From Pixels to Pedagogy: A Design Professor’s Path

When NC State’s College of Design graduates are called to the stage this weekend to receive their diplomas, one recipient might get a bit of extra applause from the students he has taught over the last several years. Justin Johnson, an assistant professor in the Media Arts, Design and Technology (MADTech) department at the College of Design, will receive his doctor of design degree.

Johnson first came to NC State in fall 2020 and has taught classes in 3D modeling, video game design and immersive media. He has also completed multiple research projects, including the recent creation of “Mastro’s Theatre,” an arcade game he developed with a group of students — four of whom will earn degrees with him this weekend. 

“I think what really sets the College of Design apart is we’re forward-thinking and always looking at trying to do the next big thing,” Johnson said. “All of the faculty and students are really creative, so we get to do these really cool, cutting-edge projects. And because the College of Design is one of the smallest colleges, we get to know each other really well.”

While teaching is Johnson’s current profession, video game design has been one of his passions since middle school, when he started modeling and designing new levels for his favorite video games. He went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in art and design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and a master’s degree in video game production from the University of Advancing Technology. He worked as a full-time digital artist in the video game industry for several years, but ultimately decided to change course. 

Around the same time he started having doubts about his long-term prospects, he was invited to teach a 3D modeling course at Wake Technical Community College. 

“I really enjoyed it,” he said. “It was fun to see students learn, build up their skills and go on to get jobs in the video game industry. I found it to be a really rewarding experience.”

After that initial foray into higher education, Johnson taught digital art, computer programming and video game design at Wake Tech and later William Peace University. In 2018, he joined the inaugural cohort for NC State’s Doctorate of Design Program, which he learned about from its director, Elen Deming, who went on to serve as his advisor and mentor. Deming also helped Johnson develop his dissertation on virtual reality spaces and how they can promote internal healing and mental health well-being. For the project, he created two virtual reality game prototypes that put users in a forest where they can see, explore and interact with items in the environment. He also assessed user reactions to the experience and how it affected their stress levels. 

While Johnson doesn’t have big plans for his graduation weekend, he is busy preparing for a study abroad trip this summer. He is leading the excursion in which he and a group of students will complete 3D scanning and modeling for ancient burial sites in Cephalonia, Greece. This is the latest in a long list of archival projects he has completed. He has also been working on an immersive 3D tour for a church in Bogotá, Colombia. All of these experiences have made him grateful for the career change.

“Working at a game company, you sort of have to make what they want, and it’s very structured and there’s not a lot of room for deviation,” he said. “But here, I can do my own projects, like the arcade, and I have a lot of flexibility to do research and work on the things I really want to do. It’s a really great place to be.”

This post was originally published in NC State News.