Students from Professor Peter Kwok Chan’s Collaborative Design course recently participated in an agency tour and creative immersion experience at The Shipyard’s downtown Columbus office. The Shipyard team warmly welcomed the group, with key members from management, marketing, creative, strategy, and media departments sharing insights into their work and perspectives on agency life. The visit featured a comprehensive introduction to the agency, in-depth strategy case studies, a behind-the-scenes look at media planning and execution, and a thoughtful showcase of recent creative campaigns.

Students left inspired by both the team and the agency’s dynamic, collaborative culture. The experience provided meaningful insight into how The Shipyard builds brands and crafts compelling narratives—leaving a strong impression on this next generation of designers.

The visit also sparked creative thinking as students began developing their “Branding for Good” projects—an initiative within this Collaborative Design studio that challenges them to harness branding not only for commercial success but also to advocate for social impact, drive change, and support meaningful causes.

This agency tour was made possible with generous support from the Education Committee of the American Advertising Federation’s Columbus Chapter (AAF). Special thanks to James McKee at AAF and Lauren Arnold at The Shipyard for helping create such a valuable learning opportunity for the Collaborative Design students.