Henk van Assen¿s New York¿based studio, HvADesign, focuses on book design and environmental graphics. He received his training in graphic design in his home country of the Netherlands from the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, The Hague. After working for several years as a graphic designer in Amsterdam, he came to the United States and earned an M.F.A. from Yale University. Since 1999 van Assen has been a critic at the Yale University School of Art, and from 2003 to 2008 he was director of undergraduate studies. He has also taught at the University of Texas, the School of Visual Arts in New York, and the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. His work has won many awards, including the 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2005 American Institute of Graphic Arts 50 Best Books Awards.