Savannah College of Art and Design Opens New Design Innovation Studio

The Savannah College of Art and Design opened a new design innovation studio this month, a space where students work directly with industry mentors on live client projects spanning branding, product design, and immersive media rather than purely hypothetical classroom assignments.

The studio pairs small student teams with visiting creative directors from partner companies for semester-long engagements, culminating in a final presentation judged by the sponsoring brand. SCAD says the model was designed to give students a portfolio built on real deliverables rather than classroom exercises alone, something the school's career services office says has become increasingly important to hiring managers.

"Portfolios built entirely on class assignments look identical to every other graduate's portfolio," said SCAD's Dean of Design. "A project a student built for an actual client, with actual constraints and actual feedback, tells a completely different story to an employer."

The studio launched with six corporate partners spanning apparel, hospitality, and technology brands, several of which are based in Atlanta and Savannah. SCAD says the partnerships also give participating companies early access to student talent, with several partners already extending internship offers to students from the studio's pilot semester.

The college plans to expand the studio to accommodate twice as many student teams next year based on strong interest from both students and prospective corporate partners.