It sounds like a beeping and booping, retro flash-forward operation from a 1970s sci-fi flick. But Ben Barry’s Facebook Analog Research Laboratory, an internal graphic design and print studio and art program, was responsible for defining and developing the internal culture and brand at the social networking behemoth.

One of the first communication designers at Facebook, Barry brings his show, “100 Patterns,” to Fort Lewis College’s Art Gallery, with an opening reception from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. The show runs through Oct. 7.

Barry’s geometric and op-art project came about as a rejuvenation venture after his final couple of years at Facebook left him mostly managing and art directing. To energize his craft, he embarked on a 100-day exercise that resulted in the collection of work.

Barry has ties to Fort Lewis through associate art professor Paul Booth, who, as a graduate student, taught Barry at the University of North Texas in 2005.

Bringing in an acclaimed graphic and visual communication designer fits with the direction the FLC Department of Art & Design is taking with its program. In fall 2016, the department will introduce a major in communication design (in addition to its art studio major), reflecting the numbers and interest from design students. Of the department’s 197 majors, 87 are currently focused on graphic and communication design.

For more information, go to www.fortlewis.edu/art-design/ArtGallery.aspx or benbarry.com

David Holub