Hannah Smotrich Promoted to Full Professor at U-M Stamps School of Art & Design

The University of Michigan Board of Regents approved the promotion of Hannah Smotrich to full professor at the Penny W. Stamps School of Art & Design at its May 15, 2025 meeting.

A visual communication designer, Smotrich’s work centers on the power of design to make change visible, accessible and actionable. Her practice is deeply interdisciplinary, often involving collaborations with experts in public policy, law, anthropology, medicine, history and business — as well as creative partners — to develop projects that improve outcomes for individuals and communities.

“Professor Smotrich’s service record is exceptional and for years has been providing leadership that surpasses the expectations of the full professoriate,” said Dean Carlos Francisco Jackson. ​“Her research, teaching, and commitment to the university is in the service to society, manifesting environments that mobilize collective agency to self-determine truly democratic futures. Professor Smotrich is also one of the key responsible agents for the success of the rise in Design throughout the Stamps curriculum. I am proud of her work and pleased she has been promoted.”

Since 2018, Smotrich has co-led the award-winning Creative Campus Voting Project (CCVP) alongside Stamps colleague Stephanie Rowden. CCVP creates student-centered, nonpartisan spaces, materials and experiences that enhance the voting experience across U‑M’s campus in collaboration with the City of Ann Arbor and UMICH Votes. Recent installations transformed the Duderstadt Center Gallery and the University of Michigan Museum of Art into Campus Voting Hubs, with satellite locations of the Ann Arbor City Clerk’s Office. The design of the Hubs, which include environmental graphics, print materials and trained peer mentors, provided clarity and reassurance to guide new student voters.

“The power of feeling welcomed and supported as a voter — and gaining confidence in the process — is transformational,” said Smotrich. ​“We’re designing for emotional impact as well as civic participation. Research shows that how people feel during the process influences whether and how they participate again.”

The project has received recognition from the U.S. Department of Education, the Society for Environmental Graphic Design, and the Brennan Center for Justice, among others.

Smotrich’s commitment to design as a tool for understanding and inclusion runs throughout her work. ​“Visual communication design is about creating understanding — whether you’re revealing invisible histories or simplifying complex systems,” she said. ​“It’s about translating, communicating and creating connections that help people feel a sense of belonging.”

Smotrich has led and contributed to a wide range of high-impact projects. Among them is a decade-long collaboration on Washington, D.C.’s Neighborhood Heritage Trails, in partnership with Cultural Tourism DC. The project integrated community voices into public storytelling and fostered a stronger sense of place and belonging. ​“The signs, intended for economic development, also built community,” Smotrich recalled. ​“Elders shared old photos, and young people saw their place in the history of their neighborhoods.”

Her portfolio also includes a bilingual, participatory public-art installation at the Jewish Cultural Festival in Krakow, Poland; narrative exhibitions highlighting immigrant experiences and textile worker histories; and was part of a team led by Professor Joe Trumpey on his design/​build initiative in a Maasai village in Tanzania.

In 2023, Smotrich was appointed as a senior fellow of the Michigan Society of Fellows, a four-year role recognizing faculty who support cross-disciplinary collaboration and mentorship across the university.

Smotrich earned her undergraduate degree in history from Harvard University and her MFA in graphic design from Yale. She credits her upbringing — with an architect father and a household immersed in design — as foundational to her path.

“The thing that I appreciate about design is that it is both intellectual and intuitive,” she said. ​“It’s about combining analytical thinking with creative, lyrical expression — and finding ways to make meaningful contributions in the world.”