From left: Joshua Martinez, Mark Andriella, Nick Patrissi, Monique Sterling, Maggie Nielsen, Natalie Alcide, Jessie Murphy, Jerry Mandelbaum.

This year, the annual presentation ceremony of the Graphic Communications Scholarship, Award, and Career Advancement Foundation (GCSF) showcased something new: a design competition that brought together five motivated and talented students to work on a real-world marketing project.

With the sponsorship of Trend Offset Printing, design students from Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), Hunter College, and SUNY Purchase worked with Nick Patrissi, Trend Offset’s director of marketing, and professional designer Michelle Ratzlaff on the project under normal deadlines. After several rounds of review based on submitted designs, work created by Joshua Marz FIT was selected for use in a live marketing campaign.

According to Patrissi, Trend Offset was impressed with the quality and professionalism shown by all of the students. “We got  a lot more than we expected,” he said. “A beautiful poster design to use for a promotional campaign for clients and staff, and a chance to work with some very motivated and gifted young professionals.”

Patrissi said that GCSF is considering making the competition part of its new mentoring initiative. This program aims to provide a venue for career-focused learning experiences by connecting students and industry professionals.