Modern Graduates win National Design Awards for Student Work

The American Advertising Federation announced the winners of its American Advertising Awards Competition tonight through a virtual ceremony. The Modern’s recent graduates, Ashley Knedler and Anna Smith won national awards for work they created at The Modern. This was the final phase of the three-tier competition.

Ashley Knedler won a gold award for her Stuff Magazine design, and Anna Smith won a silver award for her Dayton Meats branding. Ashley moved to Denver, Colorado after graduation to pursue a career in design. Anna Smith is an email and web designer for Part Express in Springboro, Ohio.  

According to the organization, the American Advertising Awards, formerly known as the ADDYS, is the advertising industry’s largest and most representative competition, attracting over 40,000 entries every year in local AAF competitions. Selection of the most creative entry in each category is affected by a scoring process in which a panel of judges evaluates all creative dimensions of every entry.

“We are extremely proud of Ashley and Anna for being recognized at the highest level of the American  Advertising Awards, “ stated Jessica Barry, President of The Modern. “It is an honor to have our graduates recognized for their extraordinary talents at the highest level.”

Dayton Design Firm and employer of Modern alumni, Real Art, was also honored with silver awards for the Dayton Art Institute Donor Recognition Wall and the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame Digital Experiences.