Over the last 50 years, Montclair State University’s art and design program has cultivated talented creatives who have gone on to thrive in galleries, shows and the public spotlight. Joining them soon is senior visual communication design major Dogan Uludogan, whose resume already speaks for itself.
Uludogan’s journey with design began at 12, when he got his first laptop and fell in love with Photoshop. He is now 21-years-old and his career took off after he found his footing at Montclair State.
Uludogan chose Montclair State because being closer to home was important to him. A Wayne, New Jersey native, he feels that the proximity to home improved his experience. Today, Uludogan reflects on how he has benefited from Montclair State’s community.
“I think [Montclair] has definitely helped me because I’ve met a better niche of people and spent time developing my work,” Uludogan said.
Uludogan’s work started inching toward the professional world during the spring semester of his freshman year and continued the summer after, when he began delving into freelance work.
“I spent that time doing a project and posting every day,” Uludogan said. “And from there, I was able to accumulate enough work to create a decent portfolio.”
The first studio he sent his portfolio to and subsequently interned with was WØRKS Studio in New York. He stayed with the studio for the entirety of his junior year. The studio’s multidisciplinary work spoke to Uludogan.
“That was kind of my dream job,” he said. “Being able to intern with them and be mentored by their design director, Roy Cranston, and creative director, Haris Fazlani, was such a great opportunity. I’m forever grateful.”
SKIMS NYC 5th Avenue Flagship Invitations, Designed with WØRKS Studio, 2025. | Dogan Uludogan
A product of this experience was Uludogan’s work for the SKIMS NYC Flagship store opening, his first client project. While it was his first experience working for a corporate client, the project flew by, he recalls.
“I remember helping, but not really knowing who it was for,” Uludogan said of his work for SKIMS. “And then the turnaround was a day and a half.”
He still remembers the excitement when thinking back to seeing his design at the opening and affirms that the surprise of seeing his work live makes it all the more rewarding. Uludogan admits that “when working on something, you assume that it’s just for you and the client, but really it’s out in the world and other people are experiencing it.”
After leaving his internship at WØRKS last April, Uludogan took a break before reaching out to Yung Studios, based in San Francisco.
“I remember getting the position, and their line of work for the rest of the year was with Lady Gaga,” Uludogan said. He remembers feeling intimidated at the thought of working with such a high-profile client. “You don’t want to disappoint.”
Lady Gaga The MAYHEM Ball Tour Merch, Designed with Yung Studio, 2025 | Dogan Uludogan
Uludogan worked hands-on with the studio and Lady Gaga’s team, designing around the Mayhem tour. This included the merchandise, its trailer and collaborations with games like Roblox.
“Being able to go to the show and see all of our work unfold in person was really fun too,” Uludogan said. “[Having] my name on that was such a great opportunity.”
Uludogan’s most recent client project was for the Nike LeBron 23 “Forever King” storybook. Designer Myles Thompson reached out to him and asked to create some assets for the project. All while he was developing his thesis.
“I remember ripping my hair, trying to get my thesis out and getting a text,” Uludogan said. “It was almost too good [of] an opportunity to turn down.” This was also a quick turnaround, but Uludogan sees the project as “worth it.”
NIKE LeBron 23 “Forever King” Storybook, Designed with Myles Thompson, 2026. Photo courtesy of Dogan Uludogan
“I think it was my favorite piece in my recent work,” he admits.
The main challenge in these projects, Uludogan finds, can be time itself. “Oftentimes, the timeline doesn’t align with the ideas you have,” he said. “So some ideas get shortened. Some ideas get scrapped.”
Because of this, Uludogan emphasizes finding balance. “I think that the challenge is where the best work comes out,” he said. “If I had such creative freedom, I wouldn’t really know what to do.”
After graduating, Uludogan hopes to take the time to do more freelance work before eventually opening his own design studio.
For the aspiring artists and designers of Montclair State, Uludogan emphasizes freelance work.
“I think pursuing stuff while you’re still studying is the most important bit,” Uludogan said. “Keep putting out your own work and keep doing your passion projects. Those are the things that people will notice.”
