Renowned author, educator, designer, and Co-Founder and Chair Emeritus of the College’s MFA Design program, Steven Heller, will deliver the keynote speech for SVA’s 50th annual commencement exercises on Thursday, May 15, 1:00pm ET, at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan.

In 2024, Heller officially retired as co-chair of the College’s MFA Design program, a program he co-founded with Lita Talarico (MFA 2007 Art Criticism and Writing) in 1998. A long-time SVA faculty member, Heller also held a distinguished 30-year career at The New York Times as an art director and columnist.

Over his prolific career, Heller has authored, edited, or contributed to more than 200 books on graphic design, typography, illustration, and visual culture, including Design Literacy, Milton Glaser POP, and more recently, Growing Up Underground: A Memoir of Counter Culture New York. His upcoming title, The Education of a Design Writer, co-authored with SVA MA Design Research Chair Molly Heintz (MFA 2011 Design Criticism), will be released this year.

Heller’s contributions have earned him the prestigious AIGA Medal, the Smithsonian National Design Award, and inductions into multiple halls of fame. He holds honorary doctorates from the College for Creative Studies and the University of West Bohemia.

Read on for selected quotes from SVA commencement exercises of years past, and join the College this Thursday at 1:00pm ET to hear from Heller and celebrate the SVA class of 2025.