For the first time ever, the employees at BluePrint Design & Print Center submitted some of their work to the South Dakota American Advertising Federation’s (AAF) annual award show, The American Advertising Awards. By submitting an entry, students have the chance to win a gold or silver “ADDY” for a variety of categories.
SDSU’s student-run print center has been around since 2010. BluePrint offers event marketing services such as digital advertising, T-Stands and posters as well as interior banners. The print center also offers help with students’ printing needs for homework or other projects.
On Feb. 28, 12 awards were given to 6 of the students at BluePrint during this year’s event. Three of the award winners, Grace Guetter, Mackenzie Nelsen and Grace Fritz, who are all graphic design majors at SDSU, said earning the awards was very special. The girls were all hired in January of 2024, and said it’s a great job opportunity for graphic design majors and a way to be constantly practicing design.
Both Guetter and Fritz won gold ADDY’s in the “integrated campaign” category. Guetter’s design was “Cowboy Casino Night,” and Fritz’s design was for “Perler Bead Night,” Nelsen and Fritz won silver awards as well. Nelsen’s “Sanderson Gardens” design won in the integrated campaign category and Fritz’s “Hobo Day Poster” won in the poster series category. The girls made their decisions on which of their designs to submit with the help of their co-workers in the office, as well as Jerad Schlobohm, the assistant-director of student union communications and print center.
Jack Derickson, BluePrint’s manager, submitted both personal designs and ones he created at BluePrint. He won two gold ADDY awards and two silver ADDY’s. Other winners included Matt Scott and Austin Satnan. Scott’s “Earthstock Theater” design won a gold ADDY in the illustration category. Satnan won a “Best of Show” gold ADDY award for his design, “Hollywood Murder Mystery,” along with a silver ADDY for “Trivia Night,” which was in the illustration category.
Previously, BluePrint submitted to “Steal This Idea,” the Association of College Unions International’s graphic design and marketing competition where they received an honorable mention award last year.
Schlobohm worked with Derickson on the decision-making process for design submissions.
“Jack, our manager, and I basically said ‘pick out whatever you think is your strongest designs from the past calendar year,’” Schlobohm explained, “We weren’t necessarily submitting for a specific category at the time, they were just showing us the best designs and then I would say, ‘okay, yep I think this one and this one would be good entries.’
