Posted on January 31, 2008 at 2:55 pm

RIP Heinz Klinkon

 
Heinz Klinkon, Associate Professor, Department of Graphic Design, College of Imaging Arts & Sciences passed away on January 27, 2008. He was a valued colleague of the faculty and a beloved teacher to his many students. 
 
He studied at the Gewerbeschule, Offenburg in Germany, Corcoran School of Art and RIT, receiving a BFA in 1979 and a MFA in 1990. Prior to coming to RIT to teach, he had worked at two prestigious design firms, Beveridge Associates in Washington DC and Chermayeff and Geismar in New York.  Vignelli Professor R. Roger Remington remembers that when Heinz was studying at RIT, “he had already been working in a top firm before and upon his arrival was already a better designer than several of his teachers. So, a few years later, when he was ready to leave New York, I proudly hired him right away.” 
 
Heinz said about his teaching, “I teach the skills, concepts and critical approaches required for successful creative work in the graphic design field. My approach emphasizes semiotics, thorough and systematic analysis, the integration of aesthetic, verbal and functional elements, realistic projects including portfolio completion to a substantial level of professional self consciousness and confidence.”
 
He joined the RIT faculty in 1981, was tenured in 1991 and received Associate Professor rank in 1993.  His design work appeared in many publications and appeared in numerous exhibitions. For a number for years he has created provocative sculptures, many of which have appeared in Faculty Exhibits in Bevier Gallery.
 
 
 
 

7 Responses to “RIP Heinz Klinkon”

  1. kiser on April 7th, 2008 at 12:43 pm says:

    I love Heinz

  2. melissa on April 7th, 2008 at 4:10 pm says:

    Heinz was my favorite teacher at RIT.

  3. Colleen, JADC 2002 on April 8th, 2008 at 8:34 am says:

    I suppose we can only hope to leave such a mark on the lives of others as Heinz did. As I always say, Heinz was worth the price of admission but the experience of Heinz was priceless.

  4. Karen on May 15th, 2008 at 11:54 pm says:

    This makes me so sad. He was my favorite teacher. He inspired me.

  5. Nathan (class of 1996) on July 16th, 2008 at 9:34 am says:

    I have missed Heinz since graduation day 1996. Quite possibly the best professor of all time. 6 hour critiques, with 6 hour long stories seeming to go nowhere, then like magic he’d bring it all together and leave us stunned. Brilliant man, brilliant man. “lt’s crap, and I love it.”

  6. Gary Peters on July 16th, 2008 at 10:20 am says:

    Heinz Klinkon was a great teacher. I learned more about design through his stories during critiques than from any other teacher. Years later, I also taught and I have actually retold his stories. He had an uncanny talent for breaking concepts down into situations in his stories. He had a profound influence on how I work.

  7. Adam (96) on July 19th, 2008 at 1:47 pm says:

    Heinz was a brilliant teacher and a fantastic man.
    People say, “Those who can’t do teach” and although I have been fortunate to have
    many teachers that have proven that utterly false, Heinz was the teacher you knew was holding back just a little so he wouldn’t completely melt our brains.
    It makes me so sad to think that the world has lost such a creative, genuine, truly truly unique and good man. It is a far lesser place without him.

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