Award: 1st Place, Fashion & Personal Care 2017 – B&J Coins
Competition: Virginia Press Association (VPA) Annual Advertising Contest
Publication: The News Virginian
During my strongest award year at The News Virginian, I earned ten honors in the Virginia Press Association (VPA) annual awards, headlined by this 1st Place win for B&J Coins. The VPA contest is a statewide benchmark for excellence, with entries judged by out-of-state media professionals to ensure a neutral and high-standard evaluation of creative strategy.
The Fashion & Personal Care category (A04) includes advertisements for jewelry and high-end personal boutiques. Entries are evaluated on the quality of design, the effectiveness of the message, and the overall professional execution of the layout.
Design Strategy:
- Elegant Visual Hierarchy: Utilized a clean, high-contrast layout to showcase fine jewelry, focusing on clarity to appeal to a high-end consumer base.
- Direct Messaging: Crafted a clear value proposition – “We Buy Gold, Silver, Coins & Jewelry” – to ensure the advertiser’s message was conveyed instantly and effectively to the reader.
- Brand Authority: Positioned B&J Coins as a local expert by including specific contact details and a professional logo, fostering trust and community connection.
- Technical Precision: Maintained a professional balance of text and white space to meet the VPA’s judging criteria for quality of execution and reproduction.