Inside Design x Nine: the UA studio powering by campus creativity

As the University of Akron's (UA) in-house design studio, Design x Nine empowers outstanding graphic design students to say "YES" to hands-on industry experience through innovative client-based work. Serving both on-campus and off-campus clients, students are afforded the unique opportunity to prepare for a future in professional design.

Design x Nine was developed in 1995 by John Morrison, UA digital technology and fabrication technician, and Janice Troutman, now a distinguished professor and the director of the Myers School of Art at UA, who envisioned the program as a fully functioning graphic design studio on campus. Every year, around nine junior and senior students are selected to join the studio and spend up to three semesters gaining hands-on experience in both the classroom and in a professional setting working with clients on- and off- campus.

"In the beginning, as we were getting it up and going, it was a little bit heavier on University work," said Brittyn Murdock, a professor of practice in the Myers School of Art and the current Design x Nine faculty advisor. "Now it has really grown to where people [in the community] have started to know about us. It has really evolved into an agency unto itself."

The nine (sometimes 10 or 11) junior and senior students are selected by faculty members based on a demonstration of academic and artistic excellence and their interest in participating. Each student selected is required to be a graphic design major, but the students have a variety of minors, from illustration to creative writing to marketing.

"These students are exceptional designers, strong illustrators, communicators, and have great personalities. They really engaged well with the other students and our clients," said Murdock.

Once selected, the students spend 15 weeks building their portfolio and working with real-life clients on and off UA's campus. From small projects such as logo designs and invitations to big challenges like banners and murals, the students work together as a team and deliver quality, professional work just as they would in a typical graphic design studio.

"It has been a great experience to collaborate with people and learn so much about the field," said Olivia Richardson, a junior Design x Nine member. "For me, I do really love the collaboration aspect of it, being able to talk with people, come up with ideas for projects, sketch together, and all work towards the same goal. Everyone is together and there's no competition. We're all just trying to get out the best work we possibly can."

Emily Townsend, a senior design student and Design x Nine member, said, "I think this class definitely prepares you for the real world. It has completely built up my confidence in meeting with clients and feeling comfortable with what is expected of me as a designer and as a designer in a group. We're getting this real-world experience that is almost like an internship, or like working in a studio."

Design x Nine typically acquires external clients when businesses out to the University in hopes of utilizing student designers for an upcoming project, and are then connected with Design x Nine for their services. If the client is a good fit for the group, they will move forward with the new client process.

"We meet with the client first," Murdock said. "We might meet with them in person here or do a phone call and we find out what they are looking for. Then we sit as a team and we talk about what their needs are. We then write a proposal and say, 'This is what we're anticipating you need and this is what the cost is to complete the project.' If they agree to the proposal, we give them a schedule and work to have their deliverables ready in that allotted time."

The studio has made a name for itself both locally and on the national level. The group's work has won nearly 50 awards and has appeared in multiple magazine publications since its inception. The students compete against established graphic design professionals and the top agencies across the country, making their success particularly notable.

With more than 30 years of impactful, award-winning work, Design x Nine has solidified its place as a standout academic entity on campus and in the surrounding community. Since its beginning, the mission has remained simple: to empower students through meaningful, real-world design experience and cultivate capable designers who will leave their mark far beyond the walls of UA.

Story by Emma Wharton '26

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