CCA welcomes new Communication Design chair Jennifer Sonderby
As chair of Communication Design, Sonderby builds on CCA’s legacy and expands into digital, product, and experience design.
Jennifer Sonderby, chair of Communication Design.
This fall, CCA is thrilled to welcome Jennifer Sonderby as the new Communication Design chair. Her work has reimagined the identities of major art museums and cultural institutions throughout San Francisco, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture.
Sonderby is a Distinguished Alum of CCA’s MFA Design program and was part of its inaugural cohort—an experience that continues to inform her practice and approach to design education. As Principal of Sonderby Design, she leads a strategy-driven studio specializing in brand identity across products, digital platforms, and built environments. Recent projects include a new identity for Fort Mason Art, a brand refresh for the de Young museum, and a scalable, eco-conscious packaging system for eBay’s global Authenticity Guarantee program. Previously, she served as Design Director at SFMOMA, where she led the museum’s acclaimed rebrand during its major expansion.
“There’s no better place to rethink what design can do than here in San Francisco. At CCA, students are encouraged to cross boundaries, take risks, and ask hard questions. That’s exactly what the world needs from designers right now.”
Chair of Communication Design
Sonderby steps into the chair role as the program evolves from Graphic Design to Communication Design. The updated curriculum builds on CCA’s legacy of conceptual rigor while expanding into digital, product, and experience design.
“The name change is about more than semantics,” says Sonderby. “It reflects a broader, more nuanced understanding of the field—one that embraces the many contexts in which design is created, experienced, and understood.”
Sonderby’s teaching spans undergraduate and graduate programs at CCA, as well as international workshops in Harare, Zimbabwe and Nagoya, Japan. Across all settings, her approach centers on curiosity, critical thinking, and adaptability.
“I help students cultivate curiosity,” she says. “It’s about uncovering what drives them—and developing the agility to respond to new tools, ideas, and possibilities.”
As chair, Sonderby is especially energized by the Bay Area’s legacy of design innovation.
“There’s no better place to rethink what design can do than here in San Francisco,” she says. “At CCA, students are encouraged to cross boundaries, take risks, and ask lots of questions—together shaping what comes next for design.”
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