GDES Alumni Design Innovative Careers Across Disciplines

A collage displaying branded ice cream cartons, Olympic tickets, sports and historical posters, digital graphics, and a museum exhibit.

The creative thinking and problem-solving skills inherent in design education open doors to various career paths across industries.

Graduates of the School of Industrial and Graphic Design (SIGD) can pursue traditional roles in studios or branch out to fast-growing fields. Auburn’s graphic design (GDES) alumni utilize their skills in a wide range of technology, entrepreneurship and storytelling. From marketing to exhibitions to social media, the GDES program sets students up to find their passion in design careers.

Aaron Gresham ’97

A man with a beard and glasses, wearing a black t-shirt, flat cap, and watch, stands with his arms crossed against a plain gray background.
Aaron Gresham ’97

Gresham is a marketing executive with over 24 years of experience building, advising and leading the world’s most well-loved artists and brands. From branding and visual design to positioning and videography, he has worked with the likes of Lady Gaga, Vampire Weekend and Lonnie Holley, earning three AAF Creative Director of the Year Awards, two GRAMMY nominations and over 140 ADDY Awards.

“I love what I do because design lets me build meaning,” Gresham said. “Every brand, every story is a chance to take something abstract and give it form. It’s logical and emotional problem solving. It can help people see things in different ways and create new perspectives and understanding.”

Two black umbrellas with red handles are positioned to resemble bat wings against a blue background with red dots. Text below advertises Vampire Weekend concerts in UK cities in 2013.
Gresham’s poster design for Vampire Weekend’s UK tour helped establish his design style, while elevating his career and profile with other bands.

Diamone Scott ’14

A person wearing glasses and a blue shirt is smiling and standing in a modern office setting.
Diamone Scott ’14

Scott is the Senior Designer of Exhibits and Experience at HealyKohler Design in Washington D.C., where she has designed exhibits for the Fontainbleau Las Vegas, Smithsonian Watching Oprah and The Georgia Music Collections at Akins-Ford Arena.

“Each project is so different; I could be working on a flashy sports experience one hour and a classic special collections library exhibit the next,” Scott said. “It really keeps me on my toes and my design senses sharp because I’m always adjusting for whatever a particular project needs.”

Museum exhibit on the history of slavery, featuring artifacts, photographs, and informational panels about Anthony Burns, the Civil War, and abolitionist movements.
In 2019, Scott designed “Determined: The 400-Year Struggle for Black Equality” for the Virginia Museum of History & Culture,” taking visitors through four centuries of Black history starting in 1619.

Ethan Shapiro ’24

A young man wearing a baseball cap with a B on it and a hoodie, smiling in front of a wall with horizontal siding.
Ethan Shapiro ’24

Shapiro is a Social Media Designer for the Carolina Panthers. He used to attend games with his family, collecting media guides, hype-up posters and souvenir cups to commemorate the memories. Now, he combines photography and typography to make visually engaging, informative and on-brand work for his favorite franchise.

“Being part of an organization that has such a positive impact on the lives of others makes the work I do especially meaningful,” Shapiro said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to now contribute to those same moments for others, creating designs that inspire fans to get up on Sundays, put on their favorite player’s jersey and cheer for the Panthers.”

A grid of nine stylized images highlights Carolina Panthers players’ achievements, statistics, team slogans, and a stadium crowd under dramatic blue lighting.
Shapiro creates a range of designs—including statistic visuals, player highlights and pre-game hype graphics—for the Carolina Panthers’ official accounts.

Will Givens ’18

A man in a blue plaid suit, white shirt, and striped tie is standing outdoors, smiling at the camera, with trees in the background.
Will Givens ’18

Givens teaches graphic design and photography at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn., passing his design education on to the next generation of designers. Mentoring 6th through 12th graders, he works to create substantive and engaging projects for his students.

“It’s the art of giving just enough feedback to spur a student on without extinguishing the light in his eye or smothering his vision for his work,” Givens said, explaining what he loves most about his job. “Most of all though, it’s the joy and purpose of that best prize which life has to offer—a chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

Collage featuring civil rights protests, a speaker, I AM A MAN sign, and gloved hands working, highlighting themes of equality, activism, and labor rights.
Givens tasked his students with creating an editorial collage, inspired by the work of Mike McQuade, about a historical technological innovation. | Design by McCallie 9th grader Solomon Mendiratta

Elise Thomason ’00

A woman with glasses and long hair sits on a chair, smiling, in front of a wall with a large floral painting.
Elise Thomason ’00

Thomason turns stories into design through printworks and commercial illustration. She has worked with global brands and small organizations ranging from Coca-Cola to The US Virgin Islands to André 3000 of OutKast.

“I love the way that visual symbolism can be channelled to help make complex ideas more simple, more digestible,” Thomason said. “When I learn more about what any given client needs to communicate to their audience, it helps cultivate my empathy and expands my understanding of topics I never expected to get to learn about.”

Large building mural featuring abstract colorful silhouettes of athletes and the Torino 2006 Winter Olympics logo with Olympic rings on a black background.
While at brand design firm Iconologic (now Copeland Design), Thomason created the Look of the Games and Sport Pictograms for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, evoking the spirit of the Italian piazza in her design.
Three stylized posters depict abstract figures participating in skiing, biathlon shooting, and ice hockey against colorful, dynamic backgrounds.
Thomason’s work for the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games included a wide range of design deliverables.

Laura Walks ’16

A woman with long brown hair sits indoors, resting her chin on her hand, wearing a patterned short-sleeve top and a gold bracelet.
Laura Walks ’16

Walks is a Senior User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI) Designer at IBM, where she leads the design strategy and execution for one of the company’s flagship products in the artificial intelligence (AI) governance space. Collaborating with product, engineering and data science teams, she creates experiences that empower organizations to manage AI models responsibly, mitigate risk and ensure compliance with evolving regulations.

“I’m passionate about creating meaningful, elegant solutions that bring clarity to complex, technical concepts at enterprise scale, specializing in data visualizations and flexible, AI enhanced dashboards,” Walks said.

Several pints of Halo Top ice cream are stacked with spoons on the left; a digital illustration of a glowing crystal platform is on the right.
Walks’ career has spanned branding for products like Halo Top to illustrations from IBM.

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