Design Faculty Members Daniel George, Michael Parker and Roland Thompson Share Their Creative Processes While Inspiring Students to Explore Their Own
The Faculty Design Exhibit, which runs from Aug. 18 to Sept. 10, highlights the range of creative work happening at BYU — from classroom studies to commercial projects and personal explorations. Three of the design professors participating in the show share how their own practices shape their teaching and what advice they hope to pass on to students.
Daniel George
Daniel George’s latest project comes from his lifelong connection to skateboarding.“Skateboarding has had a huge influence on my creative identity and development as a kid and adult,” he said. Using a 4x5 view camera, he photographs people he meets at a local indoor skatepark. “A skateboard can be used as a tool for creative expression, and it is one of mine.”
George hopes his students focus on passion and joy: “Photograph things that interest you or that you enjoy or that mean something to you. Then, even if your pictures don’t turn out exactly as you hoped, you can say that you still had a good time.”
Michael Parker
Michael Parker’s work in the exhibit reflects both sides of his practice — academic and commercial. On one side are figure drawings created during life drawing classes. “These are about interpreting the human form into shape, line, value, texture, expression and design principles,” he said. On the other side are illustrations done for the Keyforge and Disney Lorcana card games developed through a collaborative process with art directors.
“It’s a typical design process,” Parker explained. “Loads of iteration with thumbnails and sketches. Then refining an idea to get approval. From there, working up color roughs and finished line.” The early ideation stage, when “anything goes,” is his favorite part, often fueled by good music, an episode of “The Office” and the occasional chocolate boost.
His advice to students is practical and straightforward: “Put in the work. Be willing to listen to and apply criticism. Be easy to work with, be timely in your deadlines, be polite and well-mannered and go the extra mile.”
Roland Thompson
For Roland Thompson, creativity thrives in play. “My art-making time is play time,” he said. “Artists and designers look at things, draw for fun and often enjoy reading. We need a lot of time, space and freedom to make spectacular failures and to stumble upon unexpected success.”
Thompson encourages students to keep their sense of wonder alive. “Make your eight-year-old self proud of who you are becoming,” he said. “Follow through on the curiosity, interests and sense of wonder that you had as a child.”
Together, George, Parker and Thompson show that creativity is at once serious work and playful exploration. Whether through skateboarding, card game illustrations or classroom experiments, their approaches model the persistence, curiosity and joy they encourage students to bring into their own art.