Alumni Success

Scott Francis Anderson
Graphic Design 2002

Scott Anderson took four years of drafting in high school and assumed he would become involved in architecture. But his guidance counselor urged him to consider something more artistic. Graphic design was considered a "hot" degree in the mid- to late-90s because of the dot com boom, so that is what Scott chose.

Scott grew up in Chicago, but has lived in Atlanta since 1994. He worked at Alphagraphics doing outside sales while in school because he thought it was an interesting job that would help him understand what it takes to operate a small business. Once he graduated, he was promoted and ran the graphics department at Alphagraphics.

Scott then took some time off to study fine art in Cortona, Italy. When he returned to the U.S., he was ready for a change and contacted Teavana Corporation, an up-and-coming national tea retail chain. Scott already had a working relationship with Teavana, which had used Alphagraphics for their printing needs. Scott told the CEO that he had some ideas to update the company's image.

The CEO liked Scott's presentation and offered him a position as creative director for Teavana. He created a new logo for the company, an abstract image of a sitting Buddha holding a cup of tea blended with yin yang shapes. Scott chose inspiring phrases to represent and define the experience Teavana was trying to create: "Healthy Body, Healthy Spirit," "To Life," and "Happiness." Teavana now incorporates these phrases in all of their marketing materials to drive positive messages to the consumer.

What is Scott's secret to success? He recommends students work in a pre-production position before diving into a professional design department so they have the knowledge they need to set up files correctly. Scott says the majority of jobs he received as a graphic designer - even from major design agencies - were unprintable before he corrected them.

Scott has designed book covers for his father's publishing company, as well as Web sites and logos for a variety of clients. In his spare time, he focuses on other interests including music and building furniture. Scott says he does not think he will ever reach his ultimate career goal because there is no such thing - he will always find new interests to challenge his creativity.