Bio + Education

DEB SHMERLER is a designer living in Knoxville, Tennessee. Following an undergraduate degree, she worked at several boutique design studios in Connecticut, further honing her hand skills and starting her on the path of making art by assembling varied forms to create a story. After a 2-year hiatus to travel the world by bicycle, Deb returned to school pursuing an MFA from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) where she studied under notable professors including Ben Day, who pushed her to include sculptural and collage elements into her investigation of identity within the creative process. Deb moved to Boston where she began working at a vibrant design firm specializing in branding while also teaching night classes at Mass College of Art.

She transitioned into full-time teaching at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and is a Professor Emerita after teaching for 18 years at the University of Tennessee. She has been an invited lecturer to national and international venues speaking about: cross-disciplinary projects, design and creativity, social design and expressive typography. She is an AIGA Knoxville Fellow, the recipient of numerous design awards, a James R. and Nell W. Outstanding Teaching award and a UTK Chancellors award for Multidisciplinary Research.