Over the course of his career, Mark Allen's work as an art director and designer has been recognized for creative excellence in several industry-standard publications for clients like the History Channel, the New York Yankees, Norton/Symantec, Martha Stewart, The Walking Dead, A&E, HBO, the Smithsonian Channel, the U.S. National Parks Service and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. 

Allen joined the newly established Temerlin Advertising Institute at SMU in 2003 to help start and build a new creative program for aspiring art directors and copywriters. Work produced by Allen’s students has been consistently recognized by the advertising industry’s most respected publications and organizations: The One Club, Lürzer’s Archive, Adweek, The Art Directors Club, CMYK Magazine and The American Advertising Federation. His students’ work has also garnered the attention of media outlets beyond the industry-standard venues, including: The Today Show, The Huffington Post, USA Today, Cosmopolitan, Elle and D Magazine, among others. Such honors have paved the way for his students to work for many of the world’s most recognized brands, advertising agencies and design studios. 

In addition to his experience as an educator and creative professional, Allen has pursued graduate studies in both theology and philosophy, currently working toward his PhD with a concentration in the philosophy of art and aesthetics. His primary areas of interest center on the intersection of the fine arts and communication arts, as well as the parallels between formal design principles (e.g., unity, balance, symmetry, hierarchy, proximity) that guide the creative process of art-making and ethical principles that guide the formation of a well-lived life.