James has borrowed the title of his talk from the subtitle of an elective class he has taught at Rhode Island School of Design for the past five years: “X, Y, and Z.” The course, and this talk, argues that even from the page, the screen, even from just typography, graphic design is an inherently spatial and anthropometric discipline, conditioned by context, contingency, and the body—by, for, and with people. James will survey a range of print, digital, and environmental projects by Practise as well as case studies by RISD students, particularly work from the recently concluded 2020 fall semester where they all grappled with how to work online in isolation during a pandemic for a class (not to mention a profession) that’s all about physicality and presence.

James Goggin is a British and/or Australian graphic designer from London via Sydney, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Arnhem, Chicago, Providence, and Auckland. He founded a design practice named Practise with partner Shan James in London upon graduation from the Royal College of Art in 1999, working on art, architectural, civic, cultural, fashion, and publishing projects in Europe, Asia, Australasia, and North America. The studio is currently based in Tāmaki Makaurau and Providence, Rhode Island. James teaches at Rhode Island School of Design and previously taught at Werkplaats Typografie in the Netherlands and at ÉCAL in Switzerland. Alongside Practise, James has consulted for Tate Modern and Tate Britain, and served as Art Director of British music magazine The Wire and as Director of Design and Publishing at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. He designs type for various projects and for Swiss foundry Lineto, and regularly writes, lectures, and exhibits internationally. James was inducted as a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale in 2010.