Blondina Elms Pastel

PhD candidate in Education Sciences | Aix-Marseille Université

What’s in a name? My motivation for pursuing a PhD

6th November, 2017 by Blondina Elms Pastel.Reading time: about 1 minute.

What’s in a name? As unique as my name Blondina is, so defines my journey as an individual, a designer, a teacher, and a researcher. This extraordinary journey from Barbados, the most easterly island in the Caribbean, and across the Atlantic Ocean, has brought me here, writing today about my motivation for pursuing doctoral research.

The future of design is important to me and my journey has led me to question the impact of digital tools on the design activity of students in graphic design; leading to a desire to contribute to the development of scientific knowledge about the impact of digital tools in the teaching-learning design situation. This could mean advancing the teaching of design, and therefore the apprenticeship of design. Ultimately, this may also strengthen the place of designers and design in society. In addition, I am pursuing a career in academia, and a doctorate would give me the qualification and open up opportunities to continue this research.

I wear my name proudly and to carry the name Dr Blondina Elms Pastel would be an honoured enhancement.

blondina.elms-pastel@etu.univ-amu.fr
ResearcherID: S-2734-2017
+33 6 81 17 45 82
Laboratory UR 4671 ADEF

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Artist, calligrapher, designer, typographer, educator, type designer, and researcher from the Caribbean island of Barbados. Blondina has been in practice as an independent designer since 1999. From 2007 until 2010, she was a visiting tutor and lecturer in typography at the Fine Arts Department, Barbados Community College. Here, she taught at 2nd year Associate Degree and 1st year Bachelor of Fine Art (Graphic Design) levels. Blondina was also a visiting tutor and lecturer in typography at the École intuit.lab, Aix-en-Provence from 2012–2016. In addition, for two years (2018–2020), she occupied the post of Temporary Teaching and Research Associate at the INSPÉ Aix-Marseille Université, faculty of Science & the Research unit 4671 ADEF, Aix-Marseille Université.

She holds a Master of Arts in Typeface design from the University of Reading and attained the degree of Expert class Type design with distinction from the Plantin Institute of Typography. She was awarded a Master of Humanities & Social Sciences in Education, Teaching and Training Professions - Secondary Education (Science & Technology: Applied Arts) with distinction from the École supérieure du professorat et de l’éducation, Aix-Marseille Université and is currently an Education Sciences PhD candidate at the Aix-Marseille Université.

Research interests: graphic design education; design processes; information design; typography; typeface design; stencils and stencilling; plurilingualism.

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