Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: A&M-San Antonio - El Espejo Entry Title: El Espejo Spring 2022 Entry Credit: Miranda Rodriguez Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Brookhaven College Entry Title: Texana Magazine – Vol. 2 Entry Credit: Rosa Poetschke, Desire Gutierrez, Texana Magazine Staff Judge Comment: None
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: Baylor Entry Title: Focus Magazine: Tools of the Trade Entry Credit: Josh McSwain Judge Comment: None
Competition Comment: We are celebrating the winners in this competition for their consistent commitment to bold design choices - including typography, use of color and strong photography, and intentional "breaking of rules". They let the CONTENT drive the DESIGN, rather than the other way around. The judge was very impressed with the professional attention to detail on consistent spacing (both alignment and use of dead space), photo choices, and creative packages that - while unique - lent themselves to the overall brand rather than trying to stand on their own.
The big lessons here are to 1) let content drive design, rather than big ideas that you can't support with strong photos and text elements; 2) decide what your brand design is, and work within it - too many fonts, illustrations, and directions creates chaos!; 3) once you've set boundaries, play within them. The winners did a great job of staying true to themselves while being creative toward the publication's brand. Kudos!
