About Tom Adolphs
I am an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and Social Media Design Management in the School of Art and Design at Northern Michigan University. My background connects design practice with a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Technical Communication, shaping how I think about images, systems, interfaces, and public communication.
Across my courses, I emphasize structure, experimentation, risk taking, critique, and revision. Students learn to connect concept, audience, craft, story, and technology, then turn those decisions into work that can be explained.
My photography and design work share that same interest in framing. I am drawn to place, atmosphere, experiences, and the way visual systems can make complex ideas easier to understand.
AI is increasingly a part of my work, though as a means of extending my creative abilities, not diminishing them. I approach it as a creative tool that needs guidance, context, authorship, ethics, and clear human judgment.
My Practice
Brand systems, typography, interface work, and visual identities built through research and revision.
PhotographyImage-based projects about place, atmosphere, identity, and the way photographs frame experience.
TeachingCourses, critique, assignments, and student outcomes organized around clear creative process.
Academic Record
For more information on my academic history and journey, please refer to my CV.
The CV page holds education, appointments, teaching, curriculum work, service, exhibitions, presentations, awards, and selected professional experience.
Let's Talk
Questions, collaborations, teaching conversations, or project inquiries.
Use the form to contact me with any questions.
It goes directly to my work email.