SIGD Alumni from the 2010s Push Design Boundaries
Auburn’s alumni design products and posters that are seen worldwide, leveraging both pragmatism and passion.
The School of Graphic and Industrial Design (SIGD) celebrated 80 years of design education last fall, ushering the School into a new era of learning excellence. SIGD’s legacy can be credited to the hard work and dedication of its students—who, as alumni, have gone on to lead the industrial and graphic design industries in various ways.
Walk back through SIGD’s history with aspirational alumni from the 2010s.
Avenley Horner ‘14
After graduating from SIGD’s Graphic Design (GDES) program, Horner built a career as a Senior Art Director at The Refinery Creative in Los Angeles, earning recognition as an award-winning designer. They work in entertainment advertising, designing Key Art posters for major film and television campaigns like “The Last of Us” and “Mrs. America.”
Horner fondly remembers late nights working in studio and the ownership they felt over their designs and environment.
“It was magical and unique, but most importantly, I was never alone,” Horner said. “My peers, and the mysterious industrial designers, were always there pouring their souls into the current project.”
They credit the GDES program for their career preparation—particularly the mentorship of professors who imparted design wisdom and life experiences.
“They reminded us to have hobbies and to constantly strive for better. They challenged our problem solving and our ability to create and execute,” Horner said. “Without that foundation in design fundamentals; hierarchy, layout and composition, I would’ve been set up for failure in my industry.”
James Jenkins ‘19
Industrial Design (INDD) alum James Jenkins built a career on pragmatism—a characteristic instilled in him during his time in SIGD.
“The professors pushed us to consider constraints and how a design would actually be made, rather than just focusing on the idea,” he said. “Those practical fundamentals have stuck with me throughout my career and is something I really value about the Auburn program.”
After building relationships during a SIGD sponsored studio course, Jenkins landed a job with Techtronic Industries (TTI) designing Ryobi power tools. Over three years, he was the lead designer for 13 products that launched at Home Depot.
He has been an employee with since 2022, when he joined as a Concept Designer, working on blue-sky ideas and pushing golf aesthetics in new directions.
“The role gave me the opportunity to explore new ideas and think beyond the typical constraints of production,” he said, explaining that as a current Industrial Designer on the team, he creates products that will be released in the next few years.
Looking back on his time at Auburn, Jenkins fondly remembers being a teaching assistant for the INDD program’s summer option studio, during which he got to know students from other cohorts, helping them work through their coursework and get introduced to the pace of studio environment.
“There was something really special about that shared experience and the camaraderie that came with it,” he said.
Catch up on SIGD’s history with groovy graduates from the 1970s, decadent designers from the 1980s, enthusiastic entrepreneurs from the 1990s and tech savvy specialists from the 2000s.