David Hisaya Asari

David Hisaya Asari is a Senior Adjunct in the Department of Graphic Design at California College of the Arts (CCA). He teaches courses in information design and leads CCA’s annual Summer Study Abroad program, Japan: In Search of Emptiness & Wabi-Sabi. His professional practice spans information graphics, exhibition design, environmental design, wayfinding systems, identity branding, corporate communications, editorial design, and packaging. He has been a Design Consultant with the Impact Collaborative, a social innovation group collaborating with non-profits and academic institutions.

Education:

• BFA in the Practice of Art from the University of California, Berkeley (specializing in printmaking: intaglio etching and lithography)
• Further graphic design studies at CCA

Research Interests:

• Design systems and cultural narratives
• Design for social impact
• Cultural preservation through design pedagogy
• Historical design philosophies like Wabi-Sabi

Advisory Roles and Professional Contributions:

• Co-chair of FOCA (Faculty of Color Alliance) at CCA
• Advisor to DEIB Community Forum, Multilingual Learning Steering Group, and Multicultural Commencement Ceremony
• President Emeritus of AIGA San Francisco chapter, organizing Continuum (annual design fellowship celebration)
• Long-term board member of AIGA SF, focusing on diversity initiatives and mentoring programs
• Keynote speaker at International Design Education Exposition & Conference
• Past roles: Core Coordinator (2D) and First Year Program Advisor at CCA

Professional Experience:

• Served as a senior designer at Pentagram for over a decade, collaborating with partner Kit Hinrichs
• Client projects include Design Within Reach, AICAD, USC, Museum of Glass, McGeorge School of Law, and San José Institute of Contemporary Art