Dylan Carroll

Dylan Carroll

UT Dallas senior Dylan Carroll has found a way to put his interest in graphic design to good use.

The emerging media and communications major is the first UT Dallas student to win a design competition for the American Southwest Conference championship T-shirts. 

His design will grace the front of the black “ASC Champions 2014-15” T-shirts worn this year by all ASC conference champion team members — from baseball to volleyball — during their postgame celebrations.

Carroll’s design is the ninth artwork selected in the ASC Championship T-Shirt Design Challenge, open to students of member institutions.

Carroll, who plays on the UT Dallas men’s golf team, heard about the contest from the athletics department and decided to give it a try. The top prize included a $100 award.

Contest rules were specific: The design had to include the official ASC logo as well as the phrases “Champions” and “2014-15.” Entries could have no more than three ink colors, and designs had to stand out on a black T-shirt.

ASC Shirt Design

The design will be on shirts worn by 2014-15 ASC champs during postgame celebrations.

“I went with gold, which obviously stands out against black. I did three or four designs and moved the pieces around. I used the NBA championship shirts as a reference. Eventually it looked good,” he said.

“I’m honored to be the first winner from UTD,” Carroll said. “This was an opportunity for me put my experience to use — and I’m glad I did.”

Graphic design is just one of his artistic interests. Carroll has been interested in fine arts since attending Garland High School, and chose UT Dallas for its arts and technology programs. He hopes to shoot action sports in Colorado when he graduates.

“It’s a way to express myself creatively. No one can really live off of fine arts, but with cinematography, motion graphics and programming, I thought I could possibly do something with that,” he said.

His prize-winning T-shirt design will be added to his portfolio.

And he’ll likely keep up with golf, too. Carroll has played competitively since high school and has been on the UT Dallas men’s golf team since he was a freshman.

“My granddad got me into it. I like that it’s an individual sport, and I like that it is hard. I like challenges, and he was definitely an influence for me,” Carroll said.