Communication Design seniors win advertising design awards
Sammi Micklewright
Milwaukee has its ‘Oscars’ for advertising design, and at this year’s United Adworkers 99 competition for professionals and students, two Communication Design seniors at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) received coveted awards.
Sammi Micklewright ’24 received the 2nd place Merit Award and Megan Huss ’24 the 4th Place Merit.
Mickelwright’s project aimed “to create a fresh new brand strategy for CoCo&Blu: a cafe in Arlington Heights, IL,” she says.” This project is close to my heart because CoCo&Blu is my favorite coffee shop in my hometown, and I have many good memories there!”
“I feel very honored to … have my work recognized at the United Adworkers Awards,” Micklewright adds. “This has provided me with encouragement to continue honing my skills as a designer and professional.”
Huss created her project, TeaLift, in her junior year packaging design class. “I have always had a love and appreciation for packaging design, so it was really fun to see my work in a physical form like that,” Huss says.
Megan Huss
The 2024 (professional) Best of Show in the United Adworkers 99 competition was won by BVK, where Katie Parlow ‘16 is senior art director and Charity Ekpo ‘15 is graphic designer/illustrator.
Micklewright and Huss are now preparing for the MIAD 2024 Senior Exhibition, on view April 19 – May 11.
Micklewright’s project, Koda, “is an animated miniseries for children suffering with PANDAS syndrome, a debilitating pediatric autoimmune disorder. Our goal is to inform and nurture PANDAS children, providing them with support on their journey to recovery,” she says.
Huss’ project is Happier Hour – an app that connects sober young adults with one another.
MIAD Galleries are open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., at 273 E. Erie St., Milwaukee, WI 53202.
Learn more about MIAD’s Communication Design major. Visit MIAD.
News
Meet Emily Camp and 2026 Senior Exhibition Project Predisposed
Emily Camp ‘26 (Animation Track in Illustration) is a President’s (Honor) List student from Fox River Grove, Ill.
What is your “elevator pitch” for your senior exhibition project?
Predisposed is an interactive set of poems centered around addiction in the family unit. It has been my job in this thesis to illustrate graphics and GIFs to bring the poems to life so viewers can read at their own pace.
MIAD elects new trustees Paul Fletcher and Jacqualyn Laughlin
Paul Fletcher, a principal product designer at LinkedIn, and Jacqualyn Laughlin, co-founder of Invisible Ink Partners, were elected members of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design’s Board of Trustees at the college’s annual meeting in June.
Double ASID award winner is inspired by nature and internships
Rising senior at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) Adam Wold ’27 received two awards in May from the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). The Interior Architecture and Design (IAD) major won the Silver Award in the Commercial category and the Bronze Award in the Residential category.
MIAD faculty, alumni shine at WI Visual Art Achievement Awards
Professor Leslie Fedorchuk and alumni of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) received four of the eight individual 2026 Wisconsin Visual Art Achievement Awards for “their significant contributions to the state’s creative culture.”
National Society of Illustrators honors 13 MIAD students
Works by 13 students and recent graduates of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) were selected from among 4,550 nationwide submissions to receive 2026 honors from the national Society of Illustrators.