Digital Arts students shine at local ADDY awards

A group of Liberty University students celebrates tremendous success at the Western Virginia Student ADDY Award competition in Roanoke, Va., on Saturday (photo courtesy of William Mahone Photography).

Students from Liberty University’s Department of Studio and Digital Arts (SADA) topped all the schools in the region at the Western Virginia Student ADDY Award competition Saturday, Feb. 22, in Roanoke, Va., bringing home 20 gold and 20 silver awards.

The ADDYs, hosted by the American Advertising Federation (AAF), is the industry’s largest competition worldwide, drawing over 60,000 entries annually. Competitions are held at the local, district, and national levels. Gold award winners who submitted work that ranges from posters to photography automatically advance to districts, which will take place in Raleigh, N.C., on April 4.

Liberty collected the highest amount of awards in the local competition, outperforming institutions such as Radford University, Virginia Tech, and Lynchburg College.

Todd Smith, SADA chair, said the goal of the department from the beginning has been to cultivate excellence in students so that God will be glorified and His creativity will be reflected, both in the classroom and in real-world settings.

“Learning begins in the classroom and is refined through peer critique, as well as faculty input and mentoring,” he said. “In real-world settings, this excellence is achieved through the evaluation process in a variety of contexts. In this instance, our student work has been judged by professionals in the field and has excelled. We are very proud of their stellar accomplishments.”

SADA has seen strong growth since the program launched in its current form in 2006, expanding from about 150 to more than 500 declared majors.

“We are very grateful that the excellent work of our SADA students has been honored by the ADDYs, but I must confess, I am no longer surprised,” said Dr. Norman Mintle, dean of the School of Communication & Creative Arts. “Students in our department continuously distinguish themselves as creators of world-class art. We are very proud of this achievement.”

• The Liberty University Department of Studio and Digital Arts is part of the School of Communication & Creative Arts and offers majors in Graphic Design, Studio Art, and Studio Art with Teacher Licensure. The department also offers minors in Graphic Design, Studio Art, and Photography.

Liberty’s 2014 Western Virginia Student ADDY Award winners

Collateral Material (Poster):

Meredith J. Long, Gold for “Book Corner Online Liberty Poster”

Brittany Yang, Gold for “Philadelphia Philatelic Convention”

Charissa Cox, Silver for “Lumberjack Convention”

Collateral Material (Book Cover):

Breann Black, Silver for “The Great Gatsby Book Cover”

Carla Quintrell, Silver for “Wandering Heart”

Abigail Bock, Silver for “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”

Collateral Material (Publication Design, Magazine Design, Entire Magazine):

Julie Guy, Greg Leasure, Tara Muller, Cameron Richard, Victor Tull, and Donny Wilson, Gold for “Alpha Men’s Magazine”

Cherish Kibler, Kari Moye, Jordan McDaniel, Cassie Mitcheltree, Jonathan Smith, Ryan Sutter, and Danielle Ferrario-Tweeten, Gold for “Raw”

Liz Demeo, Dani Echeverria, Lauren Mosset, Robert Penha, Sarah Shumske, and Emily Webster, Gold for  “Venture”

Gabriella Fuller, Courtney Gerhart, Aaron Mallet, Joseph Park, Joel Williams, and Lindsey Winneroski, Gold for “Steep & Brew Magazine”

Ali Berger, Hannah Dixon, Audra Fulde, Joel Kaiser, Autumn Lightner, Isaac Schea, and Sarida Smitthimedhin, silver for “Rely Magazine”

Consumer of Trade Publication (Single, Fractional Page or Full Page):

Robert Murphy, Silver for “Syrian Refugee”

Carla Quintrell, Silver for “Choices”

Brianna O’Neal, Silver for “Wipe Every Tear”

Digital Advertising (Mobile Apps):

Nathan Bowen, Jordan Morrow, Victoria Vasquez, and David Walsh, Gold for “Helios”

Campaign:

Kaitlyn Breidenbach, Gold for “Hill City Growth Project”

Direct Marketing:

Brianna O’Neal “O’Neal, Silver for Self Promotion”

Elements of Advertising (Illustration, Single):

Charity Sharpe, Gold for “Sarasaurous”

Charissa Cox, Gold for “Lumberjack Convention”

Jessica Heidt, Gold for “Scared of Your Own Shadow?”

Victor P. Toll, Silver for “Star”

Elements of Advertising (Illustration, Campaign):

Meredith J. Long, Gold for “The Circus”

Elements of Advertising (Photography, Black and White):

Cassie Foster, Gold for “Poverty”

Cassie Foster, Silver for “Bellarive”

Elements of Advertising (Photography, Color):

Robert Bottoms, Gold for “Welsh Bay”

Brittany Sims, Silver for “Little Taste of Sunshine”

Cherish Kibler, Silver for “Turnips”

Cassie Foster, Silver for “Outreach”

Elements of Advertising (Photography, Digitally Enhanced):

Robert Bottoms, Gold for “Refracted”

Elements of Advertising (Photography, Campaign):

Kaitlyn Breidenbach, Gold for “National Tourism Council Postcards”

Robert Murphy, Gold for “Industrial Photographs”

Chelsey Johnson, Silver for “Beautiful California”

Non-traditional Advertising (Photography, Campaign):

Brianna O’Neal, Gold for “What If All You Ever See Was Darkness?”

Sales Promotion (CD design):

Caleb Hall, Silver for “Monkey Suit”

Production Packaging:

Meredith J. Long, Silver for “Travelers Tea Package”

Brianna O’Neal, Silver for “Gorilla Snot Hair Gel”

Point of Purchase:

Rachel Collins, Silver for “Steam Room Menu”