GDES Student Balances Design and Wheelchair Basketball

A member of Auburn’s Wheelchair Basketball team, Denning recently helped lead the Tigers to a 70–59 victory over the University of Alabama to claim the program’s first National Wheelchair Basketball Association championship.

Denning, who has played wheelchair basketball since the age of 4, said Auburn stood out because of its strong team culture and the opportunity to compete under head coach Robb Taylor, whom he had known for years. That same sense of community also drew him to the School of Industrial and Graphic Design (SIGD), where the small cohort structure has allowed him to build close relationships with peers and faculty while developing professional skills.

In the studio, Denning describes his design philosophy as a contemporary Swiss approach rooted in experimentation. Among his favorite projects are a Munich-inspired logo design, a sushi to-go packaging concept called “Snackurai” and an Audible television ad completed in the Advanced Motion Graphics course.

“The largest portion of progress comes from failing and coming up short,” Denning said.

That mindset carries into athletics, where resilience and repetition are equally important. Denning sees strong connections between design and basketball, especially in the importance of organization, discipline and time management. He often looks for ways the two worlds can inform one another and hopes to bring that overlap into future internship opportunities.

Balancing the demands of a rigorous design curriculum with competitive athletics is no small feat, but Denning credits careful planning and support from faculty for helping make it possible.

“Time management and organization play a huge part in staying sane and efficient,” he said.

Whether on the court or in the studio, Denning approaches each challenge with the same focus and determination—qualities that have helped him contribute to a championship season while building a strong foundation as a designer.