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Courtney Garvin

Lecturer, School of Industrial Design

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Courtney Garvin

Lecturer, School of Industrial Design

Courtney Garvin studied industrial design at the Rhode Island School of Design where she received her BFA. She began her career working as a freelance exhibit designer at the Boston Children’s Museum and later as an interactive designer at Ziff-Davis Interactive in Cambridge, MA. In 1999, Courtney received her MFA in graphic design from Yale University. Her thesis on color theory focused on examining the psychological, cultural and personal meanings of color and color’s relationship to language.

Since 2000, her work has spanned all aspects of design: from strategy and design to final production and implementation. Her projects have included corporate communications, publications, branding, environmental, exhibit, packaging, multimedia, web and interface design. Her clients have ranged from large brands such as Accenture, The Coca-Cola Company, FedEx, Charles Schwab, The Walt Disney Company, Hewlett-Packard, InterfaceFlor, and musician will.i.am, to small clients, start-ups, and non-profits such as the Turner Foundation, Librii (a start-up launching in Accra, Ghana), and former Atlanta City Councilman Kwanza Hall.

Education

  • Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 1999
    MFA, Graphic Design, thesis titled Dear Crayola: Explorations in Colorful Language.
  • Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island, 1994
    BFA, Industrial Design, graduated with honors. Degree project consisted of designing children’s bedroom furniture that encouraged creative play.

Recent Experience

  • Georgia Institute of Technology, School of Design, Lecturer, Atlanta, GA, Fall 2016–present
  • Son&Sons -- Senior Designer and Design Strategist, Atlanta, GA, 2011–2017
    Develop and design brand identities and strategies.
  • Savannah College of Art and Design, Adjunct Professor, Atlanta, GA, 2010–present
    Teach undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Unboundary, Senior Designer, Atlanta, GA, 1999–2011
    Strategize, concept, design, and illustrate various print and digital projects.