Using the idea of framework as a grounding metaphor, this annual catalog from the Communication Design community at Parsons—the third in the Frameworks series—captures and documents the work of designers as they translate, create, and articulate ideas and forms. Such activities occur in both directions, as students platform and present new visions and faculty return with pressing questions.

Framework 103 highlights work from graduating students in the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) program, the Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program, and the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program along with a select group of contemporary designers currently practicing in the field.

Together, these works offer insight into the evolving disciplines of communication design and the broader questions explored, within and across its various subdomains—book design, branding, digital product design, motion graphics, typeface design, and environmental spatial graphics. 

Documentation of student work is presented along with selected texts of lectures by guest designers Annika Hansteen-Izora, Ben Denzer, Sabrina Nacmias, Reggie James and Luca Repola. Talks include "On Designing for Collectivity," "Making School Work," "Building a Type Foundry," and "Feel Everything."

A typographic showcase and an overview of activities, events, core courses, faculty, staff, and all of the details that shaped the 2023-2024 terms is also included.

Framework maps the contours of a specific American design program while also creating a valuable capsule for thinking about contemporary communication design practice and pedagogy in the 21st century.