Congratulations to David Clark on successfully defending his MFA Thesis, “The Interactive Gutter: Exploring the Comic Strip as Participatory Narrative” on April 13, 2026. 👏
“Seeing as they kicked off my entire life's journey as a designer, illustrator, and storyteller,” notes David, “it was only fitting I dedicate my research to the complex, participatory nature of the newspaper comic strip framework. Through a deeper understanding of the ways in which participation shapes interpretation, comic strips as interactive narratives have a bright future ahead in the digital landscape.”
#KentState #KentStateVCD #MFA #DesignResearch #GraduateWork #StudentSuccess #DesignEducation
Collected Perspectives: the 2026 Photography BFA Exhibition is now on view in Taylor Hall.
Join us at tomorrow’s reception from 5–7pm to celebrate the incredible work created by our photography students. 📸
For student profiles and more featured work, visit:
@collectedperspectivesbfa
Congratulations to Audrey King on successfully defending her MFA Thesis, "Liberate the Text! The Effectiveness of Wordless Exhibitions in Museums" on April 14, 2026. 👏
Audrey's work explores creating museum exhibitions without the written word. Focusing on delivering information in an audio format, she found that museum professionals can confidently move away from the standard of written label text to convey information and can take more risks to entice and engage visitors.
Congratulations to Spencer Everhart on successfully defending his MFA Thesis, “Playing At/Playing With: A Performance-Mediated Approach to Game Design” on March 25, 2026.
Spencer notes, “I've loved and been fascinated with games all my life. Through my research, I hope to inspire more people to see them as I do and explore the bleeding edge of what games can be.”
Well done, Spencer! 👏
Our VCD exhibitions are open, we’d love for you to come by and see what our students have been working on!
Stop into the second-floor gallery in Taylor Hall to experience the BFA Exhibition, then head up to the fourth floor to check out the amazing BA Capstone projects.
Join us for the reception tomorrow, April 24 from 6–8 PM and celebrate all of the incredible work across our program ✨
Congratulations to Lauren Jeffries on successfully defending her MFA Thesis, "Play Has a Place: Enhancing Curiosity, Inspiring Innovation, and Expanding Design Boundaries" on March 19, 2026.
Lauren argues that when students are given space to experiment, they build the kind of creative confidence and resilience that design education needs. What showed up across the research was that constraints don’t don’t limit creativity, they focus it.
We’re proud to celebrate this work and the impact it has on design education and our VCD community. 👏
#KentState #KentStateVCD #MFA #DesignResearch #GraduateWork #StudentSuccess #DesignEducation
If you haven’t been to the third floor of Taylor Hall to see our Type I student posters, now’s the time! Come view the amazing work from Professors Visocky O’Grady and Coorey’s students.
#typography #kentstatevcd #kentstate
What makes a good flag?
Students in Josh Cook’s Identity Systems course explored this question through a civic flag redesign project. They researched cities, studied their histories, geographies, and created designs. Guided by the principles in "Good Flag, Bad Flag", these projects show how simple forms can carry powerful meaning.
Their work is on display in the VCD Taylor Hall Gallery—go check it out!
Shoutout to VCD student Hayden Chenevey, graphic designer with Kent State Student Media, who led this year’s rebrand of the Best of Kent awards. Hayden’s concept centers on an acorn-inspired emblem, paired with a bold visual system of patterns, custom shapes, and a vibrant pink, yellow, and navy palette.
Fresh, celebratory, and built to stand out! 👏 Congrats to all of this year’s winners!
#KentStateVCD #KentState #StudentWork #GraphicDesign #Branding #BestOfKent
Our own @luanajohnson._ , a former MarCom student worker, made a real impact at Kent State.
From Brazil to the Visual Communication Design program, she led Student Life’s move-in campaign and created visuals seen across campus.
Through the American Academy partnership and access to Kent State’s design labs, she gained the tools and experience to launch a global career.
If you wanna learn more, check out Kent State Today story by Sydney Craig, link in bio
We’re excited to celebrate our colleague VCD Assistant Professor David Wilson on his author-illustrator debut! 🎉📚
SOULMATES (releasing August 4, 2026 with MacMillan/Roaring Brook) is a YA horror-romance graphic novel exploring first love, fate, and the thin line between life and death.
318 pages of story and art! We love seeing the creativity he brings to our classrooms shine in this book.
For more information — visit @downpourdw (link in his bio).
Join us in congratulating David! 👏
#VCD #FacultySpotlight #GraphicNovel #SOULMATES
Tisa Manandhar (VCD BA ’25), now an MFA student, is leaving her mark across campus. Through her role with the Division of Student Life, she’s created large-scale murals and graphics, branding for Sapori, and event visuals.
Tisa shares, “The VCD program has sharpened my critical thinking, strengthened my voice as a designer, and trained me to be intentional with every decision. Through critiques and fast-paced projects, I’ve learned to lead ideas with confidence and execute them under pressure.”
We love seeing our designers thrive. 💛
#VCD #DesignInAction #StudentSpotlight #KentState
