Texas Tech University

Department of Design Students Place in Top Three for Interior Design Educators Council Video Competition

Matilda Beckanovic

September 26, 2022

id students

2 groups from Texas Tech Interior Design program submitted videos and tied for 3rd place in global interior design competition

The Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) is an organization that advances interior design education, scholarships, and service. Every year the IDEC video competition asks interior design students to tackle a challenging concept or social issue. According to Emily Borchstein, Senior Account Executive for IDEC, videos are judged on how well they relate to the topic, creativity/engagement, suitability for sharing with a non-designer audience, and professional quality. 

“This year the topic was systems thinking,” said Michelle Pearson, Ph.D., associate chair for the Department of Design and Interior Design program director. “Systems thinking is a holistic way to investigate factors and interactions that could contribute to a possible outcome. I challenged the students to come up with their own unique approaches to concisely explore how systems thinking relates to the field of interior design.” 

The jury for the 2022 IDEC video competition viewed 14 videos that explored the ways that interior designers use the idea of ‘system thinking' to design. Two teams for the Texas Tech Department of Design tied for 3rd place. 

  • Systems Thinking through Retail Therapy: Texas Tech University: Sarah Duffin, Merrik Beard, Shaofang Xu, Jessie Judd.
  • Systems Thinking and Indoor Air Quality?: Texas Tech University: Zaria Sumling; Jasmine Smith; Addison Slaton, Audra Hoefelmeyer.

“By participating in this competition, I had two goals for my students,” Pearson said. “First, I hoped the students would be able to explore and create a deeper understanding of systems thinking. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly, I hoped the students would develop a new skill set that challenged them to think and communicate unconventionally.”

The IDEC Video Competition is a challenging project that asks students to think in a new way, applying what they have learned in the classroom to real-world situations they may be faced with. The Department of Design has participated in this competition for the past 4 years and has placed 3 out of the 4 years. This has helped the Texas Tech Interior Design program maintain its reputation for producing outstanding graduates who are both creative and effective communicators. 

“I am so proud of all of our students who participated in the video competition,” Pearson said. “The work of the students this year was the best we've ever had.”