His research interests include, commuting, space and place, and typography. Fascinated with the practice of commuting, the allure of the roadside and local visual culture–he is interested in exploring and representing found text and imagery in a way that talks about the constructed place. Signage, billboards, graffiti, and ephemera point to the visual culture embedded in our surroundings. By examining the details of roadside culture he explores how meaning is constructed and conveyed through visual and cultural relationships. Barrett was recognized as one of the University of Florida's, Graduate Teachers of the year in 2006, and co-directed UF's Tokyo Study Abroad program from 2008 - 2010. In 2012 he was awarded a prestigious Alabama State Arts Fellowship in Design, and was the recipient of a Sappi - Ideas That Matter grant.