How to Decorate a Guy’s Dorm Room the Best Way

The fall semester’s almost here. Does the guy on your gift list have all they need for their college dorm room? 

A good desk lamp is one necessity, for those late nights they’re busy cramming while their roommate’s busy snoring.

A well-stocked mini-fridge is another. The dining hall’s not open when midnight munchies strike!

College guys also need great dorm room wall decor.

Sure, they could just grab a poster or two at the college bookstore. But your college guy—whether he’s your son or grandson, your favorite nephew, your best friend’s kid, or the neighbor boy you’ve been encouraging since he was in kindergarten—is one-of-a-kind.

Their dorm wall decor should show it!

Great dorm room decor for a guy reflects what really fascinates and motivates him.

Plus, it reminds him, in a setting where he’ll be defined by his student ID number or by his grades too many times, you know and value him as an individual and are cheering him on as he pursues his degree and his dreams.

We at Art of Words can help you with some unforgettable dorm room ideas.

By writing, shaping, shading, and coloring tiny words—pro and college athletes’ and teams’ stats and scores, names of streets and landmarks in great American cities, lyrics to famous songs, texts of famous speeches, and more—word artist Dan Duffy makes wall art college guys like yours can hang up with pride.

Put a World-Famous Basketball Court on His Dorm Room Wall

The bounce of the ball. The squeak of players’ shoes. The thundering crowd stomping its feet on the bleachers, singing your school’s fight song at the top of its lungs. And the blare of the final buzzer when the clock zeroes out and your team’s on top!

The sounds of college hoops get adrenaline racing and school spirit soaring like few others. And your student may well think he hears them every time he looks at Dan Duffy’s Palestra poster.

The Palestra is known as the “Cathedral of College Basketball.” The Penn Quakers call it home, and it regularly hosts the rest of Philadelphia’s Big 5: La Salle, Saint Joseph's, Temple, and Villanova.

It’s the oldest U.S. college sports venue still operating today and the site of more games than any other college arena ever. 

Dan captured the excitement of a day at the Palestra by handwriting the teams, dates, and scores from six decades (1956-2016) of Big 5 games. His pen strokes form a colorful capacity crowd enjoying the fast-paced, high-stakes match-up on the court.

If your college guy loves going with friends to the arena to cheer on his school’s squad, a basketball print from Art of Words is a slam dunk dorm decor choice!

Give Him a Revolutionary Portrait of Bob Marley, “Musical Revolutionist”

No matter who’s on top of the charts today, some musicians have been part of the college soundtrack for decades.

Reggae pioneer Bob Marley is a campus favorite forty years after his untimely death—and despite some parents’ concerns, it’s not just because he smoked marijuana. (He did, but as a Rastafarian, Marley saw the drug as sacramental—not just “a joint.”) 

College kids have made Marley an enduring icon because his songs celebrate each person’s dignity. They generally value justice, equality, and respect, and so did Marley. His music calls for listeners’ greater commitment to human rights, freedom, and peace.

“He was happy to be known as ‘the musical revolutionist,’” wrote Rita Marley, his wife, “fighting war with his music.” 

Dan formed his word art portrait of Bob Marley from the handwritten lyrics to one of Marley’s most famous songs, “Stir It Up.” A love song for Rita, “Stir It Up” was also Marley’s first big hit outside his native Jamaica.

While Bob Marley posters are common dorm room wall decor, Art of Words’ uncommon take on the reggae legend will stir up more excitement about the man, his music, and his message.

Picture Patrick Mahomes Rooting for Your College Guy

Is your student looking forward to a big year this fall?

So is Patrick Mahomes.

With the Super Bowl LV blowout and turf toe surgery behind him, Mahomes told Bleacher Report he’s focused on forging a perfect 20-0 record this year.

No team since the ‘72 Miami Dolphins has had a perfect season. But if any QB could spearhead another squad pulling it off, Mahomes probably could.

Heading into this season, he’s got a 38-8 record as a starter, not to mention his incredible 114-24 TD to interception ratio. By all indications, the NFL’s 2018 MVP has a long and successful career still ahead of him. 

Dan shaped his portrait of Patrick Mahomes by writing out the player’s personal stats and the Chiefs’ week-by-week scores from their remarkable 2018 run.

“You want to throw a touchdown every single play,” Mahomes has said, “but at the same time, you have to know it is a process.” Win or lose, he believes in learning from every experience.

In college, nobody “throws a touchdown” every time, either. Let our Patrick Mahomes poster encourage the guy on your gift list to learn from it all, too. 

Art of Words Has Wonderful Dorm Decorating Ideas 

These prints are just three of the more than 105 you’ll find in the Art of Words collection.

From football greats and baseball legends and the venues where they played to iconic American skylines, to leading lights of history, and more—any one of Dan’s word art prints could be dorm room wall decor like no other.

Your student’s dorm room will be his home base for at least the next nine months. Help him put his one-of-a-kind stamp on it.

Find an unforgettable image for him at Art of Words today!