John Pobojewski is a new media artist exploring the intersection of language, letterform, sound, and environment.
His work often centers around the art of communication, exploring meaning through music, kinesthetics, wordplay, and internal and external dialogues. Many of his works are collaborative in nature, made while leading small teams of multiple contributors or in collaboration with larger performing arts groups.
As an artist, John has been part of several group exhibitions including multiple Typeforce exhibitions, All Together Now at the Design Museum of Chicago, CHGO DSGN at the Chicago Cultural Center, and Mark Applebaum’s Metaphysics of Notation project at Stanford University. His digital theatre sets for Chicago Repertory Ballet’s production of Macbeth brought “a contemporary look” and were “especially potent” according to the Chicago Tribune.
As a designer, John is a founder, partner, and design director at Span. He has received professional recognition from Communication Arts, NewCity Magazine, the Type Directors Club, the Society of Typographic Arts, the Chicago Design Archive, AIGA, and SEGD.
John lectures and leads workshops at colleges and universities around the U.S. He is a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communication and a Bachelor of Music. He lives in the Chicago area with his wife and daughter.
- Selected Exhibitions
Typeforce 12, 2025
All Together Now at Design Museum of Chicago, 2021
Typeforce 11, 2020
Typeforce 10, 2019
Typeforce 9, Chicago, 2018
CHGO DSGN, LVL3 Gallery, Chicago, 2015
Typeforce 6, Chicago, 2015
Typeforce 5, Chicago, 2014
CHGO DSGN: Recent Object and Graphic Design, Chicago Cultural Center, 2014
Metaphysics of Notation, Stanford University, 2011
Graphic Design: Now in Production, Walker Art Center, 2011
Architecture & Design Film Festival, Toronto, 2011
Printervention, Chicago, 2010
Typeforce 1, Chicago, 2010
Chicago International Poster Biennial, Chicago, 2009 and 2010
Sound in Print, New York, 2006
Design Life Now: National Design Triennial, New York, 2005
- Lectures and Workshops
Confronting Design: AI, 2023
University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2023
Rhode Island School of Design, 2022, 2021
San Francisco State University, 2021
Shillington School of Graphic Design, 2020
HalfRez 7 Conference, Chicago, 2018
School of Art Institute of Chicago, 2017 and 2016
MAS CONTEXT: ANALOG Conference, 2017 and 2012
Iowa State University, 2017
College for Creative Studies, 2016 and 2009
SEGD Experience Chicago, 2015
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2013
SALT Istanbul, 2012
Columbia College Chicago, 2012
Processing Conference, Chicago, 2011
TEDxBGSU, 2011
SEEK Conference, 2011 and 2008
University of Illinois at Chicago, 2011
Judson University, 2011
Florida Atlantic University, 2010
Northern Illinois University, 2009
- Awards and Publications
Design50, Newcity Magazine, 2018, 2022, and 2024
New Currents in Chicago Design, Communication Arts Magazine, 2016
Sappi Ideas That Matter, Grant Recipient, 2009
New Visual Artists: 20 under 30, Print Magazine, 2007
- Collaborating Organizations
Chicago Repertory Ballet
Manual Cinema