Kalico Judges Awards Competition

I was honored to be one of the judges for the Greater Frederick Advertising Federation's (GFAF) Student ADDY competition.

"The ADDY® Awards is the advertising industry's largest and most representative competition, attracting the areas brightest and most talented creatives. The mission of the ADDY competition is to recognize and reward creative excellence in the art of advertising."

This year's student work was great, as usual, representing various regional schools including Susquehanna University, Salisbury University, Kaplan College, Frederick Community College and Shepherd College. I was especially impressed with the craftsmanship and attention to detail. I was also happy to see that most projects reflected real-world design, for instance a direct mail piece such as a Frequent Flyer Miles reward card promotion or a text-heavy annual report.

Real graphic design doesn't mean making something just look pretty. It means taking the content a client supplies and creating a layout or look that best communicates the client's overall message to their target audience base.

I look forward to seeing more student work in the future. Who knows, maybe I'll be hiring one of these talented designers one day in the future!