MPS Branding Chair Debbie Millman—designer, educator, artist, pioneering podcaster, author and entrepreneur—is no stranger to innovation and seizing the possibility of online platforms: Her award-winning Design Matters podcast, one of the first programs of its kind, is well into its second decade. This spring, after more than a year of providing a fully remote education to its students, MPS Branding announced the establishment of a permanent online option starting this fall, allowing enrollees to choose how they earn their degree.

Though the transition to remote learning during the pandemic has had its challenges, Millman was surprised by how well she, the faculty and students adapted. “If you had asked me a year ago about creating an online version of the program, I would have laughed,” she says. “In a mere three days, our entire program—27 students, more than 10 faculty members and six courses—moved completely online. Despite transitioning during a pandemic, civil-rights uprising and unemployment crisis, we were amazed and inspired by the remarkable work the students continually produced through the spring and summer semesters.”

These two tracks—in person and virtual—will be simultaneous and synchronous, providing identical education in faculty, courses, assignments, workshops, real-world clients and professional mentorship. The application deadline to join the class of 2022 has been extended to July 31, 2021. To take advantage of this distinct opportunity and to learn more details about the program, visit the MPS Branding site.

In other Millman news, a new book due out in October, Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World’s Most Creative People (Harper Design), presents dozens of interviews from Design Matters, bringing together insights and reflections from a range of leading creative minds across diverse industries. Acclaimed author, Design Matters guest (and Millman’s wife) Roxane Gay wrote the foreword. (In other Design Matters news, the show was recently named an “all-time favorite” by Apple Podcasts; see Millman’s incredulous, mildly off-color reaction here.

And in June, Millman moderated “Mothers of Design,” a talk hosted by Creative Morning, New York featuring three design legends: BFA Design faculty member, artist and Pentagram partner Paula Scher, BFA Design and BFA Advertising Chair and Visual Arts Press Creative Director Gail Anderson (BFA 1984 Media Arts); and artist, designer and UCLA Design Media Arts professor Rebeca Méndez. Watch it below.

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