Graphic Design Students Earn Two Honors in the 2026 UCDA Design Awards
Graphic design students in Appalachian State University’s Department of Art have earned two awards in the 2026 University & College Designers Association (UCDA) Design Awards, a national competition that has recognized design work in higher education for more than 50 years.
In the student competition, a team of App State students received a Silver Award in the Typographic Design category for “Reading Synthesis: Understanding Empire and Communication,” a collaborative letterpress poster. The project was designed and printed in ART 3602: Print Culture and the Mechanical Image, taught by Associate Professor Stephen Parks. The design team included Brianna Bryson, Michaela Finison, Lauren Fraser, Thomas Hager, Brandon Mullins, Laney Newton and Molly Newton. The print press team included Julian Guzman, Jade Lovio, Chandni Patel, Alyson Pritchard, Lindsey Reece, Whit Taylor and Kora Turner.
Students Nick Capelle and Jacob Diebler earned an Honorable Mention in the Brand and Identity category for the brand identity they created for Boone Native Gardens. The project grew out of a collaboration between two courses: ART 3132: Static Design Systems II, taught by Assistant Professor Jessica Greenfield, and ART 2132: Static Design Systems I, taught by Associate Professor Stephen Parks.
The winning entries will be featured in the UCDA Design Awards Show, on display during the 56th annual UCDA Design Conference in Kansas City, Missouri, November 4 through 7, as well as in a public digital gallery.
