"There is creativity and joy to be found in doing even the most menial task," says Chicago-based art director and copywriter David Harris (B.F.A. graphic design, 2018; B.F.A. advertising, 2018).

During an hourlong conversation, having discussed his major projects for clients in financial services (Capital One), digital literacy (Chicago Public Library), and salted caramel pretzel ice cream (Blue Bunny), Harris hits his core. "The key is to jump into the work, and you'll see it in a whole new way."

Jumping in is David's thing. Over the past decade he has created a deeply impressive work portfolio. "I've been with a large agency, small agency, in-house, remote, corporate, and non-profit," explains the current senior art director at High Wide & Handsome. "This increases my adaptability and allows me to see how resilient I can be. That can mean responding to a difficult critique in round eleven of something you've been working on forever. Sometimes it's just flowing through workflow."

We all scream: FCB Chicago launched Blue Bunny's first fully integrated campaign featuring its mascot Blu the bunny, with Harris as associate art director and copywriter. Result: 1.7. billion media impressions.

The 29-year-old's commitment makes him an exemplary SCAD alum. It's no wonder he was present as SCAD accelerated from being a cool school to a global brand in arts education.

"Watching SCAD grow has been awesome," Harris says with a smile. "I remember my sister saying, ‘Oh, on Pretty Little Liars one of the students is going to SCAD Atlanta now!'

"Really, it's about SCAD creating opportunities for students," he continues. "My junior year, I volunteered with SCAD SERVE as digital marketing director, working with Habitat for Humanity — that experience heightened what was already a transformative time for me."

"David is a bright light and a fount of positivity," says SCADamp communications coach Arlene Distel, who previously taught Harris in advertising and marketing classes. "When he learned that I had switched after fourteen years from being a SCAD professor to being a SCADamp coach, he was genuinely enthusiastic about my new role. He wanted to hear about how I help students present their creative ideas to the world with confidence. He exemplifies proactive professional communication."

This chimes with Harris's own mentorship of junior art directors and designers, and his dedication to purpose-driven projects, including design work with Rescue Agency and the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program. "Knowing that the hours you put in produce results is something I'm proud of. These are life-changing resources for people," he says. David credits graphic design professor Jane Zash with instilling in him the principle that "as designers, we use our creativity to try to make the world a better place."

A native of Virginia Beach, Virginia, Harris currently volunteers with the Virginia Beach Arts & Humanities Commission assessing grant applications. "From SCAD I gained the need to see what people are making in all parts of the world. Every time I return to Virginia Beach, I re-engage with the arts community in my hometown." Giving back and paying it forward are synonymous, he feels. "I care about art students. I want to see the arts flourish." He will continue to jump in and meet the challenge.

As the conversation winds up, Harris thanks SCAD for keeping in touch. Good guy. Arlene Distel states it clearly: "David is a natural."

Sweet work: Harris served as art director with Ferrara's in-house agency 1908X, overseeing the Trolli Sour Gummi Worms x Halo packaging design project. Assets for the Trolli x Halo Infinite video game release included this Trolli Xbox console skin.

Connect with David Harris on LinkedIn!

It began on a momentous day: SCAD Commencement 2021. You Li (M.F.A., interior design, 2021) stood on stage in Atlanta, receiving her master's diploma and the prestigious Excelsus Laureate distinction from SCAD President Paula Wallace. The occasion brimmed with excitement as Li ventured into the professional world of interior design, eager to tell stories through spaces.

Four years later, and You Li has fashioned a remarkable career as an interior designer at Gensler, the globally-renowned architectural and design firm. From conceptualizing bold ideas to traveling across the U.S. to inspect construction sites, her work blends aesthetic vision with practical execution.

Let the good designs roll: You Li with President Wallace at Commencement 2021. 

For Li, design is storytelling — expressing a client's vision and capturing a city's cultural identity through the artistry of spatial design. She transforms ordinary structures into extraordinary vessels of collective memory by mastering the interplay of concepts, color, light, and shadow. At Gensler, she works alongside construction teams, seeing every phase through from ideation to completion.

"Every design needs to stand the test of time, to tell a story today and resonate tomorrow," she says.

At SCAD, Li learned a vital truth about design: it begins with listening. Whether walking through a client's stables or sitting at their kitchen table, she immerses herself in their stories, transforming their needs into personalized solutions. "It's about understanding the purpose of design and weaving visions into actionable plans," she says.

She balances creativity with practicality, and communication with execution when aligning teams of engineers or presenting polished concepts to clients. Standout projects include a passenger lounge at San Francisco International Airport. Li sees the space as more than a waiting area. For her, the lounge bookends a traveler's experience, connecting the passenger to San Francisco's cultural heartbeat. She poured the city's essence into every detail of the 20,000-square-foot lounge.

"The lounge will tell a memorable story of the city's vibe and the airline's brand, even during a fleeting stay," she says.

Li is a trailblazer in modular design, contributing to Boise's first prefabricated bank branch. Prefabrication, often likened to assembling a life-sized Lego set, introduces efficiency to construction projects. "This project redefined the boundaries between customization and modular production."By modularizing components, the project reduced construction time, enhanced sustainability, and simplified long-term maintenance.

She credits much of her own growth to her time at SCAD. From mastering design software to experiencing accessibility challenges firsthand, her education grounded her designs in inclusivity and practicality. Her advice to students is simple and profound: "Use each project as an opportunity to explore what truly excites you. The classroom is your testing ground for the future."

Now, as an emerging leader with the IIDA and a LEED-accredited professional — her newest stamp of credibility is the Council for Interior Design's NCIDQ certification — Li is shaping the future of design.

"Design challenges you to listen, balance, and create spaces that inspire and endure," she says.

For Li, interior design remains an invitation to connect people with places and transform functional infrastructure into an enduring story.

Connect with You Li on LinkedIn.

An interior design by You Li (Handan, China) from her final SCAD portfolio.

Drop the outdated dongle and expired earbuds and decouple all devices — it's time to booty-scoot to SCAD MOA for the final week of Corrina Goutos's exhibition Bivalves no Booty in the Alumni Gallery.
 
Future-forger Goutos (b. 1991, New York; B.F.A. jewelry, 2013) fuses fragments of mass-produced objects with raw natural materials to create unusual, conceptual, and often wearable artworks that resemble fossils from the future. In other words, old tech gets smashed, bashed, and put back together as uncanny, ugly-beautiful, even humorous artworks that upend notions of "raw" and "processed."
 
"How can I be a master of a material when that material is already a collage of so many stories and timelines?" Goutos asked, rhetorically and earnestly, during a gallery talk back in March with curator Brittany Richmond. "I created the concept of 'anthrosmithing.' Instead of being a goldsmith or blacksmith, I am a smith of the raw material of today, which is not raw, but an already-processed object."
 
Through "anthrosmithing," Goutos releases outdated tech from obsolescence, giving it new life that highlights how wearables shape identity. Bivalves no Booty features two series, Vestigial Trait Bait and the most recent BlossomVerse, which explore the tension between individuality and interconnectedness in our consumer-driven society.
 
In Vestigial Trait Bait, ancient shells merge with industrial hardware to create relics that blend the history of adornment with the concept of evolutionary appendages, reflecting on how technology has become an extension of the self. "I was inspired by the etymology, the word origins of 'shell' and 'skill' — they share the exact same paths," Goutos said.
 
In The BlossomVerse, the artist reconfigures porcelain shards and electronic waste into distorted artifacts that challenge capitalist ideals of perfection and subvert the corporate design trend of biomimicry. "It developed out of my trying to be more of a listener to the material and less [about] imposing my aesthetic onto neutral material," the artist explained, standing in front of a wall adorned with an original digital collage. "I tried to create a methodology for inviting more entropy into my process. I actually smashed a lot of porcelain figures."
 
Through these hybrid works, Goutos subverts sentimental attachments to technology and the choices consumers make via corporate coercion to discard or preserve, revealing how objects carry and transmit meaning over time like placeholders. A certain brand has certain connotations for an individual. "Nokia will be triggering, like, oh, the Nineties, my first phone!"
 
Thus, Goutos creates new totems of self-expression that evoke nostalgia and belonging. Technological remnants are fused with geological remains that embrace the uncanny beauty of growth, decay, and metamorphosis.
 
"In Bivalves no Booty my receptive touch dismantles anthropocentric notions of fixed thingdom; story-telling the two-way exchange of imprints, while jump-starting an industrial rewilding process," the artist explained.
 
The exhibition-opening gallery talk in the spring featured detailed questions from SCAD jewelry students, all of whom have their own relationship to technology — and to the totemic tchotchkes that this alum has transformed into art. "I create that value by giving it reverence," Goutos said.
 
"I really appreciate how much thought you put into all these pieces," curator Richmond told the artist. "That's why when you look at these objects, they're so powerful."

See Bivalves No Booty at the SCAD Museum of Art!

"Lots of submissions for this category, guys!"

It's a Monday night in Hamilton Hall Room 113, and the Spring 2025 SCAD Student Recording Competition is in full swing. Empty pizza boxes are stacked outside the door. A dozen students sprawl on Persian rugs beneath the studio's playback speakers.

SCAD Audio Engineering Society chair Hayden Blocker beckons for a drum roll: "And the winner of best ‘Modern Studio/Electronics' recording is…Andreas Asimakopoulos!"

From the control room, sound design professor Jamie Baker plays back the winning tune: a harmony drenched, pop hit-in-waiting called ‘One Last Time'. The AES clubbers move to the groove. One student pumps his fists. "It's got that Bleachers/Jack Antonoff vibe!" raves Dylan Ramras (B.F.A., sound design). "Great job man, great song!"

"I wasn't expecting that response, or to win, but it was really great," Asimakopoulos (M.F.A. sound design, 2025) says the next day, sipping a Vitaminwater inside the TAD Café. "That's one of the five songs I've written and recorded as my master's thesis, a half-album I'll be posting online."

A native of Soldotna, Alaska, Andreas grew up playing Beatles songs on acoustic guitar, studied film at Whitman in Walla Walla, then followed his older brothers to Atlanta, where he began working as an audio engineer at a studio called Loud House, "mostly on rap projects." He soon heard about SCAD, and came to Savannah to pursue his master's degree.

"Andreas is easygoing and confident, with a strong background in creating original music and working in studios," says Baker, who taught him in ADR and Foley Mixing (SNDS 734). "He makes an excellent role model for our music production and music composition students."

Asimakopoulos mentions additional courses pivotal to his development, including Electronic Music Production (SNDS 764) with Ian Vargo, "a professor with really deep knowledge of music production and mixing who has helped me conceptualize what I'm going for."

"Andreas is such a gifted songwriter and musician, and he truly puts in the work," says Vargo. "After listening to early drafts of his productions and offering a few suggestions, Andreas returned with the notes perfectly implemented. He felt like a collaborator as much as he did a student."

"I tried to make ‘One Last Time' have the most Eighties-sounding drums I could," Andreas says, referencing Def Leppard's 1987 album Hysteria and its lavish kicks and snares. He also mentions Tame Impala, whose jams helped him realize "it's possible to fully produce [my music] myself in Ableton Live, and have it sound authentic."

Final mixes complete, Andreas plans to release his tunes via streaming platforms, most likely under the name Orpheus's Brother (a nod to his big brother Bos's band, Orpheus & the Animal). With Avid certifications including Pro Tools Post and Pro Tools Dolby Atmos, he sees a galaxy of possibility after graduation. "I'd like to work in post-production for film and TV. I'll be making my own music, too."

Asked for a final word on his thesis, the AES award-winner waits a beat, then hits the high note:

"I mean, whatever benefits the song is the best thing, right?"

Andreas Asimakopoulos (right) with SCAD AES chapter chair Hayden Blocker.

Banner photo by Jonathan Sage. Portrait of student within artist Jónsi's exhibition Vox at SCAD MOA.

The thrill is real: SCAD FASHION 2025, the signature showcase of innovative collections by senior and graduate students in the prestigious SCAD School of Fashion, debuts live this Friday, May 16, at 8:30 p.m. ET with the SCAD FASHION 2025 runway show.

SCAD welcomes an international cadre of industry luminaries for an unforgettable evening honoring the innovation, craftsmanship, and creativity with the next generation of design visionaries. Fashion enthusiasts around the globe can witness the unparalleled talent of SCAD fashion students via livestream at scad.edu/fashion2025.

"SCAD FASHION 2025 returns to Atlanta as the industry's front-row forecast for what's next in fashion," said SCAD President Paula Wallace. "This year's SCAD runway show reveals conceptual couture from SCAD designers rewriting the language of luxury in real-time, from architectural silhouettes to meticulously engineered footwear, ball gowns, and creative casual wear. Global fashion arbiters converge at SCAD COURT to witness the arrival of tomorrow's tastemakers and the moment when inspiration becomes canon."

"This year's fashion show is all about new, individual takes on tradition," said Dirk Standen, Dean, SCAD School of Fashion. "Our students are exploring the classic tropes of fashion, from evening wear to corporate wear to tailoring, and interpreting them in their own way. They're looking at the world around them and approaching their designs with thought, verve, and newfound technical skill."

Adding to the prestige of the runway, choreographer and movement director Emma Chadwick provided expert guidance to SCAD models parading the catwalk, while Daniel Martin, the global director of artistry at Tatcha and an acclaimed makeup artist, directed the overall beauty aesthetic and execution.

"I have keyed the beauty looks for many runways since beginning my career as a professional makeup artist in the fashion scene of the late 1990s and early 2000s and am thrilled to be doing so for the 2025 SCAD fashion show," said Martin. "Being able to share my experiences with the incredible students at SCAD during this pivotal point in their academic careers and help them showcase their creative visions to the broader community is such an honor."

SCAD FASHION 2025 features a bespoke runway by SCAD alum Trish Andersen (B.F.A., fibers, 2005). The atmosphere is also enhanced by an incredible organza sculpture by SCAD alum Lærke Lillelund (B.F.A., fibers, 2016). The show is preceded by a live musical performance by SCAD student Wayne Bucknor Jr. (B.F.A. performing arts), complemented by an exclusive soundtrack under the direction of Grammy Award-nominated producer, songwriter and DJ Aaron Albano aka MING in collaboration with SCAD musical director and producer Kim Steiner and pianist and SCAD student Maxwell Park (B.F.A. film and television).

SCAD's top-ranked School of Fashion is globally praised for offering one of the most elite and comprehensive programs in the world for undergraduate and graduate degrees in fashion, accessory design, jewelry, fashion marketing and management, fibers, and sneaker design. SCAD fashion students have the exclusive opportunity to engage and network with distinguished industry experts who provide guidance and critiques through the university's Style Lab Mentor program. This year's mentors include Jose Criales-Unzueta, Anifa Mvuemba, Bruce Pask, Rebma Salad, Sam Salad, Frederic Tremblay, and Simon Ungless.

Peep the runway at scad.edu/fashion2025!

On a stormy Saturday in Savannah, a fully focused Charlie Tiner (B.F.A. film and television, 2025) sat at a twin-screen desktop computer at the back of Adler Hall Room 211. Tiner, a member of the SCAD Editors Club, clicked his mouse with furious fluidity, organizing folders and aligning edits in Avid Media Composer. To the uninitiated, it looked like he was operating a space station. For Tiner and his fellow film editing students, "The Art of the Assist: Lifecycle of a Show" was their sweet spot.

The workshop was part of "THE CUT" — a three-day post-production event, organized by film professor Alexander Newton, featuring reel reviews, panel discussions, and an utterly epic keynote address by legendary film editor Walter Murch (Apocalypse Now, The English Patient, Jarhead). While much of "THE CUT" happened virtually via Zoom to facilitate global attendance, the in-person portion felt, well, extra personal.

"You all were invited to come today because you've shown great dedication to editing, and because you're on the right track, people are noticing your hard work," said Newton to the two dozen students in Adler. "You're willing to embrace what's possible, including the unknown, all as part of getting better at your craft."

That meant learning from a group of alumni who work professionally as editors for networks and studios including Marvel, TLC, Amazon, PBS, Netflix, Showtime, and Paramount+. Brittany Bierly (B.F.A. film, 2016), Savannah Turner (B.F.A. film, 2016), Jayden Jackson (B.F.A. film, 2017), Sydney Hervey (B.F.A. film, 2019), and Devon Harding (B.F.A. film, 2016) spoke about how they got where they are in their creative careers, how they keep themselves organized (no small feat) and what it means to be a team player, whether working on a major motion picture like Bad Boys: Ride or Die or a hit show like Thousand Pound Sisters.

"Today we want to go over the life cycle of the show, from start to finish," said Turner. "Most of us work in unscripted [television], but it does apply to scripted as well. First, this is the hierarchy of the kind of people you might be working with, there might be more and there might be less, depending on the project…." Power point slides showed workflows involving supervisors, coordinators, producers, and editors. "Everything in its place," Turner said.

Each alum took turns discussing facets from establishing a post timeline to locking final deliverables. "Accept that they usually do the wrap party while you're still working," said Jackson as everyone laughed. "Seriously."

"I'm working at a bigger post-production house right now," Bierly said. "Not all places will have a nighttime AE, you will do a swing shift, that means starting in the afternoon and working through the evening. I started nights and honestly that was the best way to get my foot in the door. I also had to problem-solve a lot by myself."

It was clear these alumni all spent the past decade working as much as possible. The discussion included the wisdom of pen-on-paper note-taking, the best way to tell a client a potential problem is being addressed, ego-shedding and, of course, the golden rule: "Render before you export."

The session evolved into shadowing organizational techniques in Avid. At the end of the event, Tiner clicked free and smiled. "Being invited to be here was a good reason to show up today. Hearing about the steps everyone is going through in their editing careers, and learning about how they manage workflow is interesting to me, and hopefully an opportunity that I'll have in the future."

Thanks to everyone who attended this year's edition of THE CUT!

Learn more by following SCAD Editors Club on Instagram.

Olivia Tanzy digs bugs and figs.

The evidence was on display on a recent Friday evening during Jewelry Open Studio in Fahm Hall. As families and friends frolicked and "Pink Pony Club" pumped from a portable speaker, Tanzy (B.F.A. jewelry, 2025) stood at her display, ready to speak with curious passerby about her senior collection 'Figments of Choice'.

"I was inspired by Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, the symbol of the fig tree and how overwhelming decision-making can feel in your twenties," Tanzy said. She gestured to a handmade baroque pearl necklace ("the piece that sparked my entire collection") and a complementary 24K gold-plated bracelet: "There's a ceramic fig in the middle and metal figs surrounding it, and a little ant made from solder and wire."

It was impossible not to be wowed by the skill required to turn a literary metaphor into a collection of jewelry. Also notable was Tanzy's steadfast presence — what professor Lanelle Keyes, who taught her in courses including Adornment, Identity, and Power of Jewelry (JEWL 280), calls "a quiet determination that draws people in."

A few days later, sitting in a relaxed setting outside Foxtail Coffee, Tanzy traced her arc from high school at Mount Pisgah Christian in Johns Creek, Georgia to completing a formidable and rigorous degree program in Savannah. "Originally I wanted to go to art school so that I could work with my hands and not be in front of a computer screen all day," she says. "When I got to SCAD, I thought I'd study performing arts or graphic design, then I took Intro to Jewelry: Materials and Processes and my mind was blown that I could have an idea and then physically make it in front of me."

Ripe on time: selections from 'Figments of Choice'.

Plath's fig tree analogy has been the subject of hothouse online discourse — not to mention the entire industry built around the author and her sole novel, published in 1963. When asked if she identifies with The Bell Jar's main character, the intelligent, indecisive student Esther Greenwood, Tanzy nods: "To read that portrayal of anxiety in a coming-of-age story — as a woman it's nice to know you're not alone in these feelings of having to be perfect while grappling with your sense of yourself. At the same time, I was struggling with so many options for what I wanted my senior collection to be." Then kismet hit.

"One day I was with my mom on Tybee enjoying a little beach weekend and we went to the grocery store, and they were selling fig trees. I was like, Here it is. I have to do this now."

Transmuting Plath's symbolic fig tree into tangible jewelry meant long hours at a work bench iterating with materials, designing in Rhino and Nomad Sculpt, and incorporating critical feedback from faculty. "Olivia steadily honed her vision as she became increasingly focused and intentional in her work," remarks Keyes. "No matter the challenge, she met it with grace and a sense of purpose."

Chair of jewelry Jay Song guided 'Figments of Choice' in Collection 1: Research and Development (JEWL 400) and Collection 2: Design and Production (JEWL 460), even bringing in leaves from her own fig tree for Tanzy to examine. "Olivia's thorough research and sensitivity in developing her design process — including initial concept exploration, market research, visual presentation board, and material samples — were all exceptionally well-executed," Song says. "Her creative vision is whimsical yet multisensory, aligning with the expectations of the fine jewelry industry, and the diverse techniques she employed mean her final outcomes reflect her unique perspective."

Tellingly, Tanzy emphasizes the challenges along the way. "When making these ceramics, some of them failed miserably," she recalls. "Like, okay, that's a rotten fig, we're going to try again…until I made one that was ripe and perfect and gave me the exact color and emotion that I wanted. When I was choosing glazes for the ceramics, I mixed colors, like a darker red and then I'd take my sponge and do a lighter red on top of it, and play around, try the opposite. For my stones, I felt I needed to use natural stones since this is a nature-inspired collection, so I chose garnets, I love that deep red, and rhodolite garnets with pink in them."

All the work finally paid off. The finished collection is a classic. This summer, Tanzy will begin a new job working at Ringcrush, the Atlanta-based business owned by alum Bailey Christenbury (M.A. jewelry, 2014; B.F.A. sculpture, 2011). Before that, she will be selling her own new pieces at the 25th Anniversary SCAD Jewelry Trunk Show this Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9 in Poetter Hall.

"One of the most amazing parts about SCAD is the networking opportunity at these events, and the chance to share my work with people and have a moment discussing my inspiration," she says.

So, with her SCAD career nearly complete, does she feel like she made the right choice?

Tanzy responds with a smile. "I finally found my fig."

Follow @oliviamakesjewelry and connect with Tanzy on Linkedin!

Collection photographed by Jenna Mitsdarfer.

On Friday afternoon in Hamilton Hall, a handful of students gathered in Studio A for a workshop by film professor Fatemeh Hosseini. "Film is not what is written in the script, it is what is seen in the image," Hosseini explained. "Through the action, you are revealing emotions — that's called blocking."
 
The workshop — "Unlocking Character Through Blocking" — exemplified Hosseini's teaching style, both intellectual and practical. Following an hour-long lecture, students broke into two groups and put their new knowledge to use, devising and shooting scenes where characters could only say two lines, and emotion and context had to be conveyed through blocking. Attendee Beatrise Ziedina (M.F.A., film and television, 2026) recounts her experience.

Blocking, Bergman, and big ideas: Hosseini leads her SCADextra workshop.

Beatrise Ziedina:
  
Professor Fatemeh Hosseini's SCADextra workshop "Unlocking Character Through Blocking" was phenomenal — a true masterclass. I attended as a graduate student and film editor, yet upon reflection, I think every SCAD film student should experience this class as taught by Professor Hosseini. Many student films can feel plain, even superficial, because of how little thought has been put into character blocking. But blocking is important. It adds emotion and depth and resonates with the audience. Not everything has to be said with words, and not everything can. Cinema is about visuals and subtext. A filmmaker must make the viewer think and feel.

Professor Hosseini walked us through scenes from Autumn Sonata (1978, dir. Ingmar Bergman), The Beat That My Heart Skipped (2005, dir. Jacques Audiard), Wings of Desire (1987, dir. Wim Wenders) and L'Avventura (1960, dir. Michelangelo Antonioni). We discussed what is happening to each character and what is going through their heads based on the way they act and move. We talked about how the camera is moving around them, as well as how the scene is edited. Professor Hosseini explained how each scene is built and how many complicated layers there are. It is not enough simply to place a character in a location and give them lines. Their movement in combination with the camera movement, the tiniest gestures, the most subtle facial movements — like a small eyebrow raise — it is all part of the blocking.

I love how Professor Hosseini said that "the filmmaker is both a psychologist and an architect." While "psychologist" makes perfect sense, since a filmmaker is required to be one for character building, "architect" is something I had not thought of before. There is so much work that goes into building a great scene and even more into making a whole movie. It is more than writing a script, placing a camera in front of an actor and making them act.

This workshop was eye-opening. It changed my perspective as a filmmaker and the way I watch movies has changed now as well. Professor Hosseini focused on European cinema, which is different than American cinema. To make great movies, you have to be educated on cinema from all around the world. Professor Hosseini is brilliant, and I hope there are more workshops by her in the future. I will attend every single one. 

Connect with Beatrise Ziedina on LinkedIn.

Learn more about film and television degree programs at SCAD.

SCAD has collaborated with Delta Flight Museum in a unique design challenge to create an original mural for the newly renovated Delta Flight Museum. The interactive design, by SCAD student Jennifer Wee (M.F.A. motion media), was inspired by Delta's chosen theme "Humanity Lifts Us." The mural was created as a SCADpro challenge, held over a three-week period, with more than 20 participating students representing top degree programs including painting, illustration, motion media, graphic design, interactive design, animation, and creative business leadership.
 
"We are thrilled Delta Flight Museum chose SCAD for this unique design challenge and visitors from around the world will now enjoy Jennifer's work at the museum," said Hannah Flowers, vice-president SCAD Atlanta.
 
The Delta Flight Museum, which reopens to the public on Monday, April 7, features the original 13 ft. high, 99 ft. long digital mural "Keep Climbing" to celebrate Delta's 100th anniversary. Wee's artwork, created with Adobe Illustrator, includes an interactive element where visitors can align the letter on their ticket with the mural to take a photo.
 
SCAD student and artist Jennifer Wee explains: "The mural combines Delta's history and future through modern, abstract design. The frames of the Delta letters represent Delta's 100-year-strong foundation. Within the letter frames are small figures — workers, families, and travelers from different cultures — symbolizing Delta's community. The large-scale design allows viewing from multiple distances. I wanted to make sure that viewers enjoy this mural both from afar and up close. Delta's warm care, the spirit of continuing to pursue high ideals, and the people who make it all possible became my overall inspiration."
 
Wee is a motion media and graphic designer whose unique cultural background bridges East and West. Born in Rochester, New York and raised in South Korea, she brings a global perspective to her creative work. Her work has been recognized and showcased in exhibitions including the prestigious DESIGN KOREA 2022. Wee aims to create designs that captivate audiences, drawing them into an experience that transcends the traditional boundaries of visual art.
 
SCADpro is the university's collaborative innovation studio that generates business solutions for the world's most influential brands. SCADpro, recognized as the preeminent university partner among design agencies worldwide, invites clients to engage in every step of the creative process and to work directly with student designers, professors, and alumni focused on desired outcomes.
 
Since 1995, the Delta Flight Museum has welcomed visitors from around the world to explore aviation history, celebrate the story and people of Delta, and discover the future of flight. The world-class museum features engaging exhibits and interactive programming for aviation enthusiasts of all ages. Standing in the heart of Delta's Atlanta headquarters, the 68,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art attraction makes a perfect outing for family, friends, school groups and more. Visit deltamuseum.org.

See more of the work of motion media designer Jennifer Wee.

Halfway through winter quarter, a dozen students gathered around the crimson crescent couches of the SCADamp mainstage to present design concepts. The client: Goodwill Southeast Georgia. The prompt: Build a better donation center. The presiding professor: Ryan Madson.
 
"Madson encourages us to do things a little differently, to challenge the client as well as ourselves," said Zoë Ransom (B.F.A. architecture).
 
The ten-week project — sponsored by SCAD SERVE and its "design for good" ethic — combined students from complementary degree programs to facilitate Goodwill's continued success in the local community. At the start of the quarter, the group had visited Goodwill locations on Whitemarsh Island and Sallie Mood Drive, an in-person fact-finding trip that, as Kris Romero (B.F.A. architecture) put it, "helped us understand the practical challenges as we design a donation center that will work here in Southeast Georgia and hopefully be adopted widely by Goodwill." Paulina Merikanskas (B.F.A. industrial design) agreed: "We want them to see it, make it, and put it everywhere."
 
Weeks of sketching, list-making, refining in Revit, and debating everything from awning options to greywater recycling systems followed. "We are focusing on addressing storage space, climate control, and improving both the customer and the employee experience," said Hardik Jhanwar (B.F.A. architecture).

A spread from the final 48-page design book for the Goodwill attended donation center. 

At the mid-quarter meeting, Goodwill representatives were presented with options. Brook Bridges (B.F.A. architecture) explained three brick-and-mortar designs, all of which include "flexibility in terms of arranging the gaylords and the uprights, with an emphasis on creating an approachable experience for donors."
 
"I'm impressed by how you've addressed one of our major issues," said Goodwill retail VP Jessica Callway-Penny.
 
Dani Liebster (B.F.A. architecture) displayed boundary-pushing building and layout concepts inspired by the classic Goodwill logo. "We've integrated the curvature of the logo into the architecture of the building," Liebster said. "What do you think?"
 
"I love the thought and intention you put into incorporating our branding," said Goodwill marketing manager Hillary Bradbury. "We fight in the same space as everybody else for donations, so I really appreciate the intentionality."
 
Five weeks later, the academic quarter was ending, and the group reconvened in the Deloitte Foundry for a final presentation, this time with ten Goodwill leaders in attendance. There was cantaloupe and coffee, and a student-led round robin presenting different facets of their final design. Madson looked on: "Seeing students become design leaders, making creative decisions based on knowing how to do the work and now presenting their designs, it's pretty gratifying."

Anna Caseli with representatives from Goodwill and Hardik Jhanway (left) and Daniela Liebster (center right.)

The Goodwill group seemed especially dazzled by the on-site locker system designed Paulina Merikanskas (B.F.A. industrial design) with input from Bella Tillinghast (B.F.A. industrial design). "That is something we just would not have come up with ourselves," admitted one of the Goodwill officers.
 
There was no question that the new attended donation center's natural light-friendly sliding wall panels and cementitious materials were a hit. The students' collective, resource-conscious approach and human-centered spaces all added up to an ideal design for Goodwill.
 
Goodwill Southeast Georgia CEO Jason Marshall led the applause. "As far as I'm concerned," Marshall said, "I can see all these concepts coming to life for us."
 
Thanks to the superb students who took part in SCAD SERVE x Goodwill Southeast Georgia 2025:
 
Alba Florentino (B.F.A. architecture)
Anna Caseli  (B.F.A. architecture)
Bella Tillinghast (B.F.A. industrial design)
Brook Bridges (B.F.A. architecture)
Daniela Liebster  (B.F.A. architecture)
Dhyani Patel (M.A. design for sustainability)
Kris Romero (B.F.A. architecture)
Hardik Jhanwar  (B.F.A. architecture)
Joyce Badon (B.F.A. architecture)
Paulina Merikanskas Donde (B.F.A. industrial design)
Theresa Dao  (B.F.A. architecture)
Zoë Ransom  (B.F.A. architecture)