Three senior Mississippi State University art majors hold two of the top five Best of Show honors in a recent regional collegiate design competition held in Memphis, Tenn. Linzy Gressett of Carthage, Janna E. Scott of Aberdeen and David A. Wade of Cordova, Tenn., are among winners receiving cash prizes, trophies and interviews with selected Memphis advertising design firms.
Their scores and the scores of other students from Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee were entrants in the 2001 PUSH Design Conference. The Memphis Advertising Federation, Memphis College of Art and University of Memphis were event sponsors.
This year’s challenge had all student competitors tackle the same design assignment: the creation of a corporate identity and collateral material for a fictitious pet grooming center.
Scott won with a portfolio project titled “Fresh Fur,” while Gressett and Wade collaborated on an effort titled “Spot Cleaner.” Scott is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell Scott; Gressett, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Gressett; and Wade, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Wade.
“The federation jury was highly impressed by the overall quality of work,” federation spokesperson Rikki Boyce said. “In the general opinion of all professionals who saw the show, this was the best competition ever.
“What set the five winners apart from the rest was outstanding design and consistency of their work.”
MSU art department head Brent Funderburk said the 2001 student winners continue a tradition.
“The success of our students in the Memphis Advertising Federation student competition now spans six years,” he said. “We have been honored with more accepted entries and awards than any other single university or college design group in the Mid-South.”
Founded in 1968, the MSU art department offers bachelor’s degrees in graphic design and fine art and a master of fine art in electronic visualization/animation and multimedia. A part of the College of Arts and Sciences, it is home to the state’s largest university studio art program.