Stephen Layton

Stephen Layton is a Senior Lecturer at Indiana University's Media School, where he has taught graphics and design courses since Fall 2010. His office is located in Franklin Hall M030E, and he teaches courses including J365 (Design 1), J465 (Design 2), J560 (DataViz), C250 (Storylab), and H110 (Ernie Pyle Scholars Seminar).

His research interests focus on:

• Graphic Design principles and applications
• Informational Graphics and data visualization
• Interactive Media design
• Visual communication in journalism
• Design thinking and creative process

Layton approaches teaching with emphasis on foundational design principles over software skills, noting that while technical abilities change rapidly, the ability to 'think and communicate in a visual way' remains vitally important throughout one's career. His courses blend technical instruction with creative development, helping students establish personal design styles while mastering composition, color theory, and typography.

His significant professional achievement includes being part of a team that won the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism for a project on airline gridlock at the Chicago Tribune. He has also received numerous other awards for his graphics and design work throughout his career.

Layton has extensive professional experience, having worked for almost 20 years in newspaper graphics departments before teaching, including 16 years at the Chicago Tribune where he served as Graphics Editor and later Senior Artist. During this time, he participated in three major redesigns and witnessed firsthand the technological transformations affecting media companies, which informs his teaching about industry evolution.