Meena Khalili is a professor of design and interaction and a recipient of consecutive International Design Awards and the National Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement in Graphic Design by the Southeastern College Art Conference. She holds a BFA in Communication Arts + Design and an MFA in Design from VCUarts.

Professor Khalili speaks and shows her work widely at venues like the Type Directors Club, Chicago Design Museum, and galleries throughout Italy, North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe. Meena’s designs are in permanent collections around the world and the Library of Congress. She has spoken to dozens of design programs throughout the U.S. including NC State College of Design, ArtCenter College of Design, and internationally at VCUQatar, Hong Kong, and Venice.

Professor Khalili’s research is driven by her experience as an Iranian-American and daughter of a small business owner. She is featured in Issue 05 of international periodical, The Great Discontent for her work exploring cultural identity and generational storytelling. Her studio curiosityHQ has worked with such clients as HBO, Allstate, Nature’s Recipe, Bacardi, Kentucky State Parks, The Leadership Council on Legal Diversity, Farm Credit Mid America and the Louisville Metro Housing Coalition.

Ardent advocate for design education, she served on the National Co-Chair of the AIGA Design Educators Community 2018-2022, working to steer design education in the US and abroad during the pandemic and pivot to remote learning.

Research Focus
Professor Khalili’s research focus is in design systems, ethical and human centered design practices, interactive and experience design, user experience and user interface (UX/UI), typographic design, creative and studio practice, and explores cultural identity and generational storytelling.

Courses with Professor Khalili
ARTS 448 Portfolio Studio
ARTS 347/547 Interaction Design
ARTS 346/546 Process + Systems
ARTS 102 Design Technology + Concepts