Limestone Creative prepares students for careers in graphic and experience design
The student-run studio in the School of Visual Arts connects students with real clients while helping them build collaborative, creative, and professional skills through the work.
A group of graphic design majors has been building Limestone Creative, a student-run design studio that gives Hokies professional experience working with real clients while preparing them for lasting careers in the competitive design industry.
Led by Assistant Professor of Practice Bri O’Neal in the School of Visual Arts, junior and senior graphic design majors have been putting the final touches on Limestone Creative, whose name and identity draw directly from the limestone used to create the university’s iconic Hokie Stone architecture.
For the students involved with developing the studio’s brand, as well as those who have been taking on clients during this past academic year, the name and purpose of Limestone Creative reflect a sense of place, craftsmanship, and creativity rooted in the Virginia Tech community.
Creating a studio built for professional practice
Before Limestone Creative, there was FourDesign, a student-run, faculty-led graphic design studio that ceased operations in 2022. When O’Neal joined the School of Visual Arts in 2025, she began exploring how a new studio could better reflect the collaborative, client-based experiences students encounter in the professional design industry.
After examining university programs and what the structure and charge of a new student-run group might look like, O’Neal decided to launch Limestone Creative as an organization to drive students’ professional development and serve local clients.
“Instead of working as a service center and relaunching FourDesign, we decided to put a halt to FourDesign entirely,” O’Neal said. “Limestone Creative is essentially a new program rather than a rebrand of FourDesign.”
Students enrolled in two different courses worked to move the planned studio forward: One class worked on the organization’s branding and another class began taking on clients.
Students involved with the branding effort spent most of the fall semester researching target audiences as part of their market research to determine a new name. They surveyed internal university clients, past external clients, individuals who were not familiar with the studio, and graphic design alumni who had participated in FourDesign.
While the students in the branding class worked on a new identity for the studio, those enrolled in the projects course worked directly with real-world clients to create branding, web, and print designs.
As the reimagined studio prepares for its formal launch this fall, the agency will operate through a course that partners with various companies and organizations on sponsored studio projects, while student employees also contribute to grants, internal university initiatives, and external client-based projects. Students must apply for both opportunities.
Each semester, 12 to 20 students will participate through the course or as paid employees. They’ll be divided into three to five teams that are led by a project manager.
Strengthening collaboration skills and creative confidence
The collaborative structure of Limestone Creative and work with clients create an environment that encourages peer collaboration and builds students’ creative confidence through client feedback.
Because they work within teams and with real clients, Limestone Creative designers gain experience releasing the reins of their personal preferences and adopting a collaborative mindset focused on fulfilling the goals of their clients.
“When working solo, it’s easy to get siloed into a specific idea or design philosophy you have for yourself,” said Carys DeRolf, a senior graphic design student. “But when you are sharing ideas with other people, it is easier to come up with creative solutions.”
DeRolf has been recognized for her work with Limestone Creative. She received the American Advertising Federation Roanoke chapter’s 2 under 32 award for creativity and contributions that resonate beyond the classroom. She and her team also created the branding materials the organization used to market its award ceremony.
Recognitions like these give students confidence that their work can succeed beyond the classroom.
“On the university side, we submit their work to competitions on behalf of the studio,” O’Neal said. “Winning those awards and seeing that their work is acknowledged outside of our local community is something that is rewarding to them and encourages them to continue pushing themselves in their work.”
Limestone Creative teams also earned three Indigo Design Awards in 2026. The international award competition recognizes bold, innovative, and visionary work across disciplines. The studio received Bronze and Silver awards for the Limestone Creative branding in the Services for Branding and Branding for Graphic Design categories. The team also earned a Bronze award for Magazine and Newspaper Design for its Virginia Tech Chamber Singers and Wind Ensemble concert program.
Working with clients
Along with strengthening their creative confidence, students in the studio also gain essential skills that prepare them for success as future graphic and experience designers. They learn how to work within timelines and strict budgets, as well as how to pitch their work to clients in-person and virtually.
“As a project manager, I set goals for my team to stay on track with the project needs and final deadlines established by the client,” said Jake Sousa, a junior graphic design student. “I also deliver all final assets to the client at the end of the project and assemble the project process books, which contain all the steps and planning our team took to get to the final designs.”
For Jordan Beecher, a senior graphic design student, Limestone Creative offered a chance to develop the professionalism that is essential for workplace success.
“I need to be intentional in what I present and how I present it,” Beecher said. “I handle feedback from clients with an open mind, and I go into client meetings with the understanding that some of them know design and some don’t.”
Working with real clients adds a level of complexity to the projects. “We are used to talking in design terms, but when we’re speaking with clients we have to act as a translator,” DeRolf said. “Also, the expectations of a personal project are different than when creating for someone else; it’s a very different process.”
Clients notice and praise the adaptability and professionalism of Limestone Creative designers.
When the Virginia Tech Wind Ensemble and Chamber Singers were invited to perform at the Virginia Music Educators Association state conference, Derek Shapiro, director of bands and associate professor of music in the School of Performing Arts, asked Limestone Creative students to create a program that felt intentional and distinctive, something that would make an impression the moment someone picked it up.
Team members accepted the challenge, and their finished program won the aforementioned Silver Indigo Design award.
“The final result felt like a true reflection of our community and exceeded anything I had initially imagined,” Shapiro said. “I’m genuinely impressed by the quality of the work, the professionalism, the communication, and the sense of ownership the students brought to the process.”
A website currently in development will showcase student work, strengthen Limestone Creative’s visibility, and help connect future teams with new projects and partnerships.
Written by Ashley Falat '26 and Krista Timney
