Contact: Sammy McDavid
Mississippi State graphic design majors again hold top awards of the American Advertising Federation/ STAR's regional conference.
University seniors Janna E. Scott of Aberdeen received Overall Best of Show; Hayley H. Barnes of Columbia and Meredith A. Rea of Meridian, Best Design; and Lorraine A. Posadas of Pascagoula, Best Concept.
In all, MSU students accumulated 24 of 63 total honors at the federation's 2002 Student Talent Advertising Recognition ceremony held this weekend in Atlanta.
"For the seventh year, students in the MSU art department have won at least one AAF best of show," said department head Brent Funderburk. "As it now stands, our majors have received more awards than their counterparts at any other school or university in a five-state region."
A total of 500 entries were submitted from public and private art schools and universities in Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Logos, book designs, newspaper advertising, direct mailings, and interactive media were among competition categories.
Funderburk attributed the "dedication and commitment of both our students and faculty members" for the achievement, adding that AAF officials had described this year's competition as "very tough."
Founded in 1968, the MSU art department offers bachelor's degrees in graphic design and fine art, and a master's of fine art in electronic visualization/animation and multimedia. A part of the College of Arts and Sciences, it is the state's largest university studio art program.