Two Edinboro students earned top awards – and 16 additional students were selected as finalists – in the annual Flux Student Design Competition, sponsored by the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA).

Grace Maust (left) earned Best in Category for the “Publication” class with a handmade typography submission titled “A Publication on Austrian Expressionism.”

Additionally, Paige Crawley (right) earned an Honorable Mention Award for the short video “The 8 Principles of Graphic Design.”

“Expressionism has always been a movement in which the world finds itself being exposed for the emotional beings we are,” Maust wrote in her entry rationale. “It was finally a point in time where the human psyche was outed as a chaotic force similar to nature. In this publication, I showcase the expressionist attraction to texture and vibration of the human spirit and the anguish of life.”

Flux is a nationwide competition that recognizes outstanding design work produced by students in the categories of Identity, Packaging, Poster, Publication, Social Impact Design, UX/UI and Video/Motion Graphics.

In the 2022-2023 contest, more than 200 projects were selected as finalists by a jury of creative professionals – after 631 entries were submitted for the show. Fifteen students won awards of best in show, best in category, and honorable mention.

“Our students placed against top design schools in the nation – this is a testament to their dedication and the quality of work they are producing,” said Cassandra Reese, assistant professor in Edinboro’s graphic design program. “We are all incredibly proud and honored to see Edinboro graphic design students receiving national recognition for their exceptional design work.”

Edinboro artists were also recognized as finalists for several Flux categories in 2023.

In the Identity category, Alex Herr was recognized for the “2034 Anchorage Winter Olympics Bid.” Chester Middleton earned a finalist spot for “Koi Restaurant Branding,” while Ashton Rider was recognized for “Sing Sing Prison Museum Identity,” Katrina Weichmann for “Untitled,” Brianna Signorelli for “OCD Awareness Posters” and Kayley Rutkowski for “The Traits of Mental Illness.”

In the Publication category, Signorelli was a finalist for “20 Hamster Habits,” while Maust was recognized for “Austrian Expressionism" and “Jazz Legends,” Hope Yablonski for “Asymmetry: A Print Legacy,” Miranda Peterson for “Broken Façade,” Middleton for “Found Rhythms,” Crawley for “Oodles of Noodles,” Emily Malay for “Rise & Demise Pirate Cards,” Herr for “Spontaneous Effort: Improvisation and the Quest for Meaning,” Andrea Heasley for “The Book of Ologies,” Rutkowski for “The Essentials of Greek Mythology” and the team of Herr, Rider, Brayon Higgins, Middleton, Gabi Keebler, Grayson Phillips and Jeff Leretsis for “Chimera XIX: A Progression of Clarity.”

In the Video/Motion Graphics category, Malay earned a finalist spot for “Principles of Design,” while Heasley earned a spot for “Principles of Graphic Design” and Crawley for “The 8 Principles of Graphic Design.”

Flux is presented annually by the Baltimore branch of AIGA. Established in 2007, Flux celebrates the best creative work produced each year by undergraduate and graduate students from across the country. Entries are selected by a jury of leading design professionals and showcased in a gallery exhibition as well as online.

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