Auburn Students Featured as “Students to Watch” in Graphic Design USA Magazine

A leading industry magazine, Graphic Design USA (GDUSA), has named Catherine Johnson and Creighton Schluter of Auburn’s School of Industrial and Graphic Design (SIGD) as “2023 Students to Watch” in the magazine’s annual listing. Johnson graduated from SIGD with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design this past December, and Schluter will graduate in May.

As a student at Auburn, Johnson won awards in GDUSA’s Packaging Design Competition, Creative Quarterly, Auburn University’s Juried Show and the Mississippi State University Glitch Design. She also received both a Gold Award and an Honorable Mention from the University & College Designers Association. “I’m really grateful to represent Auburn University alongside Creighton as one of GDUSA Magazine’s Students to Watch,” she stated. “I’m thankful to my design professors who selected me for this and taught me everything I know!” For her senior capstone project, Johnson created the product design, packaging and messaging for a brand she called Oddballz, an online toy company that sells plush characters for all ages. “The thing I love most about design is how versatile it is,” she stated. “I love having the ability to story tell in many different ways and hope I can continue growing across all avenues of design.”

During her time at Auburn, Schluter has served on the executive team for the College of Architecture, Design and Construction Ambassadors. She has worked as a student graphic designer for the Auburn Alumni Association and has created designs for three different Student Government campaigns on campus. Schluter has been honored in Auburn’s Juried Show and has had her work published several times in Auburn Circle Magazine. “I find inspiration through talking with my peers and digging deep into topics that I am designing for,” she stated. “Research is an important part of my design process and learning how to make something better and different continues to inspire me.”