Ladan Bahmani is a designer and educator. She joined Illinois State University in 2017 after receiving her MFA in Graphic Design from Michigan State University and BS in Graphic Design from South Dakota State University. Her work focuses on translation as a central concept and approach. She uses translation—literally or metaphorically—as a tool or method to study, analyze, and critique various aspects of society, specifically cultural, political, and environmental issues. Translation signifies more than just language conversion; it represents a broader exploration of how ideas, data, or systems can be transformed, interpreted, or communicated across different contexts and media. Through both solo and collaborative projects, she employs translation to explore boundaries between the familiar and unfamiliar, uncover cultural commonalities, and investigate concepts like semantic satiation in communication. Her most recent interest extends this approach by translating environmental changes and data into visual narratives. Ladan has disseminated her work nationally and internationally as conference presentations, research papers, and exhibitions. She has joined residencies such as DesignInquiry at Vinalhaven, Maine (2018) and Satellietgroep DCR Guest Studios in the Hague, Netherlands. 

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