Maria Da Gandra
Title
Year 3 Coordinator Professional and Critical Positioning
College
London College of Communication
Email address
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Researcher Research
Biography
Maria da Gandra is a research active graphic designer and educator with experience of working in Higher Education both in the UK and abroad. She is currently the final year coordinator for BA (Hons) Graphic and Media Design at London College of Communication.In 2004, Maria completed an MA in Communication Design from Central Saint Martins, with a specialisation in Information Design and Type & Language, she also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and learning in the Creative Arts.
Maria has co-authored a number of publications including ‘World Musical Instruments’ published by The Pepin Press, ‘Fog & conflict: exploring cross-disciplinary and methodological positions in information design’, and InformForm #1 and #2 with the first issue examining how we generate, understand, organise and give shape to data and information through the use of charts, schematics and diagrammatic displays, and the second focusing on the visual languages and processes employed in pictorial design in a wide range of contexts such as wayfinding strategies, signage systems, instruction, and data visualisation.
Her work has also been featured in various publications and magazines such as Eye Magazine and Creative Review, and she has also presented at conferences and symposia both nationally and internationally, including the International Conference on Typography and Visual Communication (ICTVC), Shapeshifters and VISUALIZEDio.
Maria’s practice-led research draws from her information design expertise as well as from multi-disciplinary and pedagogic methods, and aims to expand and enhance the public understanding of a variety of topics through data information and visualisation.
Her current research interests include the use of information design methods and interdisciplinary collaboration for understanding and representing aspects of alternative academic history. Current projects include the WMI online encyclopaedia, a comprehensive visual and interactive dictionary of musical instruments from around the world, and a collection of specialised maps which can be used to explain the relevance of numbers and cyclic time history in the architecture and planning of towns in Portugal.
Maria is also the co-founder of InformForm www.informform.com an international platform that aims to develop and facilitate digital and online learning environments for wide audiences to engage with the study and practice of information design.