An associate professor at the USC Iovine and Young Academy, Steve Child has extensive experience as a designer and art director in entertainment, health care, education, and the nonprofit sector. Before joining the IYA Academy, Child taught at the USC Roski School of Art and Design.

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Child is deeply engaged in the philosophies of design. His teaching focuses on three areas: understanding, practice, and vision. He prioritizes critical thinking methodologies and creative problem-solving processes to guide students in developing unique solutions to challenging problems. Child teaches students to consider purpose, impact, and ethical considerations in everything they create.

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Child has given numerous talks and workshops, most recently “The Power of Visualization,” at the SXSW EDU conference. He contributed an essay, “The Gee’s Bend Quilters,” for the book, Centered: People and Ideas Diversifying Design, published in October 2023 by Princeton Architectural Press (edited by Kaleena Sales). As part of his commitment to community, Child served as a mentor artist for an LA Commons grant, working with inner-city students to create community design projects, and was commissioned to design street banners for three neighborhoods in Long Beach. In addition to his work in design, Child has continued to create his fine art work, which combines painting, drawing, collage, and digital imagery.  

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Child received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting and drawing at Indiana University. He gained his digital expertise from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena.