David C. Morgan Introduces Himself, Highlights the Design Department and Speaks About the Role of Design Chair.
After nearly two decades at Brigham Young University and more than 30 years teaching design, David C. Morgan is stepping into a new role as chair of the Department of Design.
The appointment is both a leadership opportunity and a continuation of the work he values most: supporting faculty, mentoring students and strengthening the creative community that has defined much of his career. While the role brings administrative responsibilities and broader oversight of the department, Morgan says his excitement centers on the people he can serve.
When asked what he looks forward to most in his new position, Morgan said, "One of my main roles is to help younger faculty succeed here at BYU. Helping them meet their goals will be incredibly fulfilling. I also look forward to knowing more of the design students on campus and continuing to build that community."
Morgan, a professor of product design, has taught for 33 years and at four universities. At BYU, where he has spent the past 17 years, he has become known for his teaching, collaborative research and hands-on work with students. His path to design, however, began much earlier and somewhat unexpectedly.
Like many designers, Morgan traces his earliest creative instincts back to childhood. Building, making and experimenting with objects first captured his imagination, though for years he assumed architecture would become his future.
"I watched 'The Brady Bunch,'" Morgan said with a laugh. "The father character in 'The Brady Bunch' was an architect. That, combined with my love for Legos as a kid, inspired my interest in it."
It was not until his missionary service that Morgan encountered product design as a distinct field.
"One of my friends that we were teaching said, 'What about industrial design?'" Morgan said. "I didn't know it was a discipline separate from architecture."
The discovery immediately resonated. Rather than focusing on buildings, Morgan found himself drawn to the scale and possibilities of designing objects people use in everyday life.
That fascination eventually led him into teaching, where he found an equally creative outlet in working with students. Morgan describes BYU's design classrooms as collaborative spaces shaped by discussion, experimentation and close interaction.
"Our classes are really sort of one-on-one, with lots of collaboration and discussion," Morgan said.
His work extends beyond the classroom through a research group focused on folding principles and design applications. There, Morgan works alongside students to explore how folding can solve design problems and generate new forms.
"I treat them as colleagues," Morgan said. "We do projects together."
That collaboration has taken students far beyond campus.
Over the past year, Morgan and students worked together to design an installation for the south-facing window of the new BYU Arts Building. The project eventually brought them overseas to The Netherlands, where they presented their work to designers in Rotterdam who were also contributing to the building.
"We got to travel to the Netherlands," Morgan said. "We presented it to a design firm there and showed them our work and got their feedback."
The group spent a week in Amsterdam and Rotterdam exploring ideas and discussing the installation with fellow designers. Experiences like these, Morgan said, are among the most meaningful parts of his career. Students have shaped not only his work but also his perspective as a teacher and creative.
"I love to have the perspective of people who are 20-something," Morgan said. "I love to hear how they think about the world and see it through their eyes a little bit."
As Morgan begins his time as chair, he hopes to continue fostering a department culture rooted in active creative work and meaningful mentorship. He believes students benefit most when professors remain engaged in the discipline they teach.
"I think it is really important that professors are also active in their discipline and doing the things that they love to do," Morgan said.
He also hopes the department's return to the center of campus will create greater visibility and involvement in university life.
"We could take more of a role in campus life in general," Morgan said. "We will sort of feel more included now that we are back in the center of campus in the new arts building."
Morgan views design education through a distinctly personal lens. Professional success matters, he said, but it is not his first priority.
“My priority is trying to help students become happy, faithful adults," Morgan said. "I really want them to be good designers too, but mostly I want them to have great lives."
That philosophy reflects how Morgan understands the university experience itself.
"Being enrolled in university is kind of about growing up," he said. "You come in as a teenager and you leave as an adult in an entirely new phase of life."
Outside the classroom and studio, Morgan lives close enough to campus to run or mountain bike to work each day along nearby trails, listening to birds and coyotes along the way.
As he begins this new chapter leading the department, Morgan hopes students know they have someone willing to listen.
"If they have issues or if they want to bring up something they wish was better about the department," Morgan said, "I would love to hear that."