(Marietta, Ga. – March 22, 2017)
Chattahoochee Technical College student Miriam Mawer, of Acworth, has been named the winner of the Technical College System of Georgia’s (TCSG) 2017 Winners’ Book design competition. The design will be used in the 2017 Winners’ Book and other publications for the 2017 Georgia Occupational Award of Leadership (GOAL) and Rick Perkins Award for Excellence in Technical Instruction.
Mawer, who plans to graduate this May with an associate degree in Design and Media Production Technology, said she applied what she learned in class when creating the design.
“We use the design process for every project,” Mawer said. “I was learning InDesign [software] when making the design, so I used that resource with others such as Illustrator CC to complete it.”
Harnessing raw talent and incorporating skills gained from the Design and Media P
roduction Technology program to complete the design, Mawer learned about the opportunity through instructor Glenn Reid. Reid said he regularly encourages students to enter competitions because they reflect real-world situations that designers face on the job. In addition, there are accolades for the winner.
“Working with a ‘client’ on a design project is what they are training to do; most of my students realize that and are happy to knock out a few additional projects for fame and fortune,” Reid said.
For Mawer, those accolades include being awarded a $500 check from TCSG in addition to having her design featured in state publications.
“I was very surprised [when I won the award]. I couldn’t believe it,” Mawer said.
Chattahoochee Tech has a history of students winning design competitions, with 2017 being the third year in a row where a CTC student has won the Winners’ Book design competition.
“Artistically talented students like Miriam learn to create their projects using a graphic design process,” Reid said. “At CTC, she has the opportunity to sit in front of a Ferrari-like design computer loaded with state-of-the-art design software that supports her production of spine-tingling artwork. In other words, when you take that talent, add technical know-how, and then plant the seed of great work ethics, you are going to graduate award-winning designers.”