Chitra Gopalakrishnan
Assistant Professor
Graphic Design
School of Art and Design
College of Professional Studies and Fine Arts
SDSU
Bio
Chitra Gopalakrishnan is an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at San Diego State University and a multidisciplinary designer and artist with over two decades of international experience. Her work exists at the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and contemporary visual culture, bridging the gap between analog processes and digital innovation.
Chitra holds dual MFA degrees from ESAG Penninghen in Paris and the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Detroit. In 2007, she co-founded Kara Weaves, a fair-trade social enterprise that revitalizes traditional handloom weaving co-operatives in Kerala, India. Through Kara Weaves, she applies modern branding and design strategy to preserve ancient textile traditions, connecting rural artisans to a global market.
Her creative practice, which includes painting and new media, often explores themes of identity, motherhood, and social justice. Deeply committed to community-engaged design, Chitra serves as the Board Chair for Outside the Lens, a San Diego-based nonprofit that empowers youth through photography, filmmaking, and digital media. In both her studio and her teaching, she emphasizes the transformative power of visual storytelling and the ethical responsibility of the designer in a globalized world.