Thinking in Comics
How the Grammar of the Page Shapes the Grammar of Our Thoughts
Abstract
In a world obsessed with finding the quickest path from A to B, what does genuine understanding look like? We often treat the page as a simple container for answers, but what if we saw it as a space for exploration?
In this session, Nick Sousanis, author of Unflattening, argues that the very structure of comics offers a powerful way to navigate complex ideas. He’ll explore how creating on the page, with all its decisions, mistakes, struggles, and surprises, is the essential pathway to insight. It's a process where the journey isn't a detour from the answer; it is the answer.
Speaker Bio
Nick Sousanis
Nick Sousanis is an Eisner-winning comics author and educator. He wrote and drew his dissertation, Unflattening, entirely in comic book form. Published by Harvard University Press, it argues for the power of visual thinking in learning and has won numerous awards, including the Lynd Ward Prize for Best Graphic Novel.
At the heart of his practice, both as a creator and as the head of the Comics Studies program at San Francisco State University, is a deep belief in creating environments for discovery. He sees his role as a teacher not to provide a direct path, but to build the frameworks that encourage exploration.
