Philip Burton
Professor and Chair, Graphic Design
Biography
Philip Burton — Photo: Jenny Fontaine
Professor Philip Burton has been instrumental in developing UIC’s graphic design program. Since joining the faculty in 1989, he has established a pedagogical foundation that prioritizes the rigorous study of essential and timeless design components.
He began his academic career at the University of Houston in 1975, becoming head of the design program in only six months. During his time in Houston, he also taught in the Qualifying Graduate Program in the School of Architecture at Rice University. He taught graduate and undergraduate design students in the School of Art at Yale University over the next nine years. Between 1975 and 1996, he served as a coordinator and core faculty member in the five-week summer design workshop in Brissago, Switzerland.
Professor Burton was named a Fellow of the American Institute of Graphic Arts in 2003 and awarded the Julius Adams Stratton Prize for Intercultural Achievement by the Friends of Switzerland/Boston in 2016. In addition to his career as an educator, Philip has maintained an active freelance design practice. Recent clients have included SilverPepper Hedge Fund, The McKinsey Quarterly and Aviation Capital Management. Since 1992, he has served as design consultant to Morningstar, Inc., a global financial investment research company headquartered in Chicago.
