Award: 2nd Place, Multiple Advertisers and Themed Pages 2017 – Childhood Cancer Awareness
Competition: Virginia Press Association (VPA) Annual Advertising Contest
Publication: The News Virginian
During my 10-award year at The News Virginian, I earned 2nd Place for this “Go Gold” Childhood Cancer Awareness themed page. This category (A10) recognizes excellence in themed pages that salute a cause or event, requiring the designer to balance multiple local business sponsors within a cohesive visual narrative.
Design Strategy:
- Unified Visual Narrative: Anchored the page with the gold ribbon—the international symbol for childhood cancer—to establish an immediate emotional and thematic connection with the community.
- Complex Grid Organization: Managed 21 individual business sponsorship blocks, ensuring each advertiser received prominent visibility while maintaining a clean, professional hierarchy across the page.
- Strategic Color Palette: Utilized a consistent gold and black color scheme to reinforce the “Go Gold” mission, meeting VPA standards for quality of design and execution.
- Mission-Driven Layout: Integrated educational facts about childhood cancer alongside the sponsorship blocks to fulfill the newspaper’s “mission” of community awareness while delivering value to the advertisers.