Department of Design

"Pushing Up Daisies" Film Festival Success

Animation/Illustration student Morgan Notari has received 11 festival awards and 17 selections for her solo 2D Animated Short Film "Pushing Up Daisies," completed in the ANI 132 course under the instruction of Professor Angela Wu.

Hope In Motion

Interior Design student Cynthia Ajvatz has been shortlisted for the International Yacht & Aviation Awards 2026 in collaboration with Sarah Larranaga, owner of Sarah Larranaga Aviation Design. The two connected through SJSU’s Aviation Career Discovery Day last fall. Sarah Larranaga Aviation Design recently revealed a new private jet concept for a Bombardier Global 7500, created for a private client. The project unites timeless luxury with a quietly powerful message of hope, using both exterior and interior design to show how aviation design can communicate meaning as well as refinement. A distinguishing feature of the project is its educational and mentorship component. As part of a special initiative with San José State University students, Sarah Larranaga Aviation Design hosted an exterior design competition. The winning concept—an emerald gradient exterior designed by Interior Design student Cynthia Ajvatz—was selected for its striking elegance and symbolism, representing hope and a positive, unifying message as the aircraft travels around the world.

Don’t Steal My Joy: Integrating Ethical AI into Design Education While Prioritizing Play and Discovery

The case study paper, “Don’t Steal My Joy: Integrating Ethical AI into Design Education While Prioritizing Play and Discovery,” has been accepted for presentation at the 2025 Intersections Research Conference (ACSA), focused on AI Design Practices. Authored by Professor Dana Ragouzeos, Professor Marjan Khatibi, Professor Leila Ensaniat, and Professor Kohar Scott, the work examines how design educators can integrate AI into curriculum and studio culture in ways that are ethical, intentional, and supportive of experimentation—protecting students’ sense of play and discovery while engaging emerging tools responsibly.

Prysm iO | 2025

A new product that Industrial Design Professor Joshua Nelson worked on with Nu Skin launched and went on to win a 2025 Good Design Award. “Prysm iO exemplifies good design by making complex health science beautifully simple. Through thoughtful hardware aesthetics, advanced optical engineering, and AI-enhanced feedback, it offers a new gold standard for personal wellness technology—where every detail, inside and out, is designed to help people live healthier lives with confidence.”

"SharKpop x Anime"

Animation/Illustration adjunct faculty member Sydney Sun collaborated with SJSU alumnus Nelson Kuang ’17 and the San Jose Sharks for the “SharKpop x Anime” night in November 2025. Both Sydney and Nelson are graduates of SJSU’s Animation/Illustration program.

Landscapes of Life, Expressions Woven by Stories

Landscapes of Life: Expressions Woven by Stories is a solo exhibition by Professor Chang Kim.

President of the Northern California Fulbright Association

Adjunct Faculty Leslie Roberts is now President of the Northern California Fulbright Association. Roberts was a Fulbright Fellow in New Zealand. They specialize in Antarctic humanities—the focus of their first book—and regularly speak with students about Antarctica, research, and storytelling at the ends of the earth. Roberts also jokes they’re especially glad they never followed through on one early, over-enthusiastic idea: tattooing the book’s first line on their arm—“ICE IS NICE.”

64th Annual Illustration West

Congratulations to adjunct Animation/Illustration faculty Chris Zollna, whose work has been juried into the prestigious SILA Illustration West 64 competition. Three of Zollna's pieces in the "Unpublished & Self-Promotional" category were accepted into the exhibition: Del Mar Theater, The Birds, and Henry Cowell State Park. These works were selected from over 1,300 entries submitted by artists from 35 countries.