Art Center students are the friendliest, most stressed out bunch I've ever met. The demanding curriculum requires a level of commitment and professionalism unheard of in most schools, and the students spend trimester after grueling trimester pulling regular all-nighters and working through weekends to get to this moment: Grad Show. Students in all disciplines create beautiful booths to show off their best work to professors, peers and potential employers.

As you walk the hallways and make your way through classrooms filled with student work, their tension is palpable. Even though their school work is over, no one seems truly relieved. After all, they've just dished out obscene amounts of money for an education that's famous for bridging art, design and creativity with professional practices and some business know-how—but they know the biggest hurdle still awaits: finding a job, or at least some freelance work.

But tonight I want to tell them to relax, unwind and help themselves to a free beer or two (or three or four) at one of the bars that lie around every corner of the winding maze of halls and passageways that is the Art Center campus. At this point, however, they're too used to working under constant pressure to just "unwind." Fortunately, their hard work hasn't been for nothing. Click through the gallery of the best projects from the Spring 2012 class.

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