Saeri Cho Dobson
Designing for the Greater Good
Practice what you teach and design with a higher purpose in mind – that is LMU Art and Art History professor Saeri Cho Dobson’s motto. Since beginning her teaching journey on the bluff over a decade ago, the celebrated graphic designer’s pursuit of justice and moral responsibility through art has become a hallmark of her classes.
“When I went to design school, it was all about how to make your art commercial, how to sell, sell, sell,” Saeri said. “So I really fell in love with LMU’s commitment to social change and the promotion of justice. I think it’s important to make your work meaningful to others in some way and hopefully bring about positive change.”
Saeri received her bachelor of fine arts in Communication Design from the Parsons School of Design at The New School in New York City and later graduated with her master of fine arts in Communications and New Media Design from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California.
A professor at LMU for over 10 years, Saeri says that one of her proudest contributions to the university thus far has been a class she created, “ART 395: Design Entrepreneurship.” It is an interdisciplinary course where design and business students collaborate to come up with marketable products that serve a community in need.
One such cohort developed an eye-catching product called “Sweet Saviors,” glucose strips for diabetic children to put on their tongues when they are in need of a spike in their glucose levels. The product removes the guesswork that parents with diabetic children often grapple with when dealing with glucose substitutes.
This summer, she looks forward to extending her skills to a younger audience, leading LMU’s Pre-College Summer Program in Graphic Design. Participating students can expect a brief introduction to all things design – from creating fonts to producing a publication of their own, students should look forward to an immersive design experience in the heart of Los Angeles, the creative capital of the world.
“It excites me to see students solving problems through graphic design,” Saeri said. This summer, her pre-college students will be no exception.
When not in the classroom, Saeri runs her own company, “Hope by SaeRi,” which makes one-of-a-kind tote bags. Each bag sold raises awareness and funds to help support the poverty-stricken girls of Bangladesh who are often expected to marry by the age of thirteen and are denied a proper education. Partnered with the non-profit “Speak Up for the Poor,” Saeri’s company is currently raising money to build education centers and dormitories for displaced young women, as well as provide books and educational supplies for young girls-at-risk in Bangladesh.