She finished her education debt-free, says designer and alumna Noma Hanlon, BArch ’78, and she wants to help other students do the same. Hanlon has established an endowment fund at the UO Foundation for student scholarship support that will award its first scholarship this fall to a deserving student in the School of Architecture and Allied Arts. 

Above: Noma Hanlon of HB Design stands outside her Portland, Oregon headquarters.

“I took advantage of the advice from my financial aid counselor and received grants, scholarships, and work study to fund my education,” Hanlon explains. “My roommate and I looked at the highest-paying student jobs on campus—graphic design and accounting. I was hired as a graphic designer and she took the accounting position.”

Hanlon of HB Design, formerly Hanlon Brown Design, describes her career path from architecture to leading a graphic design firm as a blend of what she learned at UO and her own desire to succeed. She took her skills in architecture and graphic design and her goal to stay in Oregon and hung out her shingle as a freelance designer in her own business.  

“What can I do with this skill set?” she asked herself. She remodeled houses, produced architectural renderings, and soon realized she could produce illustrations. That led her to work with several large high tech companies and a successful career in business-to-business marketing communications. Hanlon now has offices in Portland, Oregon and Chandler, Arizona.

She believes this entrepreneurial spirit served her well and she hopes students will be inspired to use their skills in unique ways, too. 

“I use my design education every day,” says Hanlon. She credits her education for helping her look at things differently and growing her skills for design and problem solving. “Everything is designed—the pencil to the computer,” she says. 

HB Design was founded in 1983 when Hanlon met other designers and partnered up to start the firm. Two years later, in 1985, she and Sandy Brown formed the partnership that endured for thirty years. Brown is now retired, and Hanlon is the president and director of directors for the nineteen-member firm that specializes in print and digital media uniting design and technology.

Education and the impact it makes on people’s lives have never strayed far from Hanlon’s mind. Her experience at the UO made a deep imprint on her commitment to high quality design and hard work. 

“I never worked as hard as I did in school. It gives the student a great foundation and work ethic,” she says. “School also helps one deal with change. It built my flexibility, broadened how I look at the world.” 

From this awareness, Hanlon deepened her commitment to education by finding ways to support others as they pursued their dreams. She decided to become a donor. 

“In 2006, Sandy and I started a scholarship by making a gift to aid Oregon students through the Oregon Office of Student Access and Completion (OSAC),” she says. “It was extremely rewarding.” 

The HB Design scholarship is offered annually to students majoring in graphic design or interactive/web design. Hanlon enjoys meeting the students and finds her primary motivation is to “give back and support others.”

She then decided to make a gift to the University of Oregon and aid students at her alma mater. “I was influenced by Frances Bronet. She was able to engage people in design. I could see change was happening at the school and I saw a woman leading the A&AA school.”  Bronet is the former A&AA dean and now acting provost at UO.

“The UO is in my will to help support students in A&AA, but I wanted to start the endowment as soon as I could,” says Hanlon. “I called and received the necessary information and was able to use appreciated stock to make my gift. My Intel stock was a great way to make the gift and avoid capital gains. I recommend others look at gifts of stock, too.”

Her fund is the third endowed scholarship in A&AA that is open to any enrolled student, after the Ellen Pennell scholarship established in 1941 and the Clara E. Nasholm in 2006.  “I wanted it to be broad rather than narrow in scope, and design is a multidisciplinary skill,” she says. “No one discipline is more worthy than another,” she adds. The scholarship does give a preference to women students.

Hanlon encourages students to leverage their opportunities while in school. “Make it happen for yourself,” she advises. Hanlon also recommends students work hard and seek internships, enroll in basic business classes, and enjoy the experience.

When asked what she’d say to others who might be considering a donation to the university, Hanlon says, “Do it while you can. Enjoy the benefit. Plan for it. It is very rewarding to give back.”

Learn More: If interested in joining Hanlon and others in making a difference in A&AA, please contact the A&AA development team at aaadev@uoregon.edu or call 541-346-3697. You can also learn more about adding the UO and A&AA to estate plans at giftplan.uoregon.edu.

Above: Noma Hanlon is the director of directors at HB Design, a team of nineteen graphic designers, interactive web developers, and the office dog, TinTin.