Joy Scull ’17

For Joy Scull ’17, Senior Art Director at Godfrey Dadich Partners in San Francisco, the SU experience was challenging and rewarding. “The communications design program is its own world, unique from the University itself and other graphic arts programs. When I think of SU, I think of communications design, and I don’t think of it as “school”—it was a job,” Scull says. “The opportunities were all available, but they wouldn’t seek you out. I learned quickly that you had to be passionate about design if you wanted to reap the benefits of success—and relief of making it through.”

Scull worked toward her personal definition of success: a sense of pride in her work and helping others along the way. “In such a competitive environment, it became difficult at times to remember that we’re all human, working toward the same thing,” she says. “I saw the success of my peers as my success too. The same philosophy applies when working with a team in a professional environment."

Scull will always remember the times spent with her closest friends, nights having dinner on Marshall Street and in Armory Square, brunch at a hidden gem she discovered in Jamesville, and celebrating graduation with her communications design class.

Setting her intensions early on led Scull to receive the Elizabeth and Alan Dye Award for Most Outstanding Senior, one of her greatest accomplishments. The award also caught the attention of the founders of Godfrey Dadich, which led to her employment. “I’m grateful to my family and SU for allowing me the opportunity to achieve this kind of outcome; however, the outcome itself was a result of my work. I take pride in that,” Scull says.

Her time at SU taught Scull several valuable professional and life lessons. “The best work happens when you stop being afraid of breaking the rules. You’ll learn the most by taking risks and figuring it out as you go,” Scull says. “Unfamiliarity was the theme of my first year out of school. When you’re presented nothing but a few deadlines and no specific parameters or deliverables, there’s a lot of freedom to play. I’m not afraid to play when it comes to my work.”

She also learned to think beyond the first idea when executing a creative concept. “Approaching projects with the intention of telling a story and communicating a message in an unexpected, compelling way is everything,” Scull says. “That kind of thinking takes time to develop, and it’s a skill I honed at SU.”