Patrick J. Lynch

Author and artist, retired from Yale University

North Haven, Connecticut, United States

About

Patrick J. Lynch is an author, artist, and photographer who has published eleven books with Yale University Press. He retired after 45 years at Yale University, where he was an interactive media designer, medical illustrator, biomedical and scientific photographer, filmmaker, and director of the web, media, and communications departments. Lynch has won over 40 national and international awards for his medical illustration, publications, and software design, including the 2005 Pirelli International Awards for Best Overall Multimedia Teaching Site and Best Site from Higher Education. His books have also won three National Outdoor Book Awards: for his Field Guide to the Southeastern Coast & Gulf of Mexico (2012), Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic Coast (2021), and, most recently, Field Guide to the Connecticut River (2024). Lynch has written eleven books and over 100 professional papers and book chapters. He has also been a consultant and invited speaker on web design and communications issues for many universities, government agencies, corporations, and non-profit groups. He regularly gives talks, workshops, and professional papers on communications management, biocommunications, academic computing, medical illustration, biomedical visualization, and Web strategy and production management. In July 2016, Yale University Press published the fourth edition of the best-selling Web Style Guide, co-authored by Sarah Horton of Harvard University. With almost 200,000 copies of previous editions in print, the Web Style Guide is one of Yale University Press’s best-selling books, and the Guide has been translated into nine international editions, including Czech, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and several Spanish-language editions. Reviewer Edward Tufte called the book “a style guide for the interface with real long-run value.”

Experience

  • Author, artist, photographer at Patrick J. Lynch Design
    Sep 2016 - Present · 9 yrs 11 mos

    Patrick J. Lynch is an award-winning writer, artist, and photographer, and an author of eleven books published by Yale University Press. In 2017 he retired after 45 years at Yale University, where he was an interactive media designer, medical illustrator, biomedical and scientific photographer, filmmaker, and a director of web, media, and communications departments. A fourth edition of his award‑winning and best‑selling Web Style Guide was published in 2016, his book "A Field Guide to Long Island Sound" was published by Yale University Press in 2017, and his book "A Field Guide to Cape Cod" was published by Yale Press in late 2018. His "Field Guide to the Mid-Atlantic Coast" was published by Yale University Press in April 2021. His latest book, "A Field Guide to the Connecticut River,"was published in March, 2024. His latest book, "A Guide to Pond Life," will be published by Yale University Press in late 2025.

  • Yale University (17 yrs 9 mos)
    • Senior Digital Officer
      Jan 2009 - Sep 2016 · 7 yrs 9 mos

      Responsible for a range of strategic and communications projects, including web infrastructure planning, content management, web communications, communications and user education on computing security, privacy, business operations, video production and editing, and portal interface design for Yale University, (2009 - present).

    • Director, Web Infrastructure
      2005 - Jan 2009 · 4 yrs 1 mo

      Responsible for a range of strategic and communications projects, including web infrastructure planning, content management, web emergency communications, communications and user education on computing security and privacy, and portal interface design for Yale University.

    • Director, Media Services
      Jan 1999 - Jan 2005 · 6 yrs 1 mo

      Responsible for a 42-member staff in four units units that provided web communications and editorial services, web site design, multimedia, training, and database design, audiovisual support services, video production, graphics and medical illustration, photography, and printing services to the Yale School of Medicine.

  • Founding Director at Yale Center for Advanced Instructional Media
    Aug 1988 - Jan 2003 · 14 yrs 6 mos

    Yale the Center for Advanced Instructional Media (CAIM). CAIM was a collaboration of seven core faculty and staff members, in collaboration with many other faculty members of the Yale School of Medicine, charged with exploring the effectiveness of new computer and network-based teaching media in medical and continuing education, image databases, and other digital audiovisual media. CAIM published multimedia software on CD-ROMs and videodiscs, and created Web-based content for education, training, and continuing medical education.

  • Yale University School of Medicine (Yale School of Medicine)
    • Lecturer, Diagnostic Radiology
      Feb 1988 - 2002 · 14 yrs

      Diagnostic Radiology faculty appointment, made in recognition of the contributions to teaching and research in both Diagnostic Radiology and the the larger Yale School of Medicine community.

    • Director, Biomedical Communications
      Jan 1992 - Jan 1993 · 1 yr 1 mo

      Responsible for the operations, personnel and budgeting of the department's computer graphics section, and created the department's audiovisual, multimedia, and graphic design sections. Responsible, under the Director of Biomedical Communications, for the operations of a department of 24 employees,

  • Yale School of Medicine (20 yrs 1 mo)
    • Associate Director, Medical Illustrator
      Jan 1985 - Jan 1992 · 7 yrs 1 mo

      Responsible for the majority of medical and surgical illustration projects for the biocommunications department. Created the department's computer graphics section in 1982.

    • Manager of Photography
      Jan 1977 - Jan 1985 · 8 yrs 1 mo

      Responsible for all operations including the supervision of 6 employees in a full-service

    • Biomedical photographer & medical illustrator
      Jan 1972 - Jan 1981 · 9 yrs 1 mo

      Biomedical illustration, photography, and motion media in various analog and digital forms.