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The countdown is on for students, faculty and staff in Auburn's School of Industrial and Graphic Design (SIGD) as they gear up for the second annual Kaleidoscope, a dynamic, school-wide student show.
This year’s event will showcase an array of student projects, carefully curated by faculty and judged by a panel of 22 design professionals. As the final touches are made, the SIGD community is excited to celebrate another successful year with family, friends, alumni, industry professionals and more.
“Last year’s inaugural Kaleidoscope show was a huge success, and we’re beyond excited to make this year’s event even better,” shared SIGD school head Wei Wang. “With less than two weeks to go, our students and faculty are putting in the final efforts to complete their projects, and we can’t wait to showcase their incredible creativity, imagination and innovation to the world.”
Eager to see what students have been up to? Register to attend the Kaleidoscope opening reception on Monday, May 5, from 4-6 p.m.
Kaleidoscope is a chance to celebrate on all that’s been accomplished this year — but it’s only the beginning. This fall, the School of Industrial and Graphic Design will mark its 80th anniversary, honoring eight decades of creativity, community and forward-thinking design.
Each spring, graduating industrial design seniors and Master of Industrial Design students dive into FretHaus, the popular guitar design thesis studio led by Professor Rich Britnell. With expert guidance from Professor of Practice Keith Medley — master luthier at Gibson Guitars — students explore the intricacies of guitar components and construction. In the FretHaus studio, students design and handcraft guitars, basses, mandolins and other stringed instruments that combine unique functions, thoughtful ergonomics and bold aesthetics.
In Visiting Assistant Professor Joey Tigert’s foundations studio, graphic design students are exploring visual narrative and pacing. After researching a photographer of their choice, students printed and cropped images to build a cohesive sequence. The final piece will come together as a handcrafted book, complete with thoughtful details and a custom-designed cover.
Third-year industrial design students have been exploring design for everyday recreation in a studio led by Associate Professor Joyce Thomas. They considered how to encourage sustainable, health-promoting activities for people of all ages and abilities (pets included!), while also addressing the realities of mass production. Using a human-centered design approach, students identified unmet needs and developed innovative design solutions that turn backyard spaces into places of play, rest and shared experience.
In Professor Kelly Bryant’s Image I studio, graphic design students are tasked with designing a poster centered on the theme “On Beauty.” Working in small groups, they started by researching different ideas of beauty and experimenting with collage — whether digital, handmade or something in between. After sketching and testing multiple ideas, students have now selected a strong concept and moved on to refining their collage.
Led by industrial design faculty members Chris Arnold, Shea Tillman and Shu-Wen Tzeng, the flat-pak luminaire project teaches the delicate balance designers must strike between form, function and fabrication. Students are challenged to design and build a pendant luminaire using only three flat sheets of material with no adhesives or secondary processes. The luminaire was chosen for its unique demands: quality of light, structural tension and the opportunity to create meaningful value through minimal means.
Graphic design students are exploring their personal design philosophies through the creation of a visual and written manifesto in Professor Bryant’s Typographics II studio. Prompted to reflect on design’s role in contemporary culture, they developed individual stances and translated them into expressive, analog-driven posters. The process began with oversized collages, followed by hands-on experimentation to crop, enlarge and rework compositions. Throughout the project, digital tools are used sparingly, supporting the final outcome instead of leading it.
How do you design for a culture? Under the direction of Associate Professor Verena Paepcke-Hjeltness, one industrial design thesis studio is digging into the spirit of SIGD, using hands-on exploration to spark ideas that reflect how the school community works, learns and creates. Students have been developing concepts for products, systems and experiences shaped by the culture they uncovered.
Graphic design faculty Courtney Windham and Devon Ward are leading students in the design of a mobile tourism app in an Interactive Media studio. Blending research, strategy and visual design, students explore cultural, historical and recreational offerings to develop thoughtful tour plans. The project challenges students to identify common pain points in trip planning and craft intuitive, user-centered solutions. With a focus on meaningful design, each app prototype aims to inspire more engaging and accessible travel experiences.
