Jan van Toorn studied graphic design at the Institute of Arts and Crafts in Amsterdam where he maintains a practice in communication design since 1957. The emotional charge and open character of van Toorn’s design work stems from his interest in investigating visual meaning and the social role of the profession in the media as opposed to purely practical requirements. Jan van Toorn for many years taught graphic design and visual communication at various academies and universities, including Gerrit Rietveld academy, Amsterdam, the Technical University Eindhoven, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence USA and the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam. From 1991 until 1998 he was director of the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht, transforming it into a postgraduate center for fine art, design and theory.