“I started to see how Communications Media tied into art through graphic design. For me, there was no clearer path.”

Dan Rugh ’95 took what he learned at IUP as a communications media major (he calls it his “broad and weird foundation”) and used his passion to form Commonwealth Press, a Pittsburgh company that is gaining a lot of attention for its work.

In the spring of 2022, Commonwealth Press contracted with the city to create Pittsburgh-branded merchandise. The company aims to create an official line that represents a “wide range of Pittsburgh-centric ideas.”

Rugh and his company do a lot of things, ranging from graphic design to screen printing to even interior design, and he has used his skills learned at IUP to approach projects with a creative eye and a work ethic that help many people solve problems every day.