Keith Bresnahan

I am a historian and theorist of design; my work focuses broadly on histories of the built environment (architecture, urbanism, interior design) and histories of visual communication (graphic design, illustration, typography). I hold a PhD in Social and Political Thought from York University; my other degrees are in Theory & Criticism (Western) and Art History (Calgary). My research focuses on three key areas: emotion and sensation in design history; ruins, destruction, and reconstruction; and visual symbols/pictographic language. I am currently completing a book on emotion and spatial violence in Paris after the 1871 Commune; other ongoing projects include a study of architectural destruction from antiquity to the present, a study of symbols and pictographs in the post-WWII era, and the first historical survey of graphic design in Canada. I am the co-founder and chair of the Design Studies Caucus of the Universities Art Association of Canada (UAAC); I also sit on the boards of the UAAC and Ornamentum magazine.

* Please note that I am on sabbatical during the 2024-25 academic year and am not accepting new graduate supervisions at this time