When Elayna Sisson ’24, Illustration, walked into Bath and Body Works as a design intern, she was already a longtime customer. “I grew up shopping at B&BW,” she says. Today, she is an Associate Designer at the company, creating artwork for the candles and soaps she once bought as a kid.
Sisson joined Bath and Body Works as a design intern during her senior year at Ringling College, spending a full year with the home design team at the company’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. The team designs the art and packaging for the company’s soaps and candles. Sisson’s responsibilities included expanding designs, creating labels and packaging, communicating with printers, and approving product colors in collaboration with the merchandising team. She also created her own mock collection of soaps focused on sustainability and presented it to associates from across the company.
After graduating in 2024, Sisson moved to Columbus to join the company full time.
Her role now draws directly on what she learned in the classroom. “One of my favorite things about the role is that I’m able to use a lot of the skills from school,” she says. “I get to illustrate, paint, and use typography to create designs.” Her most recent project is this fall’s collection, which features a series of autumnal watercolor paintings across a variety of products.
Seeing that work on store shelves still thrills her. “It’s such a cool feeling,” Sisson says. “I love being able to create designs that bring people joy.”
Ringling’s Center for Career Services helps students and alumni prepare for moments like this, offering job and internship searches, resume reviews, interview training, portfolio building, and networking support. Alumni can access these services for life.
