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women