Frederick Community College graphic design students took home the top prize at the 5th annual “MockUp: Student Design Challenge.”

The four-member FCC team beat out nine other competitors that included multiple teams from Frostburg State University, Hagerstown Community College, and Shepherd University.

The competition was sponsored by AIGA Blue Ridge, a professional design association, and was hosted by Shepherd University.

“This is a significant accomplishment for our students especially considering how talented all the teams are each year,” said Lisa Sheirer, FCC Program Manager and Associate Professor of Graphics and Photography who also serves as the Education Director of AIGA Blue Ridge. “It’s an energetic competition that gives students first-hand experience of what it’s like to work with a real client and create a brand. It was inspiring to see our students take their design passion and what they’ve learned in our classrooms to rise up to the challenge and succeed.”

During the competition, students had to work collaboratively to create design solutions for a non-profit client. This year’s client was The Delaplaine Arts Education Center in Frederick. The student teams had one week to create a brand identity, collateral material, and a website look for Delaplaine. They also had the opportunity to interview Delaplaine staff, do research, and take photographs.

After the week was over, the groups gathered together and each team leader presented the team designs to a panel of judges comprised of graphic design professionals and key members of the Delaplaine Foundation staff. Judges choose FCC as the winner for creating the most workable design.

The FCC team members included:

Diego Camargo

Tyler Royer

Carolyn Sangi

Amy Wallace

FCC teams have participated in the competition since it began in 2011 and this is the College’s second first-place finish.

FCC offers an associate degree in Digital Media Design with a graphics track and a certificate in computer graphics. The students who participated on FCC’s winning team are advanced students in the Digital Media Design program.