Mark Allen's work as an art director/designer has been recognized for creative and strategic excellence by the Clios, Graphis, the American Advertising Awards, the Illustrators Society of Los Angeles, the Creativity Awards, Applied Arts, and PRINT magazine, just to name a few. He’s produced work for brands like the History Channel, the New York Yankees, A&E Networks, The Walking Dead, Norton/Symantec, Martha Stewart, HBO, the Smithsonian, NBC Sports, NASCAR and the U.S. National Parks Service, among others 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, designers, and copywriters. Work produced by his students has been consistently recognized by the advertising industry’s most respected publications and organizations, and such honors have paved the way for his students to work for many of the world’s most recognized brands and agencies. His research and writing is most often focused on the intersection of the fine and communication arts—contributing to debates surrounding the elusive definition of art by focusing on the values of meaning, craftsmanship, and beauty. He hopes this work can repair the real and perceived rifts between traditional and modern forms of art, but also between the fine and communication arts. Allen believes that, when advertising is at its best, it can operate as a true artform.