The Mountain Laurel places as a top contender in nationwide contest
Miranda Bradford, Associate Writer
The final product of Casamassa’s spread design submitted to the Associate Collegiate Press.
Tyler Casamassa, art editor for the Mountain Laurel, received an individual design award nomination by the Associated Collegiate Press and placed as one of the top ten 2016 designs of the year under the Yearbook/Magazine Page/Spread category.
Casamassa explained how he was caught off guard when told how one of his pieces placed as a top 10 contender within the competition.
“It had been months since we had submitted the layouts we wanted to enter for judging. So I thought that had all passed already. However, I knew our team last year pulled together a really strong volume. I’m really proud of the efforts from everyone. It’s exciting to hear about the Mountain Laurel’s recognition amongst the other great collegiate publications,” stated Casamassa.
Casamassa explained how the thought process that goes into a design is almost like a puzzle — it takes a lot of thought figuring out the paring of literature with the visual art pieces and keeping consistency of the design throughout the book.
“We want the image to complement the literature, not oppose it or take the spotlight, so to speak,” said Casamassa.
Deborah DeCiantis also played a critical role in the nomination of Casamassa’s spread. She has been the adviser of the Mountain Laurel, which is an artistic compilation of works from photography, literature and graphic designs. Hayley Douglas is also a leader who specializes in the visual arts side of the Mountain Laurel.
“We want to depict the best craft of literature and art as a means to reflect God,” said DeCiantis.
The purpose of submitting the Mountain Laurel to these nation wide competitions was to get it critiqued by outside judges in order to hear the aspects done well and areas they need to work. DeCiantis uses this to challenge the students of North Greenville University who took the opportunity to submit their work to the Mountain Laurel and allow that to push them towards better works for the future editions.
“It would be so nice to say ‘oh we love our book’ and leave it at that but entering in allows us to see the good, the bad and the ugly. It challenges the staff by allowing others to see it and critic it to push us,” stated DeCiantis.
Casamassa suggested to future designers to always be on the lookout for inspiration, making note of what works well and what does not in order to adapt that to your style and existing design.
“Collaboration with others is key to finding quirks and corrections in designs that may pass by an individual designers eye in the process. Also, a simplified design is almost always appreciated by viewers, especially when the images are paired with literature, like in the Mountain Laurel,” stated Casamassa.
