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Aggie Toppins



Aggie Toppins is an associate professor and chair of undergraduate design. Toppins works at the intersections of studio practice and critical writing to explore the ways that visual communication bears on social realities. She is interested in the appraisal of history, the negotiability of meaning-making, and in using these critical orientations to decouple design from universalist narratives of capital. Her recent writing has been published by Design and Culture, Design Issues, Diseña, AIGA Eye on Design, Slanted, and Eye magazine. She has published essays in two books: Feminist Designer, edited by Alison Place, and Baseline Shift: Untold Stories of Women in Graphic Design History, edited by Briar Levit. She is currently working on her first book, Thinking Through Graphic Design History: Challenging the Canon, which will reach market in 2025. Aggie holds a BS in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning and an MFA in Graphic Design from MICA.
Personal website

TL;DR Zine Archive & Exhibition

Exhibition view of TL;DR Zine

TL;DR Zine Exhibition

“Doing Things With Images: TL;DR Zine Archive” Exhibition at MICA Pinkard Gallery, Baltimore, MD, designed in collaboration with Shreyas R Krishnan, 2022
Flatlay of Doing Things With Images zine

TL;DR Zine Exhibition

“Doing Things With Images: TL;DR Zine Archive” Exhibition at MICA Pinkard Gallery, Baltimore, MD, designed in collaboration with Shreyas R Krishnan, 2022

Two Halves of an Orange, 2023

Toppins twohalvesorange titlewall sm

Two Halves of an Orange, title wall, Paul Mesaros Gallery, West Virginia University, 2023

Toppins twohalvesorange mainshowvitrines sm

Two Halves of an Orange, title wall, Paul Mesaros Gallery, West Virginia University, 2023

Women’s Group on Race Relations, 2021

Circular multicolored logo with purple bold text Women’s Group on Race Relations

Women’s Group on Race Relations, 2021

Brand Identity
3 mobile displays of instagram posts. First design features a large HELLO in a speech bubble, second has repeated 'WALKING TOUR' text and the third a stylized MAPPING OUR POWER text

Women’s Group on Race Relations, 2021

Brand Identity
Purple, pink and yellow event poster design with the words 'Where I'm From' in speech bubbles with event details

Women’s Group on Race Relations, 2021

Brand Identity