The 2018 WNY American Advertising Awards show took place on Friday, February 23. The “Greatast ADDYs Ever” were held at Kleinhans Music Hall. According to the American Advertising Federation, the American Advertising Awards is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition; its mission is to recognize and reward the creative spirit of excellence in the art of advertising.
In addition to attending the show, some of Villa’s graphic design students, alum and College staff threw their hats into the ring to have their work evaluated alongside students from several other schools and agencies in the Buffalo area and beyond.
Selection of the most creative entry in each category is affected by a scoring process in which a panel of judges evaluates all creative dimensions of every entry. A gold ADDY is recognition of the highest level of creative excellence and is judged to be superior to all other entries in the category. Entries that are also considered outstanding and worthy of recognition receive a silver ADDY.
“This recognition speaks to the quality and strength of Villa’s graphic design program,” said Dr. Matthew Giordano, vice president for academic affairs. “Our faculty are preparing students to succeed after graduation, and our students are executing what they are learning with precision. Given Villa’s size, we are exceptionally proud to have the work of our students, alum and staff rank alongside some of the best designers in the Western New York area.”
Congratulations to the following students, alum and staff, who won a combined total of 8 silver ADDYs, 3 gold ADDYs, and a major award.
Silver ADDY Winners
Francesca Bubb, ’19, Stationary Package, Endangered Species Chocolate
Courtney Ewings, ’17, Book Design, Peruvian Acres
Francesca Bubb, ’19, Travis Springer, ’18, Gina Griffo, ’18, & Alexander Mayers, ’18, Book Design, SKALD
Travis Springer, ’18, Magazine Advertising, Print Magazine, Power to Design
Samantha Lonczak, ’17 & Ali Casarsa, ’17, Installations and Events, Prelude
Courtney Ewings, ’17, Website, Peruvian Acres
Samantha Lonczak, ’17, Integrated Identity Campaign, Hullabaloo
Gold ADDY Winners
Shelby Braidich, ’19, Outdoor Campaign, Pets Are Not Disposable
Dylan Nowak, ’18, Consumer Campaign, Houston Bulls Logo and Advertising
Travis Springer, ’19, Integrated Brand Identity Campaign, Game Promotion
In addition, Brittney Sikora, a 2014 graduate of our graphic design program, was the recipient of this year’s Future Star Award. According to AAF Buffalo, this award honors an outstanding young professional in the marketing and advertising field who has demonstrated great potential in his or her early years in the industry. The recipient has five years or less experience in the marketing and advertising field (excluding internships or part-time employment while working on a degree) and has been an AAF Buffalo member for at least one year.
Brittney made her way to Villa knowing she wanted to pursue a college education in a creative field. She started off in the photography program before transferring over to the graphic design program, where she worked with Assistant Professors Bob Grizanti and Julie Zack. During her time at Villa, Brittney served as the student liaison for AAF Buffalo, where she eventually became a board member.
Today, Brittney is a designer at White Bicycle, where she has worked for almost four years. During her time there, she has worked on a wide range of projects for various clients, including the Burchfield Penney Art Center.
Finally, Villa’s Office of Communications in collaboration with Dr. Matthew Giordano were awarded a silver ADDY for their Create the Culture Campaign in the Out of Home category.
Winning work entered at the local level moves up to the regional and national judging, The regional judging takes place in March and the national judging takes place in June.
To learn more about Villa’s graphic design program, visit villa.edu/academics/academic-programs/graphic-design.
