This year’s 5th annual MockUp: Student Design Challenge was an exhilerating event for design students. With 10 teams competing from across the Blue Ridge region, this year’s MockUp was one of the largest to date. The competition is run by AIGA Blue Ridge, and this year was hosted by Shepherd University.

The four-member Frederick Community College graphic design students took home the top prize, beating out nine other groups that included competitors from Frostburg State University, Hagerstown Community College, and Shepherd University.

“This is a significant accomplishment for our students especially considering how talented all the teams are each year,” said Lisa Sheirer, FCC Program Manager and Associate Professor of Graphics and Photography who also serves as the Education Director of AIGA Blue Ridge. “It’s an energetic competition that gives students first-hand experience of what it’s like to work with a real client and create a brand. It was inspiring to see our students take their design passion and what they’ve learned in our classrooms to rise up to the challenge and succeed.”

During the competition, students had to work collaboratively to create design solutions for a non-profit client. This year’s client was The Delaplaine Arts Education Center in Frederick. The student teams had one week to create a brand identity, collateral material, and a website look for Delaplaine. They also had the opportunity to interview Delaplaine staff, do research, and take photographs.

After the week was over, the groups gathered together and each team leader presented the team designs to a panel of judges comprised of graphic design professionals and key members of the Delaplaine Foundation staff. Judges choose FCC as the winner for creating the most workable design.

2nd Place Team from Shepherd University. From left to right: Kayla Keanu, Yasmeen Alkordi, Jamie Pendergast, David Albin, Holly Campbell, Corbin Saville. See the 2nd Place team’s full Design Brief here.

3rd Place Team from Shepherd University. From left to right: Katie Blair, Chase Bachtell, Carlyn Pate, Acadia Kandora, Shane Harris. See the 3rd Place team’s full Design Brief here.

AIGA Blue Ridge would like to thank: Shannon McCarthy, Tracy Boyd, John Dean, Pierre Bowins, Laurel Webster, Aynex Mercado, Jill Harner, Ellen Smith and Sean Maher for mentoring the student teams. We would also like to thank the judges: Robert Shelley, Erin Tinney & Tim Ryan. MockUp can’t be a success without our volunteer’s participation!

Additional sponsors are: Howard’s Art & Frame of Hagerstown Maryland, and Adobe.com

Interested in being a part of MockUp next year? Drop us a line and let us know.

Excerpts used with permission from FCC’s Press Release.