Danielle Ridolfi

Danielle Ridolfi is a graphic designer, illustrator, and lecturer in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts as well as the College of Arts and Sciences. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in illustration & visual culture from WashU and a doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Kent State University. Her visual work includes children’s picture books, editorial illustration, and publication design. She investigates imagemaking processes, particularly collage, that are contingent upon contact with the natural and material world. Given her background as a clinical psychologist specializing in the impact of visual culture on children and young adults, Ridolfi is particularly drawn to using theories of learning and development to guide her studio practice and her scholarly inquiries in visual culture. Her research exists at the intersection between illustration, early childhood pedagogy, and material culture. 

Ridolfi’s debut picture book, “When the Dark Clouds Come,” has been acquired for publication by a major publisher and will be available in 2025. Her writing and curatorial work has been featured in Uppercase Magazine and in Washington University Libraries, and her design and illustration work has been featured by Honest History Magazine and AIGA St. Louis. Before her academic career, Ridolfi spent several years in the design industry working at agencies in St. Louis. She teaches courses across WashU in communication design and children’s studies.