Penn College News

Design students capture record awards in national competition

Tuesday, March 9, 2021

Capturing 18 honors in the Flux Student Design Competition, graphic design students from Pennsylvania College of Technology surpassed their previous record in the national event.

“I am blown away by the extraordinary work that our graphic design students produce every day in this program,” said Nicholas L. Stephenson, instructor of graphic design. “This competition is acknowledgement of our students’ success, problem-solving skills and career readiness.”



Pennsylvania College of Technology students captured 18 awards in the Flux Student Design Competition, including three top honors: “Vote, Because She Couldn't” (left), by Ashley Tate of Lewisburg; “Daytime Elixir Coffee" (upper right), by Katherine A. Downes, of Fleetwood; and “Noted,” by Ali D. Petrizzi, of Fort Wayne, Ind.The competition’s sponsor, AIGA Blue Ridge, a chapter of AIGA, a national professional design association, recently announced its 2020 winners. The Flux Student Design Competition recognizes outstanding design work produced by college students in seven categories: identity, packaging, poster, publication, social impact design, UX/UI (user experience/user interface design) and video/motion graphics.

Three Penn College students netted top awards in the competition:

Ashley TateAshley Tate, of Lewisburg, earned a “best in category” award in social impact design for her poster series titled “Vote, Because She Couldn’t.”

Honorable mentions were awarded to Katherine A. Downes, of Fleetwood, in packaging for “Daytime Elixir Coffee,” and Ali D. Petrizzi, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in UX/UI for “Noted.”

Fifteen merit awards were also captured by the Penn College contingent:

Katherine A. DownesDownes collected two merits for “Bright Mountain Branding” in identity and “Folio to Feature Book Jackets” in packaging. Petrizzi was honored in the poster category for “Graphic Design 2020,” and Tate was recognized in UX/UI for her “Online Annual Report.”

Capturing three merit awards each were Kaylee N. Masullo, of Bellefonte, and Kaylee A. Smith, of East Stroudsburg. Masullo’s honors included two in packaging for “Cold Fusion Creamery Ice Cream” and “Reel Roast Coffee” and one in publication for “Magazine Cover & Feature.” Smith was recognized for “Bright Mountain Cooperative School Branding” in identity, “Grand Trine Coffee Bags” in packaging and “The Stepford Wives Book Jacket” in publication.

Ali D. PetrizziAlexa C. Henry, of Conshohocken, won two merit awards for “Bright Mountain School Branding” in identity and “Coffee Packaging” in packaging.

Other students recognized with merits – all in the packaging category – were Paulina N. Greenland, of State College, for “Book Jacket Series”; Hailee B. Mercy, of Felton, for “Cold Fusion Creamery”; and Joey M. Morrin, of Morrisville, for “Final Repose Coffee.”

The student designs were created in 2020. Petrizzi graduated in May 2020 and works as a user interaction designer at Vera Bradley headquarters in Fort Wayne. The other award honorees are seniors.

The 2020 Flux Student Design Competition received 749 entries, and 165 projects were selected for honors by a jury of creative professionals.

Penn College graphic design students and alumni consistently earn recognition in regional, national and international advertising design competitions.

To learn more about Penn College’s graphic design and advertising art majors, contact the School of Business, Arts & Sciences at 570-327-4521.

For more about the college, a national leader in applied technology education, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.