Designing His Future

Sam Thomas ’20 found his passion for graphic design during his introductory classes at Colby-Sawyer. These classes laid the groundwork for Sam's exploration of design principles, ultimately leading to his unique style as a graphic designer. Hilary Williams, dean for the School of Arts & Sciences and associate professor of graphic design & digital media, taught the majority of Sam’s classes at CSC and later became his academic advisor. Hilary became a mentor to Sam, and he was able to talk to her about anything design, career or even higher education related.

“Hilary's experience in grad school and the extensive self-led projects she was able to carry out really showed me what was possible as a designer and student,” Sam said. After graduation, Sam went on to attend grad school in the UK.

Sam's fondest memories of his Colby-Sawyer experience involve quiet moments spent collaborating with friends in the design studio, fueled by deadlines and music. These moments of camaraderie were instrumental in his growth as a designer. He also highlighted the influence of Professor Douglas Harp on his design skills.

“Doug led my paramount typography classes along with being the host of my summer internship,” Sam said. “I'm constantly thinking of the rules Doug spoke about in classes while I'm doing my work now, imagining what he'd think of this or that and how he might approach it.”

All those late nights in the studio proved worth it, as Sam is now designing for major record labels. Looking forward, Sam said he hopes to continue working on diverse design projects and collaborating with other artists.

“I'm very proud of how far I've come, from designing amateur fan art and album covers over ten years ago to now having designed an entire official album packaging project for a major record label,” Sam reflected. “I'm proud of the fact that as a kid I crafted my identity around tees of my favorite bands and artists, to now make a living off designing those same pieces. It's a crazy feeling.”

His ultimate goal? To design for big names like Drake and make a positive impact through his work.

“Without Colby-Sawyer,” Sam said, “my graphic design journey wouldn't have ever begun!”