As an academic art museum dedicated to the local community and art education, Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) is poised to transform campus life and its students for another century. A cohort of 12 design students had the opportunity of a lifetime to refresh the LUAG logo and create an exhibition identity to celebrate its centennial anniversary. 

LUAG has championed art and creativity since 1926. It’s kicking off this centennial milestone in the 2025-2026 academic year with a juried exhibition. “300 artists submitted 800 works and we had to pick 100. 100 artists, 100 works, 100 years,” Kiera Wilhelm, marketing and development specialist, explains. “Here and Now: 100 Years of LUAG, 100 Local Artists” runs from September 2, 2025 through May 22, 2026. 

Playing on a key tenet of creating university and community partnerships, LUAG reached out to Maurizio Masi, assistant professor of design, to team up with this semester's Fusion students. In Fusion: Design Practice (DES 385), a project-based studio class in the Department of Art, Architecture and Design, students see design projects through from beginning to end, utilizing the skills they learned in the classroom for a real-world application. Students worked in collaboration with LUAG to create a cohesive brand identity that aligns with their values and vision.

Process Behind the Design

In three teams, design students were tasked with developing an exhibition brand, a logo for the centennial, and a refresh of the existing logo. The process involved meeting with the LUAG team, on- and off-campus visits for research, and several rounds of iterative feedback before the final presentation. 

While upfront that LUAG may not use their design, the students understood that it was a true client relationship, not just a hypothetical exercise. “We may or may not move forward with their designs, and they know that. That's real life too,” Wilhem says. 

The students learned about all aspects of LUAG and listened in their initial meeting about their challenges and goals. Another early step of the design process was meeting with Mark Wonsidler, curator of exhibitions and collections, who designed the original LUAG logo. The students’ thoughtful interview helped them gauge the mission of the museum and was a valuable window into his design choices. For instance, he positioned the “A” sideways to signify art as a change in perspective.

Students made visits to various design studios, museums, and even the LUAG archives as part of the design process. “I built the class around making sure we talk to other studios and get informed,” Masi says. All of this enlightened their ideas, encouraging students to spend time synthesizing their investigations, he notes.

They met with Lehigh’s University Communications and Public Affairs (UCPA) and the design team led by creative director Kurt Hansen. The students also conducted a literature review in Building J, where LUAG has housed its physical special collections since 1987. There, they browsed past exhibition brochures that informed their design process.

Their most exciting visit was a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. “They went to the Met and spoke with the head of design there, which is amazing. How does that graphic design team work with exhibition designers and curators?” Masi says. “That was a once in a lifetime deal.”

A Work of HeArt

The art galleries team announced that they will be using the students’ refresh of the LUAG logo and the brand identity for the “Here and Now” exhibition. “We've had experiences working with [Maurizio] in the past where students have done this work and then they've seen their work around campus. And that sense of pride is really wonderful,” says Stacie Brennan ‘03, curator of education at LUAG. “I hope they take that with them out into the real world and this experience can really elevate them in the workforce.” 

This project offered an exciting experiential learning opportunity for students in graphic and product design, building tools they can take with them in their careers. The structure of the class is made to mimic real agency workflows, down to the proposals themselves. Students retain the past research and inspiration in their presentations even if some of it might be repetitive. As Masi remarks, this mirrors businesses where other tiers in the organization might be seeing the work for the first time.

During the final presentation, Emily Tsao ‘25, who worked on the exhibition brand identity, reflected on the course. “There were a lot of very technical things that I had to work through and I feel like I got to go really in depth with designing,” she says. “I don't feel like I've ever had the chance of doing that in other graphic classes or even product design classes. So this was a really great opportunity and you guys are the best clients ever.”

Emily Tsao ‘25 (center) stands with the team for the "Here and Now" exhibition brand identity.

Not only did the experience push the boundaries of the students’ design work, but they learned how to collaborate on a team, a valuable skill they plan to bring with them into their budding careers. And this cohort was unique in that everyone pulled their weight.

Representatives from LUAG were very impressed with the professionalism and dedication from the students, seeing this as a valuable real-world learning experience. Along with their presentations, each group brought physical materials—mockups of tote bags, event invitations, business cards, and even a Rubik’s Cube-style keychain—to share and pass around. “We’re entertaining selling merch because of the products you have shown us,” Wilhelm said during the final presentation.

While LUAG decided not to go forward with the proposed design for the centennial mark, the team offered innovative ideas for promotion around campus including a refresh of their doors, an advertisement for the bus stops, and a fun bookmark. Their team also introduced copy, an exciting and high standard of design professionals, notes Masi. By tackling taglines based on their knowledge of the client, they offer more than design but a deep understanding of the mission.

As a teaching museum, one of LUAG’s pillars is education. Not only was it a learning experience for the students, but for LUAG too. The team learned how to give critical feedback and received some wonderful quality work. “It's been wonderful. We feel very fortunate,” says Wilhelm. “This is a huge gift to us.”

“You gave us an insight into your voices as students here at Lehigh that was really helpful for us to frame our next 100 years at Lehigh,” Brennan says.