INDD Alumna Wins IDSA Student Merit Award

Young woman in a white dress stands on a marble walkway holding a graduation cap, wearing an honor cord, with green trees and columns in the background.

Elisabeth Doss ‘26, a recent graduate of the School of Industrial and Graphic Design (SIGD), earned a 2026 Student Merit Award from the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA).

Doss was one of five undergraduate winners recognized across the United States in the 2026 IDSA Student Merit Awards, presented at the IDUSA Conference in Atlanta in April. One of IDSA’s longest-running programs, the Student Merit Awards highlight creativity, problem-solving and design brilliance among emerging design talent. As the winner of the South District, Doss received a one-year membership to IDSA and a profile in INNOVATION magazine.

A person in a white shirt and brown pants sits on a white surface and holds a uniquely-shaped wooden guitar in a photo studio setting.
The guitar showcases Doss’s love for nature and balanced designs.

“When I design, I try to create things that are useful, simple and beautiful,” Doss said. “My designs tend to draw a lot of inspiration from nature, especially its forms, colors and materials. I always strive for good craftsmanship and beautiful, balanced designs.”

Her favorite project from her time at Auburn was the electric guitar she designed in Professor Rich Britnell’s FretHaus Studio. Inspired by Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado, the guitar design mimics the iconic rock formations found in the park.

Close-up of an electric guitar with a uniquely shaped wooden body, featuring dual humbucker pickups and a natural wood finish.
Each piece of the guitar was handcrafted.
A guitar with a uniquely shaped, angular wooden body and headstock is displayed on a black stand against a plain white background.
Doss designed Strata, a guitar modeled after the rock formations of Colorado’s Red Rocks, for FretHaus studio.
An electric guitar with a unique, angular wooden body design, two pickups, control knobs, and a dark fingerboard against a plain white background.
The front of the guitar showcases the rock formations.

The design was a result of many iterations—a creative process that Doss honed while in SIGD.

“The biggest lesson that I learned from Auburn is how to manage my time, plan ahead and accept that sometimes things aren’t perfect the first time,” she said.

She also gained insight about different ways of thinking and while participating in the Industrial Design Japan study abroad program in the spring of 2025.

“It was such a cool experience to spend nearly three months living in Japan with my friends in a culture that is so different from mine,” she said. “It was amazing to get to travel around the country, seeing how Japan’s design thinking differs from ours and learn all about the traditional Japanese design crafts and see the beauty of the country.”

A person stands smiling on a grassy area with Himeji Castle in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
She also studied abroad in Japan while she was in the program.
A woman sits at a desk in an office holding a large cardboard guitar cutout, with laptops, notebooks, and other office supplies around her.
Doss working in studio with a foam mock-up of her guitar.

Industrial Design Undergraduate Program Chair and Associate Professor Ben Bush said Doss has an unwavering dedication to her craft.

“She is phenomenal when it comes to consistently showing up and putting her best effort forward,” he said. “She gives just as much effort to perfecting the fidelity on a prototype as she does when she interviews a client for research. Her intentionally and approachability make her and incredible asset to any team she works with.”

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Related people:
Benjamin Bush, Rich Britnell