In an effort to support students’ continued pursuit of the creative arts, Hood Exhibits has extended what was once a company-exclusive tradition of designing the company holiday card to students across the United States. This past holiday marks the first annual hood exhibits Excellence in Design Scholarship, a design competition awarding one lucky student a $500 scholarship, a tour of the Hood Exhibits’ headquarters, features in Hood Exhibits’ publications and a set of the holiday cards bearing the winning design.
Deciding to forego the traditional and outdated scholarship entry process Hood Exhibits posted all rules, guidelines, incoming design entries and updates on a dedicated blog. All submissions and questions were directed to the scholarship blog, which allowed students an unprecedented level of interaction during the entire process. Also, as Hood Exhibits is a design firm, the award was based on artistic submissions rather than a standard essay-based entry.
Students were asked to create an original design incorporating the company’s logo into a holiday card format. They were also required to include a short written response, discussing their interest in design and the inspiration for their submission.
Hundreds of entries were received from around the nation – from art students in California to high school students in Texas to graphic design majors in Massachusetts and Illinois within a month. While many entries focused on traditional concepts, others embraced the artistic freedom provided by the contest guidelines, resulting in a wide range of creative interpretations of winter themes.
With a plethora of overwhelmingly creative designs to choose from, the judges panel decided to award titles in four categories including Excellence in Design Scholarship Winner, Gold Honorable Mention, Honorable Mention and Out-of-the- Box Designs.
The Excellence in Design Scholarship Winner was Danielle Williams from New Weston, Ohio. She is currently a high school senior at Miami Valley Career Technology Center, pursuing a diploma with an emphasis in graphic design and advertising. Williams will use the scholarship for tuition at Columbus College of Art and Design, which she plans to attend in the fall.
Williams’ winning design was comprised of a bright yellow gift box with the company logo used as the box top. The glowing gift was adorned by a large red ribbon, while magical sparkles burst out of the box.
“[It] was inspired by the gift giving mood that the winter holidays put us all in,” Williams said. “We want to show our love of one another and therefore think about that special someone and spend hours picking out the perfect present to surprise them with.
But the present also represents Hood, and the magic their designs hold.”
Gold Honorable Mention winners were Javere Pinnock, Hartford, Conn.; David Reinhold, Sterling, Va.; Jennifer Garrett, Central Point, Ore. and Laura O’Brien, Spokane, Wash. Honorable mentions in this category were awarded to Tiffany Mui, Port Saint Lucie, Fla.; LaShawnda Taylor, Los Angeles; Cindy Bai, Austin, Tex.; Rachel Gausman, Plano, Tex.; Mollie Luria-Roberson, Long Beach, Calif.; Hannah England, Mechanicsville, Va.; Amelia Fitch, Coalville, Utah; Charles Frumerie, Jr., Phoenix, Ariz.; Yasmine Medina, Dothan, Ala.; Julia Jankowski, Staten Island, NY; Dana Burke, Davie Fla.; Phillip Rau, Downers Grove, Ill.; Courtney Erica Krisanda, Portland, Ore.; Rachel Hanley, Las Vegas, Nev.; Alison Wotton, Rockland, Mass.; Cheryl Bottaro, Hurleyville, NY; Ashley Laskowski, Pullman, Wash.; Michael Lyons, Independence, Mo.; Berlin Dickerson, Valparaiso, Ind., and Tim Torres, Hummelstown, Pa.
Winners in the Out-of-the-Box category include Byron Wilson, Pinehurst, NC; Toa Rivera, Malden, Mass.; Andrew Fishel, Morton, Ill.; Aaron Dunbar, Lowell, Ohio;
To see the winning designs, visit the Web site at hoodexhibits.blogspot.com or hoodexhibitsholidaycardscholarship.blogspot.com. A list of the winners and their designs can be found at hoodexhibits.com/holidaycardwinners/holidaycardcontestwinners.html.
