Junior Graphic Design major Ryann Davis has earned a Gold Award at the 2016-2017 American Advertising Awards District 6 competition for her Macbeth poster. Her award-winning entry now moves on to the national competition in Washington, D.C.

“With my design, I wanted to convey the madness of Macbeth and the violent, bloody way in which he managed to secure the crown. My goal was to have the visual speak for itself, with minimal typography for emphasis on the figure,” Davis said. “I am excited to move onto nationals and would like to thank faculty, friends, and family for their support and guidance.” 

The District 6 competition represents American Advertising Federation (AAF) clubs in Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois. Two other College of Arts & Letters entries received Silver Awards at the district competition. They include:

• Rose Deneau, Graphic design junior, for her “Biennale Interieur” poster
• Malarie French, senior with a double major in Graphic Design and Packaging, and Will Mianecki, senior with a double major in Graphic Design and Professional Writing, for their Panda Express mural

The American Advertising Awards, formerly the ADDYs, are the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition with a mission of recognizing and rewarding the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising. There are two separate competitions, one for professionals and one for college students.  

All Gold Award winners from the district competitions, both professional and student, move on to the national competition. National American Advertising Award winners will be announced during ADMERICA, the American Advertising Federation National Conference, on Saturday, June 10, in New Orleans, Louisiana.

It just gave me such a visceral response because everything about this play and about this mad Scottish king is all about the blood and how it weighs heavily on his head.

SILVER CUELLAR III

For both professionals and students, the American Advertising Awards is a three-tier process, starting with local level, then the district level, and finally the national competition.

At the local Mid-Michigan America Advertising Awards, Davis’ Macbeth poster received a top Judge’s Choice Award as well as a Gold Award in the Poster-Single category for Out-of-Home & Ambient Media. Only three Judge’s Choice student awards were presented, one from each of the three judges, selected from among all the Gold Award-winning student entries. Silver Cuellar III, Executive Creative Director at Van Winkle + Associates in Atlanta, Georgia, was the judge who chose Davis’ Macbeth poster for a Judge’s Choice Award.

“I was really impressed with a lot of the art direction that I saw, but there was one thing that really caught my eye and it may have to do with the fact that I was actually in this play when I was in high school,” Cuellar said about the Macbeth poster. “I thought that this had a lot of stopping power with the crown made of bloody hands. I love the fact that it was probably done by hands. It just gave me such a visceral response because everything about this play and about this mad Scottish king is all about the blood and how it weighs heavily on his head. It’s such a powerful visual, and it just conveys that without saying anything other than the visual you have here. Really nice job.”  

All Gold and Silver Award winners from the Mid-Michigan America Advertising Awards were encouraged to submit their work to the District 6 competition. Both Deneau’s Biennale Interieur poster and French and Mianecki’s Panda Express mural also had received Gold Awards at the Mid-Michigan competition.