Ben Hannam

Ben Hannam is an Associate Professor in the School of Communications at Elon University and the owner of Accomplish Studios, LLC, a small graphic design agency recently relocated to Chapel Hill, NC.

Ben is the author of three books: Graphic Design for Dummies (2025), Oh @#$%! I'm Graduating! A Student's Guide to Creating a Killer Portfolio (2018), and A Graphic Design Student's Guide to Freelance: Practice Makes Perfect (2010). He has also collaborated on and authored several peer-reviewed journal articles, including Using Monetary Value to Frame Critiques and Engage Students, Teaching Coding in the Mass Communication Classroom, and External Resource Use of Undergraduates Learning Coding in Communications.

His design work has earned multiple peer-reviewed awards, including a Silver Award from the International Design Awards, three American Graphic Design Awards from GD USA, an ADDY Award from the American Advertising Federation, and two honors from Creative Quarterly: The Journal of Art & Design—an Award of Excellence and recognition as one of the 100 Best Pieces of 2017.

Ben’s graphic design work has been featured in juried exhibitions in Missouri (2019) and New York City (2018). Additionally, his work has been published in several industry books, including Political Illustration: The Visual Language of Propaganda, Censorship, and Dissent; Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy, Design; Organizational Behavior: A Critical-thinking Approach; 500 Upcycled & Earth-friendly Designs; Color Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Graphic Designers; Visual Ideas: Formats, Folds, and Binding; and Type in Motion 2.