Award: 3rd Place, Entertainment 2017 – Dinosaur Kingdom II
Competition: Virginia Press Association (VPA) Annual Advertising Contest
Publication: The News Virginian
Continuing the momentum of my 10-award year at The News Virginian, I earned 3rd Place in the Entertainment category for this advertisement for Dinosaur Kingdom II. The VPA contest recognizes excellence in creative strategy and technical skill, with entries evaluated by objective, out-of-state judges to ensure high standards across Virginia’s media landscape.
The Entertainment category (A05) encompasses a wide variety of attractions and amusements. For this unique local attraction, the design challenge was to capture the adventurous and quirky nature of the park while maintaining a clean, professional hierarchy.
Design Strategy:
- Thematic Immersion: Utilized high-impact, adventure-themed graphics and bold typography to immediately establish a “why-this-is-important-to-you” connection with families and tourists.
- Quality of Design: Balanced action-oriented imagery with clear informational text to meet the VPA’s criteria for quality design and execution.
- Effective Call-to-Action: Positioned essential visitor information—including location, hours, and the park’s website—in a scannable format at the bottom of the layout to drive reader engagement.
- Visual Storytelling: Integrated specific attraction details to stop the reader and convey the park’s unique narrative, fulfilling the judges’ focus on advertising effectiveness.