In this episode of the Thinking through Design podcast, host Adam Fromme sits down with Ben Denzer.
“And so, if I can make that process last longer, then, you know, I’m more happy. And then I realized through doing that, I make more exciting things.” Ben Denzer
Ben is a New York–based creative whose work spans book cover design, editorial illustration, and experimental publishing. Ben discusses his playful approach to design and teaching, emphasizing how experimentation, commitment, and curiosity drive his creative process. Through stories like his oversized, 800-pound MFA “thesis book” and his humorous Ice Cream Books series, Ben illustrates how he uses scale, repetition, and material play to rethink familiar formats. He encourages students to act on ideas rather than just notice them—trusting process over perfection and finding meaning through sustained making. The conversation also explores the overlap between art and design, with Ben describing himself as both a selfish designer and a pragmatic artist. And they reflect on how freedom, identity, and authorship shift depending on context, and how self-initiated projects can preserve creative autonomy. Ultimately, the episode captures Ben’s philosophy that making is thinking: creativity grows through action, repetition, and the willingness to follow ideas wherever they lead.
Ben Denzer is an artist, designer, publisher and professor whose work blurs the boundaries between art, design, and the book form. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Architecture with a certificate in Visual Arts from Princeton University. He subsequently completed an MFA in Graphic Design at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In his academic appointments he has served as Adjunct Faculty at RISD, the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, and Parsons School of Design. As of 2025 he holds the position of Assistant Professor of Communication Design at Parsons. Through his teaching, he encourages students to rethink the book as an expressive, experimental object—one that can communicate ideas through structure, material, and play as much as through text.
Ben recorded this episode during his week on campus as part of the Ohio State DESIGN Visiting Artist series.
You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.
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