Miller Zell Designers Guide Cleveland Institute of Art Project

ATLANTA, May 21, 2025 — Miller Zell wants to celebrate another partnership with the Cleveland Institute of Art, as we recently sponsored a design challenge for interior architecture students.

The project, which began in mid-March and concluded on April 30, focused on conceptualizing a flagship retail experience for a brand of the students’ choosing at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The project emphasized immersive brand storytelling around brand partnerships and allowed students to engage deeply with industry professionals, gain practical experience and develop creative solutions in response to a client-focused brief.

This student project, running from mid-March to April 30, challenged participants to design a flagship retail experience for a brand of their choice at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Explore the innovative ideas that bring global branding to life on an Olympic stage.

Dean Mallory, Miller Zell’s Creative Director and a CIA alumnus, led the development of the project brief and assignment and worked directly with CIA Adjunct Professor Theresa Vitale. He was assisted by seven other members of Miller Zell’s creative and design teams: Adriana Velez, Paul Wolski, Kylie Daniel, Ryan Wagner, Edna Strawser, Quentin Spencer and Jules Homesberger.

“This has been an incredibly rewarding experience, both personally and professionally,” Mallory said. “As an alumnus, it’s been meaningful to give back to the program that launched my career — and so many others — in the design industry. Mentorship is a powerful way to pay it forward, offering students the kind of real-world exposure and industry insight I valued during my time in school.”

“Their final presentations demonstrated not only creativity and strong technical skills, but also a deeper understanding of brand storytelling and experiential design.”

Miller Zell began sponsoring CIA projects in the 1990s, and Mallory is one of many CIA graduates to work at Miller Zell.

“Over the course of the project, we saw remarkable growth in the students’ work, from research and strategy to concept ideation and refinement,” Mallory said. “Their final presentations demonstrated not only creativity and strong technical skills, but also a deeper understanding of brand storytelling and experiential design.”

The project included different deliverables for different majors, including brand research, a dimensioned floor plan & customer journey, renderings and elevations for final concepts and a final presentation in PDF format.

Click here for more information on the Cleveland Institute of Art.