Columbus College of Art & Design senior Harrison Landis brought home top honors among his peers during the 2022 Central District IDSA Student Merit awards in March.
Students from CCAD, The Ohio State University, and the International Center of Creativity presented their work to a panel of industrial design experts, who then selected a winner from each school to compete internationally. Those selections were based upon a combination of the competitors’ grade point averages, portfolios, and presentations.
Each school picked three students to compete in front of the audience of approximately 100 industrial design professionals, students, and educators. The competitors—who, for CCAD, were Landis, Alexis Williams, and Gage Holtz—had eight minutes to share what they’ve learned at their respective schools, their individual design philosophies, and examples of their creative work.
“I think the biggest thing for Harrison was his ability to weave a story through this,” says Associate Professor Greg Thune, Chair of Industrial Design at CCAD. For his senior thesis, Landis developed fidget-friendly furniture for young children to help them move and stay comfortable while learning.
The graphics included with Landis’ presentation, his ability to tell the story, and his overall skills set him apart, says Thune. “His renderings, his sketches, his CAD (computer aided design) were phenomenal compared to other schools.”
CCAD historically does well compared to other Industrial Design programs because students get loads of practice creating and sharing their work. “Our life is sketching and presenting,” Thune says. “All of our students, by the time they’ve graduated, they’ve presented 10 to 15 times in their career, easily,” he says.
Following this regional competition, Landis has the option to record a presentation that will be reviewed by a panel of judges for the regional contest.
Learn more about Product Design at CCAD or apply here.
