It’s a match made in Yale: the School of Management and the School of Art coming together in the name of design.

In a recent article entitled “An Introduction to Graphic Design,” Yale faculty members William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand ’82 ART ’89 quote Joel Podolny, former dean of the Yale School of Management, on the future of design and business:

The future of design in business is promising, from both strategic and tactical perspectives. Design can help frame a business problem, develop and support a clear and compelling message, and align that message with business objectives and customer preferences. Design can drive revenue. And more and more companies are discovering the value-add that design can provide.

Podolny stepped down from his position at SOM in October 2008, when he left to take the position of vice president and dean of Apple University.

Drenttel is a senior faculty fellow at SOM while Helfand is a senior critic in graphic design at the School of Art. Together, they are partners in the graphic design firm Winterhouse.