Royals Bring Creativity and Color to Charlotte’s Tailgate Scene

Graphic design students Nathan Le ’24 and Izzy Jones ’24 were thrilled to take part in the creation of a new mural on E Third Street near uptown. The North Carolina natives credit their Queens professors with opening the door for the design partnership with Bojangles and the Carolina Panthers.

“This opportunity was presented to us by our amazing graphic design professors, Melissa Gamez and Mike Wirth,” said Le. “At Queens, my relationships with professors have opened doors that I never thought would be possible. These relationships allowed me to work on this mural and also opened the door for me to join the inaugural Lowe’s cohort as part of the Charlotte Talent Initiative where I receive intentional mentorship from leaders at Lowe’s.”

The mural allowed Le and Jones to take their design skills outside of the classroom and into the boardroom as they engaged with leaders from Bojangles and the Panthers throughout each phase of the design process. Now, the mural greets fans and visitors as they stop by the Midtown Bojangles for their tailgate essentials on their way to Panthers games.

“This project is evidence of Queens’ connections to professional opportunities at the local and national level,” said Jones. “This experience gave me a chance to work with a real-world client and apply the design process that I have learned in class to the workplace. I feel that I have been set up for success both during my time as an undergraduate student and after graduation.”

For Jones, the decision to attend Queens was prompted by the faculty that she saw thriving in the graphic design industry, including Melissa Gamez and Mike Wirth. By leveraging their professional connections to help build their students’ portfolios, Gamez and Wirth helped Jones and Le make their mark on the Charlotte community.

As Le and Jones reflect on their experience partnering with two prominent Charlotte corporations, they walk away with professional experience to pair with the personalized education they have received as members of the graphic design program.

“Having our students engage with clients in real-world collaborations is one of the cornerstones of the graphic design program at Queens,” said Gamez. “This type of experience builds upon the foundations we are teaching in the classroom and is a fantastic opportunity for the community to see what amazing designers our students are.”

The mural is located at 1407 E 3rd St, Charlotte NC 28204 on the outside of the Bojangles building.