Rising senior Duc Le ’26 feels invigorated as he immerses himself in the realm of design: creating a composition, aligning a layout, and skillfully adding typography.
“I think designing is problem-solving with a creative touch,” Le said. “I need my own ‘design playground’ and a clear sense of purpose to feed my creative drive.”
As a graphic designer for the visual arts department, Le creates a variety of content, including event brochures and informational degree-requirement posters.
“Duc has a remarkable eye for design,” said Keith Spencer, chair of the Department of Visual Arts. “The materials he creates don’t just serve a function — they visually represent the culture, curriculum, and values of the department.”
Le’s inductive reasoning skills lead him to approach each project tactically. “I see a design brief like a math problem. How can I use this information and the elements at hand to communicate to a broader audience? What specific signifiers will bring bland text closer to my viewers?”
Le began his path to graphic design by designing photos, adding text to make them look more professional. Art classes at Denison consolidated his interest.
“One of my first classes was Intro to Animation with Professor Christian Faur. Chris noticed my interest in graphic work and offered me a directed study in Photoshop. The skill set he taught me fit seamlessly into my animation projects and future courses.”
Le discovered new techniques that helped broaden his artistic capacity.
“Designing really clicked in classes I took after my first semester — Design in Activism and Printmaking with professors Ron Abram and Brett Taylor,” Le said. “That’s where I discovered screen printing and risograph techniques, opening up a whole new world of hands-on design.”
Le’s playful demeanor allows him to challenge the conventions of design as he strives for bold results.
”I love grid play,” he said. “I’ll establish a rhythmic grid and then break it all of a sudden, with intention, of course. It spices up design because ‘design’ can be tied to rigid, Swiss-style structure.”
Le also aims to merge print design into his pixel work. “I might hand-letter the main typeface, scan it, and integrate it digitally, or print a draft and draw directly onto it,” he said. “Whatever the method, it’s got to include a significant off-screen component.”
Le has another year at Denison to add to his graphic design experience. ”After graduation, I plan to join creative agencies and studios, where I aim to develop visually appealing and functional promotional materials, similar to what I’ve been creating here,” he said.
Spencer is looking for other ways to tap into student creativity to promote the department.
“We have so many students in our department with distinct visual languages and technical strengths, and I believe in exercising those skill sets in real, applicable ways,” he said.
