May 13–30, 2019

• Reception: Wednesday, May 15, 5:30–7:30 p.m. in the Gallery Lounge
• Award Ceremony at 6:30 p.m.
• Music by Ms. M and the Jokers

This juried exhibit highlights work completed by students. Each work done in the current academic year, beginning with summer 2018. Parkland Graphic Design and Interactive Design faculty jury the show. Selecting the most imaginative, inspiring, distinctive, innovative, unusual, and memorable pieces. Those that will be on display in the gallery. Then, local industry professionals are invited to judge the show and select the awards. This year’s judges are Evelyn Shapiro, Promotions Manager, Champaign Public Library. Along with Robb Springfield, Creative Director, Flex-N-Gate. 

Works in this exhibit showcase creative solutions to design problems. These were shown to students in Parkland’s Graphic Design, Interactive Design, and Illustration studio classes. Gallery visitors can expect to see traditional print media, motion graphics, logos, branding, and packaging. In addition to menus, books, publications, posters, brochures, websites, videos, and illustrations.

Immediately after the awards ceremony, Paul Young will give a gallery talk and guided tour. There will be a Q&A with select award winners. Young will go behind the scenes with them. Revealing how these programs teach creative problem-solving and design thinking.

Paul Young Retiring

Professor Paul Young, Parkland's Graphic Design program director, will be retiring this spring after 20 years of teaching. He has been an important part of the program. Under his direction, user experience design, website design, and interactive design were introduced. Students now graduate from Parkland with samples of fully developed websites in their portfolio. 

"The 2019 student show will be the last student exhibition that I will help curate," Young said. "I've met some of the most interesting and diverse people from this community in the classroom. I've challenged them as they have challenged me, and together we've grown and evolved."

Part-time graphic design instructor Liza Wynette praised Young's five-year mentorship to her. "Paul has designed Parkland's Graphic Design Program to carefully balance the creative with the functional, the artistic with the technical, and the rational with the intuitive. What a great way to teach today's tech-savvy students who were born with a device in their hands."

"I've always said that Parkland is the best job I've ever had," Young added. "During the last 20 years, my students and I have met important internationally renowned designers (Carlos Segura, Massimo Vignelli, Matthew Carter). Hosted several influential designers here at Parkland (April Greiman, Art Chantry), and had more than enough excitement for a lifetime."