Six Watkins Students Win Big at Graphic Design USA’s National Competition
Six Design Communications students within the Watkins College of Art – Ramzee Camarena, Nick Bazzoni, Caroline White, Lilli Heinrich, Bella Pace and Anna Maack – won Gold in the Graphic Design USA’s 2023 American Graphic Design Awards. Celebrating GDUSA Awards’ 60th anniversary, the organization’s flagship contest is open to all kinds of work from design firms, freelancers, students and more.
Students: Ramzee Camarena, Lilli Heinrich and Anna Maack
These students distinguished themselves among the 8,000 submissions from across the nation, emerging victorious in the "Designing for Good" category, a grouping for works that “advance positive social and environmental action and social justice impact; promote diversity, equity and inclusion; and aim to make communities and the world a better place for people and nature,” according to the GDUSA website.
In line with the theme of social justice, the submitted projects were completed as part of Watkins’ Narrative and Advocacy course. Students delved into topics they held near to their hearts and communicated them with care and professionalism.
Name: Lilli Heinrich
Year: Senior
“The current fashion industry is wasteful, damaging to the environment and harmful to garment factory workers. I created this campaign to encourage people to be aware of the effects of their clothing, and motivate them to recycle, re-wear and reuse their clothing.”
Name: Caroline White
Year: Senior
“Eating disorders are rarely discussed and poorly misunderstood. They are often referred to as ‘a woman’s problem,’ but I wanted to take the unexpected approach and gear my campaign toward men, who make up a large number of those affected. If you look closely, various signs and symptoms of an eating disorder are skewed along the body, representing the fact that the signs are not always easy to see but are always present. If we know the signs, we can save lives.”
Name: Ramzee Camarena
Year: Senior
“My goal was to create a campaign around green burials, an eco-friendly approach to handling the deceased, aiming to conserve natural resources, preserve and restore habitats, as well as decrease carbon emissions and promote worker health. I wanted to add a humorous twist to a difficult subject, as well as to educate the public on the environmental damages caused by traditional burial practices. Everybody has the right to make their own decision about their after-life care, and their choices should be respected. Green burial is a fantastic option that people are often misinformed about.”
Bella Pace
Anna Maack
Nick Bazzoni
Students in Watkins’ Design Communications program leave Belmont with the confidence to take their passions and run with them in an industry setting as well as leverage their abilities to support the well-being of others. “Empathy Driven Design” is a key factor in a Watkins education, marked by incredible opportunities during college to transform the lives of those in the Nashville community and beyond.
“I’ve grown a lot as an artist and a designer in my years at Watkins,” said Heinrich. “Watkins has given me a place to explore and create, and also provided me with the tools, resources and connections needed to succeed outside of the classroom.”
View more examples of Watkins Design Communications student work.