Visual Discovery Conference keynote lecture with Fernando Baptista

Join the Visual Discovery Conference for “The Human Hand and Mind: In the Age of AI, What Should We Preserve in Visual Communication?” at 5:30 p.m. Moderated by Scott Titsworth of Ohio University, the panel brings together visual communication educators Alberto Cairo, Adonis Durado, John Grimwade, Hiram Henriquez and Timothy Goheen to consider a question that is becoming increasingly important for those who teach, create and communicate: As AI becomes increasingly capable of doing the making, what human skills, traditions and ways of thinking should we intentionally preserve?

The evening continues with a keynote presentation, “The Art of Storytelling and Discovery at National Geographic” by Fernando Baptista from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

How do you make the invisible visible? How do you turn thousands of facts, years of history, scientific research and complex ideas into a visual story that people can understand and remember?

Fernando Baptista knows.

As a senior graphics editor at National Geographic and the recipient of the SND World’s Best Designer award, Baptista has spent nearly two decades transforming the world’s stories into extraordinary visual experiences.

Baptista will pull back the curtain on the ideas, research, artistry and craft behind some of National Geographic’s most remarkable visual stories.

Free and open to the public. Please register on Eventbrite. UNC students can register on Heel Life for CLE credit. All other attendees are encouraged to register on Eventbrite.

The Visual Discovery Conference (VDC) is a student-centered gathering of renowned design schools from around the world. VDC 2026 will take place Oct. 12-16, 2026, hosted by the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.