As a student and eventually in my professional career, there are a number of opportunities to submit your best design work to let others in the profession see what you have to offer and hand out their kudos and at times an award for the best in your category.

 

In this case, as a student I had an opportunity to submit my best designs and other artwork for the chance of receiving recognition locally and possibly in the Regional and onto the national level.

 

In early 2017, I took that chance and submitted my designs into the local American Advertising Federation (AAF) Tampa Bay ADDY awards student competition to test my fate and also wanted to see what the professionals were looking at.

 

Below you will see my recognition and first ever Gold in the local AAF Tampa Bay award and the design that won in it's category.

This particular project has special meaning for me in a number of ways.

 

A quick back story on my inspiration for this project actually takes me back to the end of my first year in school when I was participating in a gallery hanging of student projects for the local Student Addy Awards run by AAF Tampa Bay.  I had seen a similar portrait style typography project that really impressed me and this made me determined to do an even better job when I had the opportunity to make my own portrait project such as this.

 

Ironically enough, this same project I was determine to make my masterpiece was submitted for the 2017 Local Student Addy Awards. I was completely shocked to learn that I had won a Gold Addy award for the category I entered it in (as seen below).