BYU Design Students are Recognized by GDUSA for Outstanding Talent
From recycled records to language learning apps, BYU design students continue to apply their graphic design skills in new and innovative ways — and are nationally recognized for doing so. In “2025 Students To Watch” from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA), undergrad and graduate students are recognized for showing personal and professional growth in graphic design. Along with their brilliant promise in the design field, these students embrace collaboration, communication and cooperation “with the goal of being more engaged, empathetic and expressive designers” (GDUSA).
This year, two BYU design students made the cut: Viktoriia Leonenko and Luke Miller. Both Leonenko and Miller have been immersed in the graphic design world for years and show great promise for their future careers. Leonenko was born and raised in Ukraine and came to the United States to study graphic design at BYU. She encourages other students to take advantage of every opportunity that BYU has to offer. For her, this meant participating in Sandbox: an entrepreneurship program where small teams build and launch software tech businesses from scratch. In 2024, she presented her language learning app, “Mova,” which utilizes AI to facilitate practice conversations and offer feedback.
Leonenko also recommends getting involved with professional organizations, such as Salt Lake AIGA. She believes that connecting with people who are not in your classes, or even in your same field of study, can broaden your perspective and lead to unexpected opportunities. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Leonenko reminds students. “There will be moments of doubt, but you’ll be surprised how willing people are to support you. Find a mentor, and when you can, be a mentor to others.”
Miller likewise encourages students to get involved in the BYU Design Department wherever possible. For the past two years, he has participated in Curio (an opportunity for BYU students to personally design and sell products). In 2023, Miller repackaged some recycled records, and in 2024, he designed funky analog clocks. “Doing work where I had to purchase the materials, make price points and design a real project was such an enriching experience,” Miller remarks. “It required me to put effort into every step because there were real stakes and real results. I think it brought out some of my best work.”
Beyond his growth in the classroom, Miller attributes his design strategy to his time living abroad; he was born in the United States but was raised in Jakarta, Bonn, Budapest and Shanghai. “Living in different places and seeing how design works across the world definitely influenced my capstone project, which explores the branding in different cultures and countries,” Miller said. He has also focused immensely on the strategic side of design, working to make a product fit the needs of individual consumers. “I think having experiences in different places opened my eyes to a lot of the diversity in the world — I can meet people's needs, even if they are completely different from me.”
Miller graduated in April 2025 from BYU’s graphic design program and is now preparing to move to New York and work for Prophet, a brand and strategy firm. Leonenko has one more semester at BYU, and then she hopes to work in user experience (UX) design: “I want my work to make a real difference in important areas like healthcare or education. My goal is to create designs that are not just beautiful, but also practical, helpful, and able to contribute to a positive change in people’s lives.”
Both Miller and Leonenko thank the faculty at BYU for pushing and guiding them to become what they are now. “Obviously, this award could not have happened without them,” Leonenko remarked. “I love them a lot — this faculty is our family.”
