Pentagram’s Varner Designs SNL Title Sequence

Matt Varner (’15) was part of a team of designers who created the new “Saturday Night Live” opening titles. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the separation and anxiety that came with it, Pentagram wanted to reconnect SNL viewers with something more personal and intimate, so the team incorporated hand-drawn lettering into the titles. The reactions to the sequence have been overwhelmingly positive, and the team won a Type Directors Club award for its work.

Reid Receives Women in Technology Award

Congratulations to Sarah (Boyd ’10) Reid on receiving the Women in Technology Award from the Dallas Business Journal. Reid has been doing remarkable work as a principal of research and design at Dialexa. For the past five years, Dialexa has seen remarkable growth, moving from a team of 15 to more than 180 employees today. Reid regularly returns to campus with colleague Anne-Marie (Coffee ’15) Levinson to deliver workshops to our Interactive Design students. Thank you and congratulations!

Department Sees Gains in Freshman Enrollment

At the start of the 2020-21 school year, COVID-19 posed many challenges for the university. Nevertheless, the Department of Art and Design will end the academic year with its largest freshman enrollment in five years – 51 students – and remain one of the largest enrolled departments in the university. The resilience of the department in these uncertain times reflects the vibrant community of students and faculty who are passionately committed to the value and importance of the arts, especially in times of struggle, hardship and uncertainty.

McGregor Illustrates Flora and Fauna for HEB Foundation

Drawing and illustration professor Dan McGregor is engaged in a multiyear project to visually document the plants and animals native to the H.E. Butt Foundation Camp near Leakey, Texas. The camp, a stunning 1,900-acre tract along the banks of the Frio River, is known for hosting retreats and outdoor education programs. McGregor has been collaborating with department alumna Hilary Comer (’15), the foundation’s graphic designer.

“It’s been a dream commission,” McGregor says. “Working with such a talented designer like Hilary is an absolute pleasure. And the medium of watercolor – as opposed to digital rendering – strikes me as a fitting aesthetic for natural subjects. It hopefully gives the suggestion of on-site work done in a sketchbook.”

Residencies Result in Solo Exhibition

Art and design alumna  Alice (Wight ’86) Leese was awarded National Parks Arts Foundation residencies in 2018 and 2019. Her first residency was at Fort Union National Monument in New Mexico, and the second took her to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The works Leese created during these residencies came together in a solo exhibition entitled Way Out West: Alice Leese. The exhibition was featured last summer at the Ellen Noel Art Museum in Odessa, Texas, near where Leese lives and ranches. She is currently working on a graduate degree in art at Sul Ross State University.

Wallcovering and Art Studio Makes Its Impression in the DFW Area

In less than three years, the Dallas-based studio founded by Sarah (Maxwell ’01) English and business partner Ashley Leftwich has already made a great impression in the area. The studio is a culmination of many years of experience, hard work, determination and a deep passion for the craft. To learn more about their success and to see their beautiful wallpaper designs, check out the Ever Atelier website. Congratulations!

Design Professionals Guide Our Students

The Spring 2021 Master Workshop Series brought a remarkable lineup of talent and experience to campus through Zoom. The series, which began in 2018, brings professionals from the industry to lead a series of full-day workshops for our graphic design students, who gain valuable insight into the professional workplace by learning from significant leaders in the design industry. This year’s participants included Sarah (Boyd ’10) Reid and Anne-Marie (Coffee ’15) Levinson of Dialexa, and Brent Couchman (’05) of Moniker.
 

Previous workshops featured Lyndon Willoughby (’12), Jeff Rogers (’02), Jordan Bell (’12) of Hoefler&Co., Matt Varner (’15) of Pentagram, Scott Allen Hill, Jose Canales (’04) of Canales & Co. and Simon Walker.

Check Out ACU A&D on Instagram

We had a great semester with our back-to-back Instagram competitions. We owe a big thank you to our fantastic judges, Denver Gravitt (’18), Leanne Kawahigashi (’13), Helga Sierra (’12), Mariel Delgado (’19) and Jaden Dement (’18)! Follow our Instagram for all things A&D and to view images featuring recent winners and judges. You can find entries by searching #acuartanddesign.

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