Community College Students Help stage ADDY contest/Gala

Fifteen Randolph Community College Advertising & Graphic Design students and students from Guilford Technical Community College participated in the Ad Club of the Triad Call for Entries, Judging and Gala for the Triad ADDY Awards recently.

Conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation, the local ADDY Awards is the first of a three-tier, national competition.

Thomas Grimes, a second-year RCC design student from Bear Creek, said he volunteered to help coordinate student entries in the annual design competition and ran the sound system for the show. He also entered the student competition. Grimes said students can gather a lot of information from this involvement. “It gives you a foot in the door with different agencies,” said Grimes. “You meet a lot of people and can gather inspiration from their designs and see different types of work.”
           
Julie Lane of Winston-Salem, a graduate of RCC’s Photographic Technology program who is working on her second degree in Advertising & Graphic Design, had a chance to observe and talk to one of the judges, Art Becker of Art Becker Photography in Erie, Pa. “We talked about his style and his work in general,” said Lane, who works locally for David Rosen at Photo Innovations in High Point.
           
The students also got a chance to learn while eating lunch with the judges. “There was a lot of discussion about design during lunch,” said Susan Shaw, Randolph Community College instructor. “Many internships happen as a result of this interaction.” Lane is one of those who is hoping to score an internship this summer. “I was introduced to one of the owners of an agency, which could be a possible internship,” she said.
           
Crystal Staley, ADDY chair and an RCC Advertising & Graphic Design graduate who currently works for Genre Brand Communications, said “We consider ourselves fortunate to meet and work with the industry’s up and coming talent. Randolph Community College and Guilford Technical Community College have fostered students who are capable of brilliant creative as seen from their individual entries into the competition.”
           
Both RCC and GTCC students were among the winners in the student competition, and Shaw said participating in the event counts as 20% of the students’ grades, but both Staley and Shaw felt the contact with industry insiders was most important. “Simply attending all the events gave each student quality face-to-face interaction with contacts from local, industry-leading agencies,” said Staley. “They’re seeing our faces and seeing our enthusiasm,” said Cindy Thrall, a second-year student from Asheboro, of the collaborate event.  “They are realizing that there is a pool of talent right here.”  

Randolph Community College’s Photographic Technology, Art and Design department brings the College’s renowned Advertising & Graphic Design, Interior Design, and Photographic Technology programs under one academic umbrella. In addition to their specialized training, students in each of the programs are introduced to concepts from the other disciplines. The Advertising & Graphic Design program emphasizes design, advertising illustration, and digital and multimedia preparation of printed and electronic promotional materials.

Randolph Community College Advertising & Graphic Design students
(left to right) Thomas Grimes, Joseph Ritch, Gwen Freeman and Joey Wade
process student ADDY award entries for the Ad Club of the Triad event recently.
Photo by RCC student Julie Lane.