MSU Student, Paul Stallings, Puts Ad Creative Flair to His Topworks Studio Clothing Brand
Third-year, Stallings, shares how his coursework is shaping his creative hustle
By: Jade Almon
At Michigan State University, the advertising creative major is where art meets strategy — and for junior, Paul Stallings, it’s the perfect fit. Stallings isn’t just a student learning the ins and outs of advertising in class; he’s living it every day through his own creative hustle, applying lessons from lectures to real life and adding his own twist and flair along the way.
Stallings runs his own clothing brand, Topwork Studios, which launched in February 2025. He designs streetwear that reflects his personal style — including T-shirts and sweatpants — while incorporating the advertising tactics he’s learned over three years at MSU. He also draws on skills from his high school graphic design classes. Whether it’s choosing the right color palette or figuring out how to visually tell a story, Stallings constantly applies what he learns in lectures to his real-world projects.
In addition to his brand, Stallings has designed flyers for Detroit music artists such as Babyface Ray to promote concert ticket sales and for MSU student organizations like NCROWD, a fashion-based group where he serves as head creative director. He says these projects allow him to sharpen his skills in layout, typography and audience targeting.
“Creating flyers for Wavy Gang and my brand are definitely my favorite projects so far, especially when people started reposting it and tagging me,” Stallings said. “So many people started hitting me up to do some work for them after that.”
Those same principles are covered in his advertising courses, where students learn how to craft messages that resonate, design with purpose and think like both artists and strategists.
Stallings’ work outside the classroom isn’t just a side hustle — it’s part of his education at MSU. His coursework gives him the tools, and his freelance projects give him the space to experiment, grow and get feedback from real clients. It’s a full-circle learning experience that many creative students strive for.
“Creative advertising was the perfect opportunity to express myself in a creative way while still understanding the business side of things,” he said.
Stallings’ journey shows what the advertising creative major is all about — not just creating eye-catching designs but understanding why they work. He’s blending education with passion and building a creative portfolio before even graduating, proving that classroom lessons can directly fuel real-world success.
Over the summer, Stallings says he hopes to intern with StockX, an online fashion marketplace and reseller, and has aspirations to work with fashion brands such as Off-White, Nike, Supreme and Jordan in the future.
Look for examples of Stallings work through NCROWD, a safe space, fashion magazine and nonprofit for MSU creatives.