CADC Hosts Third Annual Day of Design

This event brought together students, educators, alumni and guests to hear from industry professionals in the fields of architecture, graphic design and industrial design. The event was held at Auburn’s Telfair B. Peet Theatre and featured speakers from the disciplines represented in the School of Industrial and Graphic Design (SIGD) and the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture (APLA). Tickets went quickly due to great demand, so CADC provided a livestream to an overflow crowd in Dudley Hall.

The day’s first speaker was seasoned creative professional James Sommerville. He is the founder of the online creative community KnownUnknown, a design-led platform that builds creative strategy teams by connecting companies with creative talent. He also co-founded the UK-based design agency ATTIK in 1986 and worked as the Vice President of Global Design at The Coca-Cola Company from 2013–2018, where he led and activated global brand campaigns in over 200 markets.

The next speaker was alumnus Andrew Edge, who graduated from Auburn’s Master of Industrial Design program in 2019. He is a Senior Industrial Designer for the Hybrid Collection group at Steelcase, where he works with companies like Microsoft and Logitech to define new products and experiences for a more distributed world of work. He has also worked for the design and innovation consultancy Delve, developing timely products for brands like Purell, TIKI and Abbott Laboratories.

The final speaker of the morning was alumnus Jonathan Tate, a principal of OJT (Office of Jonathan Tate), an architecture and urban design firm in New Orleans. Tate, who graduated from Auburn in 1997, leads his firm in numerous design-related activities, including research, strategic development, opportunistic planning and conventional architectural practice. The recipient of the 2020 Award in Architecture from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he has taught at Tulane University and the Cooper Union and was most recently the Favrot Visiting Professor at Tulane.

Afterwards, all attendees were welcomed to a luncheon in Dudley Hall and Courtyard featuring an exhibition of student work that has received internal and external recognition. These projects spanned the disciplines of Architecture, Interior Architecture, Environmental Design, Graphic Design, Industrial Design and Landscape Architecture.

Third-year architecture student Denae Inniss was surprised to find that her favorite speaker was graphic designer James Sommerville. “I found it really cool to see design from a graphic designer’s point of view,” she said. “I loved how he took us through the journey of taking the small yet iconic Coca-Cola logo and walked us through turning a simple design into such a complex design process and giving it its own identity.” Inniss liked the fact that the day’s speakers came from different disciplines. “I have always known design is a part of a very wide spectrum, but seeing it from all aspects of logo/commercial design, product and furniture design and housing design gave me a better sense of appreciation for designers and the effort they go through to beautify our environment.”

Fourth-year architecture student Caroline Scalora also appreciated the interdisciplinary aspect of the day. “Industrial designer Andrew Edge presented many ideas that I had never considered before,” Scalora stated. “Designing for virtual, hybrid and in-person flexible spaces is something that is very new for all of us in a post-pandemic world. Hearing how that transfers to office furniture and user interfaces was an interesting piece I had never thought of. I loved hearing about different disciplines other than my own, as we all work together both at Auburn and in the professional industry to create extraordinary designs.”

“Our audience was truly inspired by the captivating stories and projects shared by our speakers,” stated SIGD School Head Wei Wang. “I talked to so many students who were energized by what they heard and were glad they decided to attend. This day brings together students and faculty from all of our various disciplines who share a love of design.”

CADC is extremely grateful to those industry partners who sponsored the event, including Gold-level sponsor Playcore, Silver-level sponsors ASD | SKY, Davis Architects and Goodwyn Mills Cawood and Bronze-level sponsors SS&L Architects and Nequette Architecture and Design.