Chris Ritchie is a Assistant Professor of Practice in the Graphic and Digital Design
program at the University of New Haven and a multi-disciplinary designer and art director
with over 20 years of in-house creative department and independent agency experience.
Prior to joining UNH, Chris was an adjunct professor in the School of Art and Design
at Fashion Institute of Technology for 14 years.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design Communication
from Jefferson University (then called Philadelphia College of Textiles & Science)
his early career brought him to New York during the internet startup era where he
designed websites for clients such as MTV and Chase.
Seeking more diversified work, he entered the graduate "Designer As Entrepreneur"
program at School of Visual Arts and earned his Master of Fine Arts in Design in 2005.
Since then, he has operated his own practice, Coa Design, to develop a research-based,
conceptual approach to graphic design that thrives on the curiosity of new challenges
and materializes in strategic, adept visual systems that result in long-term collaborations
with clients.
His work has encompassed creative art direction for photography, illustration, motion
graphics and animation; concept and design development for brand identities, books,
packaging, and websites; digital advertising and social media design production; and
management and mentorship of design teams.
His clients have included: Coca-Cola, Sprite, Simply, Fanta, The Wall Street Journal,
The New York Times, The City of New York, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Harvard University,
and Moby.
