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People  •  Art + Design  •  Associate Teaching Professor

Margarita Barrios Ponce

Departments

Art + Design

Education

  • BS, College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning, University of Cincinnati
  • MFA, School of Art, Yale University

Awards

  • 2017 Program Committee & Coordinating Team, Boston Civic Media Network, Civic Imagination: Designing and Building a Better Future
  • 2016 Speaker, Boston Civic Media, Community Collaboration Convening
  • 2015 Exhibitor & Speaker, Social Impact Lab, Northeastern University, Design + Social Change: A showcase of Thought & Practice
  • 2009 Published, 1000 Restaurant, Bar & Café Graphics: From Signage to Logos and Everything In-Store, by Luke Herriott
  • 2008 Sappi Ideas that Matter Award & Grant, Creative Direction, Client: Santa Fe Art Institute, Campaign: Art In Transit
  • 2007 Published, 1000 Retail Graphics: From Signage to Logos and Everything In-Store, by Rockport
  • 2007 REBRAND Merit Winner, Strategy & Creative Direction, Client: The Trustees of Reservations
  • 2007 REBRAND Merit Winner, Strategy & Creative Direction, Client: City of Salem, MA Campaign: Destination Salem
  • 2007 REBRAND Notable Winner, Strategy & Creative Direction, Client: Museum of Science, Boston
  • 2007 Published, 1000 Retail Graphics: From Signage to Logos and Everything In-Store, by JGA
  • 2006 Published, 1000 Bags, Tags, and Labels: Distinctive Designs for Every Industry, by Kiki Eldridge
  • 2002 Published, All Messed Up: Unpredictable Graphics by Anna Gerber
  • 1999 Featured in July issue of Publish Magazine
  • 1997 Professional Practice Excellence Award (Co-op), University of Cincinnati
  • 1997 SMPS Boston Chapter, Marketing Award recipient
  • 1996 Studio Magazine Awards Annual winner
  • 1996 Art Directors Club of Cincinnati scholarship winner

Research Focus

  • Exploring ways of supporting important social issues through civic involvement
  • Offering counsel on effective communication strategies
  • Developing innovative ways to collaborate in our community through design

Margarita Barrios Ponce works as a strategic and visual communications professional, combining extensive experience in Strategy, Branding, and Design through private practice and academia. Margarita is committed to advancing the communication field and nurturing socially minded individuals, she has been a faculty member at Northeastern University since 2002 (causeinform.com). In 2007, she founded Plural – a communications firm for Mission-driven organizations (pluralco.com). In 2015 she became Faculty Advisor to Scout – Northeastern’s student-led design studio (northeastern.edu/scout).

As Faculty Advisor to Scout she has guided students to exemplify the interdisciplinary, experiential learning, entrepreneurial, and innovation tenets that define Northeastern University. In her role as Faculty Advisor she is responsible for the mentorship of over 40 students from various disciplines and for direct tutelage spanning the learning areas of Design, Marketing, Finance, Advancement, Community Building, University Relations, Client Management, and Social Innovation.

Throughout her career Margarita has worked with a wide range of clients across a broad spectrum of industries, from large institutions to small organizations to innovative businesses. She has a passion for mission-driven work and social causes and understands the importance of developing comprehensive and effective training tools and institutional vehicles to educate and communicate with constituents and key stakeholders. As a longtime Bostonian she is committed to the State of Massachusetts and the City of Boston, always exploring ways of supporting important social issues through civic involvement, offering counsel on effective communication strategies and developing innovative ways to collaborate in our community.

Margarita graduated Magna Cum Laude from the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati and earned her graduate degree from Yale University. In the course of her education and career she has been a co-op student, a co-op employer, a manager to a wide-range of designers, and a coach to client-side in-house designers. Nurturing others and helping their growth as designers is a central and constant purpose of her design practice.

Courses Taught

  • Color Theory
  • Typography 1
  • Graphic Design 1
  • Graphic Design 2