Recent BGSU alums earn gold in national design competition

Eleven graphic design alumni earned gold in a national design competition for their work on the "In the Roots: Ohio's Native Plants" exhibit. (BGSU photo)

BGSU alumni recognized for immersive exhibit design

Several recent Bowling Green State University graphic design alumni earned gold in a national design competition after spending 10 weeks developing, designing and executing an immersive gallery exhibit. The award, from the University and Colleges Designers Association, recognized their work on the “In the Roots: Ohio’s Native Plants” exhibit, which included branding, illustrations, information panels, banners, window graphics, a multi-page broadsheet, digital assets and more. Bowling Green’s project was one of 21 entries that earned gold, placing it in the top 3% of nearly 800 submissions.

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Key Highlights

Graphic design alumni earn national honors

Bowling Green’s student-designed exhibition was one of just 21 entries to earn gold in the University and Colleges Designers Association competition, placing the project in the top 3% of nearly 800 submissions.

Hands-on design experience provides career prep

Eleven graphic design students spent 10 weeks developing an immersive gallery experience, creating everything from branding, illustrations and large-scale graphics to print, digital and promotional materials.

Student-designed work earns widespread recognition

“In the Roots: Ohio’s Native Plants” earned recognition at the national, regional and local levels, including UCDA Gold and Judge’s Choice honors, a Silver ADDY from American Advertising Federation (AAF) District 5 and several ADDY awards from the AAF Toledo Chapter.

Choose BGSU for graphic design

“Experiential learning, whether a design internship or like this Collaborative and Community Engagement Practicum, provides students with the momentum to feel confident in the next steps of their career. We highly value providing these teaching and learning opportunities."

JENN STUCKER
PROFESSOR AND DIVISION CHAIR, BGSU GRAPHIC DESIGN

Leading Ohio

No. 1

LARGEST UNDERGRADUATE ART PROGRAM

The BGSU School of Art is the state's largest undergraduate art program among public universities.

People attend exhibit at BGSU — In addition to the national design award, the students' work garnered local and regional recognition. (BGSU photo)

Nearly a dozen recent Bowling Green State University alumni are now officially award-winning designers after earning gold in a national design competition for a gallery exhibition they developed, designed and executed as students.

The University and Colleges Designers Association, a non-profit professional association, awarded students Gold and the Judge’s Choice Award for “In the Roots: Ohio’s Native Plants,” an immersive, informational exhibit on northwest Ohio’s plants and landscapes, as well as the region’s history as an Indigenous settlement.

The recognition is a testament to the caliber of Bowling Green’s graphic design program – consistently ranked among the best in Ohio and the nation – and to the University’s commitment to providing hands-on career experiences, an approach that has helped BGSU earn recognition as the No. 1 public university in Ohio for career preparation.

“Experiential learning, whether a design internship or like this Collaborative and Community Engagement Practicum, provides students with the momentum to feel confident in the next steps of their career,” said Jenn Stucker, a professor in Bowling Green’s graphic design program. “We highly value providing these teaching and learning opportunities. These students, who are now alums, were inspiringly creative and trusting of the process. What an honor for me to share this teaching and learning experience with them.”

Bowling Green’s project was one of 21 entries that earned gold, placing it in the top 3% of nearly 800 submissions.

The UCDA judges evaluating entries said this about Bowling Green’s submission: "An awesome project that uses design on many levels — spatial, experiential, digital, print and promotional. An amazing educational experience for both the creators and the audience. A unique and engaging use of the materials, formats and stylistic approaches. Bravo, great work."

The exhibit, which opened in November 2025, was a collaborative effort among undergraduate and graduate students in two courses: a Collaboration and Community Engagement graphic design class led by Stucker and Museum Studies in Public History taught by Cheryl Dong, Ph.D., an assistant professor of history.

In addition to featuring Ohio’s native plants, the exhibit centered on “Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants” by Robin Wall Kimmerer as part of the University’s “In the Round” speaker series.

In the Roots: Ohio's Native Plants exhibit at BGSU — Bowling Green's project was one of 21 entries that earned gold from the University and Colleges Designers Association, placing it in the top 3% of nearly 800 submissions. (BGSU photo)

The students in Stucker's class spent 10 weeks designing the exhibition experience, from creating the branding, illustrations, large information panels, banners, exterior window graphics, stickers, several children's activity takeaways, a 16-page newspaper broadsheet for visitors, and designing the digital assets for ads and social media to promote the event.

They painted walls, hung graphics, applied vinyl to the windows and floor and spread soil around the perimeter of the gallery to create an immersive experience. As part of the exhibition planning, students considered how materials would be reused after the show to promote sustainability.

They donated wood panels to Bowling Green’s studio arts programs, reduced the use of adhesives by hanging the information panels with magnets and donated the soil to BGSU's community garden. Several photographs used in the exhibition graphics were taken by the students, with the majority of photographs taken by Stucker and her son, Jake Stucker '23, a BGSU business alumnus, during their walks through northwest Ohio parks.

McKenzie Hall ‘26 was among the 11 graphic design students who worked on the project. In addition to her contributions to the exhibit’s design, Hall took the lead on creating digital slides and social media content to promote the gallery exhibit.

“It was incredibly empowering to bring our vision to life and create something that’s being seen by people all across campus and the community,” Hall said.

The students’ work on In the Roots also garnered local and regional recognition, receiving a Gold Addy for the 16-page broadsheet plus a Gold and Student Best in Show award for the exhibition from the Toledo chapter of the American Advertising Federation, as well as a Silver Addy at the AAF District 5 level, which includes Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.