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GDSN Home | Courses Offered | Faculty | Student Work
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Graphic Design Contests, Events, Exhibitions, and other opportunities!
Please contact us if you know of something we should post!
agardos@riohondo.edu
email the Club Officers for club information!
RioGDSNClub@gmail.com

Click the AIGA LA logo above
for all Los Angeles area design event info!
Click the AIGA OC logo above
for all Orange County area design event info!
Design Reviewed A fantastic archive of Graphic Design through history curated by Matt Lamont |

The Herb Lubalin Lecture Series is a part of Type@Cooper which is open to the public for free. The lectures thematically follow the overall curriculum of the program, offering students a deeper insight into specific and relevant topics.
The series is sponsored by Herb Lubalin Study Center of Design and Typography at the Cooper Union, a public graphic design archive which places emphasis on a hands-on access to a wide range of design and typography ephemera. More lectures will be announced soon. To receive notifications when new events are announced, join their mailing list. ![]() |
Welcome to The Typecast, a podcast hosted by Katie Johnson and Ilana Griffo of Goodtype.
Listen as we geek out over anchor points, our favorite typefaces, and how to grow an art business.
For more of this duo, follow us on Instagram @goodtype.
Fall 2023
Great activities below! |
![]() The Mysterious Case of the Shapeshifting Poblano Blackletter with Jesús Barrientos MoraTake a savory bite into Puebla, a five-century-old Mexican city with an exceptional taste for blackletter hybrids.Date: Tue, Oct 31, 2023 Time: 12:00pm–1:30pm PT (7:00pm GMT) What: Letterform Lecture There is an unspoken tradition of letter-making in the streets of Puebla and other Mexican cities. It emanates from multi-generational sign painters who invented styles that cross traditional categorization, combining the shapes that appear in lettering manuals, vice royal documents, and a free interpretation of blackletter in an unapologetic need for self-expression. In this lecture, we will explore some details of what we can call the “post-modern Mexican blackletter hand” in a colorful collection of Poblano blackletter! |
![]() 10 Things I’ve Learned by Working Hard & Being Ballsy! Nikki Villigomez has learned a lot over the 23 years she has been a graphic design professional. In this talk, Nikki will proudly share her failures and triumphs as she takes the audience on a 10-step journey of the lessons she has learned along the way. Nikki has been an in-house designer, a freelancer, a stay at home mom, and an educator. Currently, she serves as Chief Marketing Officer at Bernard Robinson & Company, L.L.P. (BRC) in Charlotte, NC. Come listen to Nikki share real-life lessons that she wishes someone had told her when she was an emerging designer! More info here |
![]() Bay Cities Manufacturing Day! Oct. 6th Bay Cities is thrilled to participate in another Manufacturing Day! Friday, October 6th, 9am to 1pm! Join them onsite for a firsthand look at how retail packaging and displays are concepted, designed, manufactured, and sent off to retail where consumers like you purchase everyday products. You will have a chance to speak with their Employee Owners, ask questions, and learn about their wide range of career opportunities! As the leading creative packaging and display partner to brand marketers nationwide, they can’t wait to show you behind-the-scenes! We have had students from Rio Hondo College hired as interns and employees! |
![]() Join online for a free global virtual event. If you can’t join in person, you can still benefit from the amazing learning and inspiration in sessions, keynotes, and Sneaks. |
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Spring 2023

Salon Series 38: Designer as Protestor with Design is Play: Mark Fox and Angie Wang, Heather Snyder Quinn, Adam DelMarcelle How can designers integrate justice, equity, and human rights into a professional practice? Hear from creators featured in Strikethrough.Date: Thu, Apr 6, 2023 Time: 12:00pm–1:30pm PTWhat: Online Salon Where: Online via ZoomCreative people whose hearts are in advocacy often make their living in the commercial world. Our panelists have designed for organizations ranging from nonprofits to Fortune 500 companies, producing work that spans advertising to AI. Beyond their client projects, their personal and self-initiated work speaks to their experience as American citizens and human beings. How can designers integrate issues of justice, equity, and human rights into their professional practice? Register to attend! |

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Fall 2022
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Bay Cities is the leading creative packaging and display partner to brand marketers, retailers, and e-commerce. Their passion, experience, technology, and consumer insights move products and drive sales.
Rio Hondo graphic design students have worked here in the past!
Ask about internships!
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![]() Join us on September 20th & 21st at The Alexandria at Torrey Pines, San Diego! |
A world-class lineup of thought-provoking design leaders is the foundation of the Y Conference. This year as we celebrate the exciting milestone of Y25, we’ve brought together the boldest and brightest visionary creatives. Our goal? To expand thinking, fuel change, blow through barriers, and recharge our attendees with fresh perspective. |
From Keynotes to Thinkshops, you can expect speakers and topics that challenge, inspire, clarify, and unify our diverse and dynamic community. Learn more about our speaker and Thinkshop lineup. Whether you’re on fire or burnt out, you’ll leave feeling empowered to change the world for good through the power of design. |
Spring 2022
![]() Join us on May 25th About this event
Madeleine Brand | Host of KCRW’s Press Play Submissions Open Submissions Close Selected Young Creators will be featured |
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![]() The science behind why fonts make us feel. Details: Speakers: |
![]() Here’s the Zoom link for Looking at Art in the Streets: Music Connections, with Tony Alva and Money Mark on Wednesday, April 20th at 7:00 p.m. Hope to see you there! |
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All Graphic Design Majors! ![]() Rio Hondo Marketing Deadline: Friday, March 11th We have extended the deadline of our t-shirt design contest for students to 3rd place – $50 bookstore voucher; |
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PIASC Graphic Arts Competition
COSMETIC LINE PACKAGE COMPETITION
2021-20222
Deadline: April 7, 2022
Students are asked to design and produce packaging for a cosmetic line. Create your own brand of makeup and design packaging for 3 of the following. Lipstick, Foundation/Concealer, Eyeshadow, Mascara, Blush/highlighter. This project will focus on the student’s design creativity and understanding of project specs. For questions: You can reach Kristy Villanueva at (323) 728-9500, ext. 215 or Wendy Ferruz at (323) 728- 9500, ext. 262.
![]() Free Webinar Type Trends: 2022 and Beyond. March 1st, 2022 at 1:00 PM EST. |
Throughout yet another “unprecedented year,” it’s safe to say that the macro trends influencing the type design community are nearly too long to list. Several socioeconomic, political, and cultural events continue to shape the way we approach creative work and how connect to each other online and offline.
Join Charles Nix and Phil Garnham from the Monotype Studio for an in-depth look at the typographic trends that have emerged, as well as those that have evolved since last year’s report. In this hour-long interactive session, you’ll discover:
How design reflects society and cultural events
Agencies, designers and brands pushing boundaries in the creative industry
Advancements in technology and their impact on design
A glimpse into the future of typography
![]() All Students Deserve Access to Design Education! The deadline to apply is April 13, 2022. We’re incredibly excited to announce the AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships call for applications is now open for the 2022/2023 academic year! Scholarships are awarded annually to students with positive social agendas who are studying photography, illustration, and design disciplines in colleges and universities in the United States. Join us in celebrating and honoring the collective power of design by applying or sharing with a student in your network. |
![]() with Gabi Schaffzins Join us! Feb 16, 2022 04:00 PM ET location: Online |
Gabi Schaffzin is an artist, educator, and researcher based in Toronto, the traditional territory of many Indigenous Nations. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Design at York University’s School of Arts, Media, Performance, and Design. He holds a Ph.D. in Art History, Theory, and Criticism from the University of California San Diego, an MFA from the Massachusetts College of Art & Design’s Dynamic Media Institute, and a BS in Business Administration from Babson College in Wellesley. His work has been on display in galleries, public space, and at events in San Diego, Boston, Philadelphia, East Lansing, and Utrecht, The Netherlands. He has had the privilege of speaking at conferences around the country, as well as internationally, appearing on panels at the American Studies Association, Relating Systems Thinking & Design, SXSW, Theorizing the Web, and the Society of Literature, Science, and the Arts, among others. His dissertation project combined design history, disability studies, and a history of computing to trace the history of designed pain scales in the United States throughout the 20th century.
![]() Join us! Part of the AIGA Lecture Series This virtual series features one designer showcasing a work that is personally meaningful. We’ll hear what inspires, challenges, and guides them. Expose yourself to new material by exploring with our guest, Louise Sandhaus. Louise will speak about Arranging Things: The Rhetoric of Object Placement by Leonard Koren, and about how Arranging Things met another book, The Ecstasy of Things, which in turn led to so many other things in her thinking and design work. |
![]() Type@Cooper – Enric Crous-Vidal, Mon., Feb. 28, 2022 Part of the Herb Lublin Lecture Series Most of Enric Crous Vidal’s typefaces were designed between 1950 and 1954, years that coincide with the zenith of his professional career as a graphic designer in France. From his modular proposals, which came close to the experimental models of the 1930s, to his last creations at the end of the 1960s, the typefaces of Crous Vidal answers more to an aesthetic purpose than to rational worries, although his lastest works seem to point more towards a functional direction. |
![]() Visual and Graphic Design Internship (Fall 2022) Internship Program at Tesla The Internship Recruiting Team is driven by the passion to recognize and develop emerging talent. Our year-round program places the best students in positions where they will grow technically, professionally, and personally through their experience working closely with their Manager, Mentor, and team. We are dedicated to providing an experience that allows the intern to experience life at Tesla by including them in projects that are critical to their team’s success. Instead of going on coffee runs and making copies, our interns have a seat at the table and make critical decisions that will influence not only their team but the overall achievement of Tesla’s mission. |
![]() Writing Around the World: Trends & Observations As we observe writing systems globally, what common attributes are revealed? What stages have led us from early written forms to contemporary writing? Which key inventions have changed the course of writing? How many types of writing systems can we identify? During this lecture, we will not only answer these questions but also identify characteristics of writing you may have never thought about before. This and all Letterform Lectures are a public aspect of the Type West postgraduate certificate program. Register to attend remotely. |
![]() Bauhaus Typography at 100: What is Bauhaus typography, and why does it matter? Take a virtual tour of Letterform Archive’s exhibition Bauhaus Typography at 100, and get up close and personal with little-known works from the collection of Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Look at key pieces of graphic design and learn how (and why) they were made. Discover the ideas, the people, and the stuff that made the Bauhaus an outsized legend whose influence is still felt today. |
Fall 2021
Free Webinar from Monotype
Why Type? The role of type in branding.
December 07th | Americas 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST
Join Monotype’s next webinar: Why Type? The role of type in branding. James Fooks-Bale and Tom Foley will be looking at the role typography plays in branding. From creating an iconic and recognizable visual voice, through to the utility that brands need to deal with today’s digital world, and into the future. |
Upcoming Student Webinar with Audacy on 12/2
The Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation are very excited to announce an upcoming webinar for students in our field. This webinar is free and open to LA community college students, alumni, and faculty. LAEDC hopes you’ll attend! Registration can be found here! For more information, contact Isabel Duran at Isabel.duran@laedc.org |
The 2022 PGSF Application Process is now open! Students, apply here! |
The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) is a not-for-profit, private industry-directed organization that dispenses technical school, undergraduate, and graduate fellowship assistance to men and women interested in a career in the graphic communications field.
PGSF has two main missions. First, to attract young people to the industry and inform them (and their parents, school advisors, etc.) of the wide variety of career opportunities available. Second, if they are pursuing post-secondary education in order to enter the field, we provide financial assistance to them. The Foundation, along with its donors and sponsors, is working to build the future workforce of the graphic communications industry.
We asked a question at the 20:03 mark. Check it out!
Cooper Hewitt/Smithsonian Design Museum Thu. October 14, 2021 Join us on a journey behind the scenes of the illustrious design studio of Imaginary Forces, winner of the 2021 National Design Award for Communication Design. The Imaginary Forces team will virtually take us through their studio for a glimpse into their process of developing some of the most recognizable title sequences over the last 25 years. We’ll see artifacts, props, and early drawings and hear stories from projects for Marvel, Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire, Stranger Things, and more, as well as some soon-to-be-released work. |

Bay Cities Packaging and Design The Details: JOIN IN ON THE FUN AS YOU DISCOVER HOW PRODUCT PACKAGING AND DISPLAYS ARE MADE FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: You MUST be vaccinated to attend
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AIGA San Diego Poster Project Deadline Extended to Wednesday, Oct. 6th! The Details The Prizes
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November 6th and 7th
The Los Angeles Printers Fair at the International Printing Museum in Carson, California brings the best of letterpress, book arts, and the paper arts to the Los Angeles area. With the backdrop of the world’s largest collection of working antique presses, the Printers Fair annually brings together 80 artistic vendors and 2000 visitors to experience the creative worlds of beautiful printing and handmade books. VISIT WWW.PRINTERSFAIR.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION |
Adobe MAX The Creativity Conference A free virtual event Oct 26–28 Creativity connects us all.Come together for this valuable exploration of creativity. Discover how creativity and design can impact your business success, explore the latest workflows for collaboration and productivity, and be inspired by industry leaders who are reinventing their brands. |
Summer 2021

A “Wayzgoose” is a traditional celebration of printers going back to the 16th Century. On Saturday, August 7th, The International Printing Museum will continue this age-old event with The Letterpress Wayzgoose & Surplus Sale.
The sale and activities will be ongoing from 9 am to 4 pm. The event takes place at The International Printing Museum at 315 W Torrance Blvd, Carson, CA 90745 and tickets cost $10. |
Adobe Education On-demand webinar: The Career Branding webinar can help students pursue jobs post-graduation. A career brand is how students present themselves to the world to communicate their purpose and mission. What comes up when they Google themselves? Those results are the first impression that people will have of them. In the on-demand webinar, student experts and hiring advisors present tips on how students can build their career brands, giving them the control to ensure that employers see them as professional and employable.Learn more! |


This month POP is stoked to present a selection of poster designs by members of the Official POP community. From posters raising funds to support charitable causes, to gig promo, and learning a new language, POP’s new members have used the poster format alongside printmaking techniques including Risograph, screenprint, and letterpress for a wide range of projects.
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Join the AIGA this summer for a virtual festival supporting students, recent graduates, emerging designers, and those looking to refresh their portfolios. Focused on mentorship, collaboration, and learning, the Portfolio Festival features content from design practitioners, influencers, educators, and partners, who can help you tailor your portfolio to your next opportunity.
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This time-honored competition aims to identify the 50 best-designed books and book covers. With 696 entries from 36 countries, the juror-selections from this year’s 50 Books | 50 Covers of 2020 competition exemplify the best current work from a year marked by unparalleled change.
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Design for Science is a call to creatives* to help us visually represent scientific innovations or the patient experience within Pfizer’s six key therapeutic areas: Inflammation & Immunology, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Rare Disease, Anti-Infectives and Vaccines.
Pfizer will purchase exclusive global usage rights and license for winning submissions and narratives (up to the sum of $1000 tax inc) to include the following listed uses within Pfizer’s ‘Science Will Win’ campaign which will be memorialized in a separate document with each winning entrant: The competition deadline has been extended to |
Calling all Graphic Designers! Want to design Album Artwork for ‘The Independent 88.5 FM Studio Sessions’ Volume II Vinyl LP coming out later this year? Join the Album art Competition! Deadline: 11:59 p.m. PDT Friday, June 4th, 2021. Contest entry information @885fm.org |


Typographics is a design festival for people who use type. The annual event series, now in its 7th year, is focused on contemporary typography and where its future may lie. This year’s events will be hosted entirely online. |
Spring 2021

Graduating and diving into the world of design can be daunting enough without having to deal with the stress of a worldwide pandemic. Join us on March 25th at 8 PM EST as AIGA Triad hosts graphic designer Jimmy Henderson for a free virtual event “So You Are Graduating During a Pandemic”. Jimmy will cover some of the most pressing issues that graphic designers face such as preparing for graduation, searching for a job, and pricing your work in a straight to the point, no-frills style of honest conversation that should leave everyone more prepared to enter this crazy industry during the strangest of times. |
AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships benefit underrepresented and
economically disadvantaged students pursuing degrees in design disciplines.
Through this program, the AIGA aims to recognize
student talent and provide the tools to help fund their education.
To date, more than $1.25 million dollars has been awarded to
more than 775 college students of art and design.
The deadline to apply for the 2021/2022 academic school year is
April 13, 2021.
Questions? Visit the FAQ page and read the Application Guide
to get answers about the scholarship and application process.
Free! (donation suggested)
Screening and a Q&A.
Get an inside look at the making of
The Emoji Story.
The rapid rise 📈 of emoji (Japanese for “picture character”) is a global 🌍 phenomenon
without precedent. Their widespread use and ability to convey complex messages have
not only cemented emoji’s place as an emerging digital language 🗣, but prompted
difficult questions 🤔 about the creation of a language and digital communication’s fraught ties 😣 to
identity and inclusion. This documentary will lead viewers 👀 on a deep dive into the
ever-evolving world of picture characters, from their humble beginnings in Japan 🇯🇵 to mobile
keyboards 📱 the world 🌎 over, and shed fresh light 💡 on the private consortium 👥 that approves
new emoji offerings and the individuals fighting ✊ to make the language more
representative of its billions of users.
Date And Time
Thu, February 18, 2021, 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM PST

Remembering Milton Glaser A’51
Milton Glaser, a luminary in the art of graphic design, had an outsized impact on those
in his field and beyond. Join us for a discussion of his vast body of work as we honor
his incredible legacy. A panel of designers will comment on Glaser’s work and his influence.
Panelists include Gail Anderson, Walter Bernard, Seymour Chwast A’51, Steven Doyle A’78,
Steven Heller, Mirko Ili´c, Jonathan Key, Ellen Lupton A’85, Reynold Ruffins A’51, and Zipeng Zhu.
Date And Time
Wed, February 24, 2021, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM PST

KXLU Radio Station
Want your art to be the face of our upcoming FUNDRAZOR?
Submit a design for KXLU’s 2021 FUNDRAZOR design contest! 🎨
______
REQUIREMENTS:
Original artwork ONLY!
“KXLU 88.9FM Los Angeles” must be present in the design
Multicolor is ok, but the design MAY be printed on merch
Keep it clean! Submissions must be APPROPRIATE!
Submit designs as a HIGH RES PDF or an Adobe Illustrator file
to alexakxlu@gmail.com by 11:59 PM on March 1, 2021!

LA Design Community,
We invite you to join us for our upcoming AIGA LA Town Hall meeting, our annual public forum.
WED, February 17, 2021 @ 6:30 PM

The Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) is a not-for-profit,
private, graphics industry-directed organization that dispenses
undergraduate college and technical school scholarships and
graduate fellowship assistance to talented men and women
interested in graphic communication careers.
Check out these 2 contest opportunities!


RAISE Foundation is a non-profit California corporation,
established in 1974 by the Printing Industries Association, Inc.
of Southern California (PIASC). Its goal is to foster graphic
communications careers in primary, secondary and post-secondary
educational institutions. RAISE is, and has been over the years,
sustained by individual companies, industry employees, and other foundations.
Check out the Competitions and Grants section!
Fall 2020

THE GOOD NEWS: instead of just a two-day event, the
2020 VIRTUAL LOS ANGELES PRINTERS FAIR
will take place for the entire month of November!
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 by 5:00 pm Eastern Time

Just in time for the 2020 election, the Posters of Discontent
will feature a wide range of politically-based poster designs from
a national and international group of artists. Designed to spur
discussion and discourse and curated by Prof. Andrew Maniotes,
the work presented will range from the political left, right
and center viewpoints on a range of hot button topics of the day.
Deadline:09.12.2020
Album Art Competition
The Independent 88.5 FM
Studio Sessions (Volume 1)
Calling all creatives!
Want to design Album Artwork for
‘The Independent 88.5 FM Studio Sessions’
Volume 1 Vinyl LP coming out later this year?
Join the Album art Competition!
Contest entry information below.
Deadline: August 28th!

Adobe MAX |
The Creativity Conference |
A free virtual event Oct 20–22 |
Expect the unexpected. |
Join us for an online experience unlike any other. Tune in for 56 hours of continuous live content, including keynotes, Sneaks, celebrity appearances, and musical performances. Explore 350+ sessions, where you’ll hear from amazing speakers and learn new skills. |
Be inspired by a whole new world of creativity. |
Summer 2020

******DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 26, 2020!!!!!
Critical Read is happy their announce our 2020 Tote Bag Design Contest.
Click the image to find out more!
This year’s Typographics will feature the 5th Typographics Book Fair
in an online format, with items for sale from some of our favorite booksellers, July 22–26.
Free Registration
Register for the Typographics Book Fair to receive links to the booksellers’
online Book Fair pages and Zoom video booths.
Some of the featured sellers can be viewed in these videos!

New for 2020, AIGA Portfolio Festival is a week-long virtual festival supporting students,
recent graduates, and those looking to refresh their portfolio as they look for new jobs.
Each day, programming will kick off with a live-streamed keynote on the topic of feedback.
After each talk, speakers will present a live review of three portfolios.
These sessions are free and open to all.
Sign up on this page to attend these live talks.
Following the public review sessions,
private review sessions for AIGA members will occur in Zoom breakout rooms.
Registration for these add-on review sessions is a benefit of AIGA membership and has a cost of $5.
Student AIGA membership is $50 per year or $4.16 a month!
Spring 2020

Stay Gallery is pleased to present ‘_________ by women’
a group exhibition featuring the works of four female artists
Melissa Arevalo, Luna Esparza, Marianna Flores and Josie Marlyn.
This exhibition highlights a colorful array of graphic design, illustration
and photography that aim to inspire and empower female creators.
Please support our students!
3 of our Rio Hondo Graphic Design Students are participants!
Click here or the image above for more info!
AIGA Worldstudio Scholarships benefit underrepresented
and economically disadvantaged students who are studying
photography, illustration, and design disciplines in colleges
and universities in the United States. Recipients are selected
not only based on their talent and need, but also for
their commitment to giving back to the community.
The application period for the 2020/2021 academic school year is now open.
The deadline to apply is April 15, 2020.
Submit your artwork for LA Opera’s GRoW @ Annenberg Poster Contest!Click here or the logo above for more info!
Currently enrolled college students in Southern California are invited to
submit artwork for LA Opera’s spring production of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro.
The winning submission will be featured on the cover of
the show’s performance program and displayed at the home of
LA Opera, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.
WHAT WILL YOU WIN?
The winning submissions will receive a cash prize and recognition at the performance.
First Prize: $5,000
Second Prize: $2,000
Third Prize: $1,000
Winners will also be invited to attend the opening night performance
of The Marriage of Figaro (June 6, 2020) and the Cast Supper that follows the show.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. PACIFIC TIME

Attend the Rio GDSN Club meetings for a chance at getting your designs printed!
1st meeting is February 10th from 11:30 am to Noon in S302!
PGSF (Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation):
PGSF T-shirt (Deadline: March 27th):
A new competition this year with some fantastic prizes for first and second place winners.
The top choice will receive a trip to the Printing United show
to see the actual production of the shirt along with a screen-printing kit.
Workforce Coalition Logo design competition (Deadline: March 27th):
A new industry organization has been formed and needs a logo to be designed for it.
An exciting opportunity with the winner of the design competition receiving a $1000 scholarship.
Two runners-up also receive funds. Go to the Graphic Communications Workforce Coalition
website for details at:https://gccoalition.org/news
PGSF Poster (Deadline: April 10th):
Calling for designs to be submitted for next year’s Scholarship Poster.
As we did this year, we will pick a winner for the full time and the part-time student categories.
LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!!
Draw, Photograph, Design your opinions in Visual Form!
Submit your Paper OR Poster Art for CA$h prizes.
Email jspringer@riohondo.edu for any questions and to submit.