Some of the top American Advertising (ADDY) Awards presented this year by the American Advertising Federation (AAF) Lansing went to Michigan State University students majoring in Graphic Design in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design. In total, MSU’s Graphic Design students took home 24 ADDY Awards including two Judge’s Choice, one Mosaic, seven Gold, six Silver, and eight Bronze Awards.
The two Judge’s Choice Awards went to Graphic Design seniors Raegen Eller and Emma Sietsema. Another Graphic Design senior, Reese’SaMone Tatum, received the Mosaic Award. Whereas, Dylan Baisden, also a Graphic Design senior, earned two Gold Awards, including a trophy for one of the three highest-scoring Gold Award entries.
Being recognized with an ADDY in the student category of the AAF Lansing Advertising Awards is a great achievement for our young designers, as it indicates the creative work of our students within the Graphic Design program is exceptional.
Chris Corneal, Associate Professor of Graphic Design
“Being recognized with an ADDY in the student category of the AAF Lansing Advertising Awards is a great achievement for our young designers, as it indicates the creative work of our students within the Graphic Design program is exceptional and further establishes that our students are well on their way to make an impact in the creative industries as they graduate and enter the profession,” said Chris Corneal, Associate Professor of Graphic Design. “This year’s award-winning creative works spanned the full range of visual communication strategies and media, from Shakespeare posters to time-based digital animations, from corporate identity campaigns to multimedia app creation, and from editorial design to cultural event collateral systems.”
In the professional competition, MSU’s College of Arts & Letters Marketing Office won the Mosaic Award and a Silver Award for its What is Afrofuturism? video featuring Julian Chambliss, Professor in the Department of English. The Marketing Office also received three Silver Awards and two Bronze Awards.
The American Advertising Awards allow students and professionals to showcase their advertising work and compete in different categories. The awards represent the true spirit of creative excellence by recognizing all forms of advertising from media of all types.
A Gold ADDY is the highest an entry can win within a category and a Judge’s Choice is one of the highest awards an entry can receive all around with only seven being awarded this year, one from each judge. The Mosaic Award honors commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through creative work that distinguishes itself by amplifying underrepresented communities with depth and authenticity. Mosaic Award entries reflect a unique vision that gives a broader understanding of the BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and Disability communities and that promote systemic change through equity and inclusion.
This year’s judges included Ivan Ayliffe, Freelance Copywriter in Cape Town, South Africa; Lisa Ting Chong, Freelance Graphic Designer in Cape Town, South Africa; Amanda McAfferty, Associate Creative Director at FCB Chicago and an MSU graduate; Wendy Moorcraft, Freelance Copywriter in Cape Town, South Africa; Ahmed Tilly, Owner of Number 10 creative consultancy in Johannesburg, South Africa; Terry Sieting, Senior Designer at Jones Knowles Ritchie in New York City and an MSU graduate; and Julian Watt, Chief Creative Officer of VMLY&R in London.
Eller was selected for a Judge’s Choice Award by judge Sieting for her Guides to Growing Produce at Home entry, which also received a Gold Award. Sieting had this to say about Eller’s entry: “These little books were just so lovely. The amount of restraint that this student had to create something so simple yet beautiful is not something you see in a lot of student work and it was just really impressive. I loved the color choices throughout the two books. I loved the motif of the old scientific prints – vegetable and fruit prints. I loved the typographic expertise shown in the book. Overall, it was just really well done and impressive.”
Sietsema was selected for a Judge’s Choice Award by judge Ting Chong for her Open Skies Brand Identity Campaign, which also received a Silver Award. Baisden received one of the three highest-scoring Gold Awards for his Portland Pirates entry, while Tatum’s Melanin Queens & Kings Festival entry is what earned her the Mosaic Award and a Silver Award.
“This year’s competition was judged by a prestigious panel of creative industry professionals from all over the world that recognized several entries from our students as especially meritorious, awarding these student projects Gold ADDYs and thereby automatically moving these projects to the next level of competition at the District level that will include the best student work from Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana. From there, any student work recognized with a Gold ADDY at Districts will automatically move on to the highest level of competition at the National American Advertising Awards of the American Advertising Federation,” Corneal said. “My colleagues and I in the Graphic Design program are very proud that it has become a tradition over recent years to have our students competing for ADDY Awards at the national level, and I look forward to seeing this year’s students continue this distinguishing trend.”
The 2023 AAF Lansing awards celebration took place on Feb. 23 at NCG Eastwood Cinema with more than 150 students and professionals attending.
2023 Student ADDY Award Winners
The following are all the awards won this year by Graphic Design students at Michigan State University:
JUDGE’S CHOICE AWARD
- Raegen Eller, Graphic Design senior, Guides to Growing Produce at Home
- Emma Sietsema, Graphic Design senior, Open Skies Brand Identity Campaign
MOSAIC AWARD
- Reese’SaMone Tatum, Graphic Design senior, Melanin Queens & Kings Festival
GOLD AWARD
- Dylan Baisden, Graphic Design senior, Portland Pirates (1 of 3 highest scoring Golds)
- Dylan Baisden, Graphic Design senior, Warped Tour Brand Identity Campaign
- Evelyn Campau, Graphic Design senior, Fuzzball Brewery Brand Identity Campaign
- Raegen Eller, Graphic Design senior, Guides to Growing Produce at Home
- Sarah McLean, Graphic Design senior, Fluff’d Brand Identity Campaign
- Libby Wagner, Graphic Design senior, Hot Mess Editorial Feature
- Katie White, Graphic Design senior, Sweetzzz Ice Cream Brand Identity Campaign
SILVER AWARD
- Miriam Deeb, Graphic Design junior, Macbeth Poster
- Nicole Grganto, Graphic Design senior, Fitness Bingo App
- Emma Sietsema, Graphic Design senior, Open Skies Brand Identity Campaign
- Reese’SaMone Tatum, Graphic Design senior, Melanin Queens & Kings Festival
- Libby Wagner, Graphic Design senior, Medusa Editorial Feature
- Halle White, Graphic Design junior, Rotee Brand Identity Campaign
BRONZE AWARD
- Miriam Deeb, Graphic Design junior, Snow White Book Cover
- Miriam Deeb, Graphic Design junior, Metaphor Trademark
- Madison Dell, Graphic Design senior, Skate Fest Brand Identity Campaign
- Allison Miller, Graphic Design senior, Seeing Seedlings Brand Identity Campaign
- Emelia Rush, Graphic Design junior, The New York City Ballet Poster
- Sydney Tomlinson, Graphic Design senior, Converse Motion Graphics Campaign
- Mia Tran, Graphic Design senior, Karin Fong 8-page Editorial Feature
- Meg Wachtel, Graphic Design senior, Pink Lady Brand Identity Campaign
2023 Professional ADDY Awards
The following are all the awards won this year by MSU’s College of Arts & Letters Marketing Team:
MOSAIC AWARD
- What is Afrofuturism? (Film/Video/Sound Branded Content, More Than :60 Seconds)
SILVER AWARD
- What is Afrofuturism? (Film/Video/Sound Branded Content, More Than :60 Seconds)
- Great Connections Donor Gift (Direct Mail 3D/Mixed)
- What is Linguistic Racism? (Film/Video/Sound Branded Content, More Than :60 Seconds)
BRONZE AWARD
- Spartans Bring Campus to Life (Film/Video/Sound Branded Content, More Than :60 Seconds)
- Spartans Behind the Wheel (Integrated Branded Content Campaign)
(Written by Kim Popiolek)
