USC won 14 awards at the American Advertising Awards competition on Feb. 22, 2014. The event was part of the American Advertising Federation’s annual competition, the largest of its type in the world.
More than 50 awards were presented to advertising students and professionals in the Midlands in order to recognize exceptional work.
For the first time, USC won a Student Best of Show Addy Award for Lauren Leadmon’s infographic in Garnet & Black Magazine entitled “The Low Down on Hooking Up in College.”
Leadmon, who graduated in May of 2013 with a degree in marketing, was unaware that USC had even submitted the graphic until she received an email informing her that she had won.
“I was very surprised, actually, and very honored, of course,” Leadmon said. “I’m excited to see what it will do [at the next level].”
Edgar Santana, creative director of Student Media, described the infographic as “eye-catching” and describing a topic that “demanded interest.”
“It’s a great piece of art and it really stood out,” Santana said. “It had all the elements judges look for.”
In order to create the award-winning design, Leadmon found statistics and research for the infographic that she found interesting and relevant to the student body, and then sketched out the plan for the piece.
“I really enjoy doing infographics and that kind of design,” Leadmon said. Leadmon is now working for Sunshine Sachs as well as continuing design work on a small scale.
“It’s exciting to be recognized. I enjoyed working for Garnet & Black and it’s just thrilling that it came around.” Leadmon said. “It’s exciting to be recognized where I came from and gives me some momentum for my career.”
Read the full version of this article, published in 2014.