Samford University’s School of the Arts celebrated an impressive showing at the 2026 Birmingham American Advertising Awards, often referred to as the ADDYs, where nine graphic design students were recognized for their work. With two gold and seven silver ADDY awards, the work represented a wide span of specialties—from packaging and editorial design to illustration, book design and outdoor advertising—highlighting the breadth and strength of the program.
“Samford graphic design majors have been winning ADDY awards for decades, earning accolades at the local, regional and national levels and Student of the Year honors,” said Scott Fisk, professor and chair of Art and Design. “Alumni have also achieved major professional recognition, with former students named Birmingham Designer/Art Director of the Year and Photographer of the Year. In addition to winning awards, Samford game design and graphic design students have also been serving as volunteers at the awards ceremony the last couple of years.”
This year’s group continues a growing momentum. Samford alumna Claire Phegley ’25 advanced from gold wins on the local and district levels before ultimately earning a silver ADDY at the national level, becoming only the second Samford student to place nationally. That rising visibility makes this year’s nine student sweep feel especially significant.
Among the 2026 ADDY winners, the work of juniors Hope Presley, Erin Elliott and Kathryn Lancaster offers a vivid window into the kind of curiosity, research and hands on experimentation shaping the School of the Arts design culture. Their projects—respectively inspired by retro color palettes, the fearless creativity of David Bowie and childhood memories of library date stamps—illustrate how individual design journeys can be deeply personal while still engaging real-world design challenges.
For Presley, designing a fictional packaging system for Zeedog Pet Accessories meant pushing beyond the “pretty boring” aesthetics she saw in the pet market. Inspired by the geometry and color of the 1970s, she built a structured palette and a family of repeating shapes to unify three very different product forms.
“I am most proud of the design for the actual packages, because they were my ideas coming to life every step of the way,” she said. “Creating physical products is really cool because you can imagine anything and then make something real out of it.”
She noted that working around unusual product shapes became both the biggest test and her favorite part of the process—a challenge that ultimately led to her gold ADDY.
Just across the studio, Elliott approached her gold winning editorial design project like a researcher in the field. She spent hours on the floor of a bookstore, sorting through magazines to decode what truly demands a reader’s attention. Those observations informed Volume, a fictional music magazine with an inaugural issue dedicated to David Bowie.
“I knew I wanted to create something that had a lot of energy and boldness,” she said. “The research really shaped my vision and execution for this project.”
Her process involved constant revisions, experiments and restarts, each one strengthening the final piece.
“I’m proud of the time and effort I put into this,” she added. “It felt never ending, but it reflects my dedication and attention to detail.”
Throughout, she leaned on faculty mentorship. “I asked endless questions. I’m so thankful to have such talented designers supporting me and giving such strong guidance. Their feedback gave me the confidence to push my ideas further and make this project my best work.”
Meanwhile, Lancaster, who earned two silver ADDYs, followed a distinct but equally tactile path. Her poster for PBS: Public Broadcasting Service celebrates the nostalgic line from Arthur, “Having fun isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card.” Created with physical date stamps, the project grew from memories of “checking out” books at home while her mother, a school librarian, instilled a love for libraries.
“One of the requirements for the poster was to create it with physical elements, like the stamps for the type,” she said. “This pushed me outside of my comfort zone but taught me the value of tactile elements that truly bring projects to life, which I have pursued in my projects since.”
She also built a branding system for Kaleidoscope, a fictional interior design company rooted in her own initials, KAL. Once she settled on the name, she saw the opportunity to use vibrant colors and put an emphasis on personality.
“My process always starts with as many ideas and sketches as I can draw,” Lancaster said. “Once I settled on the basic logo, I was able to expand into different applications to have it be unique but versatile in use. The colors and feel were more of a personal representation than my other branding projects.”
The recognition affirmed her sense of direction. “Winning an ADDY was an encouragement to me that I’m on the right path even when things get tiring,” she said.
For the faculty who teach these students, the awards represent more than trophies.
“It’s always exciting to see our students’ work recognized by such an established organization,” said René Zimny, assistant professor of graphic design. “Beyond the honor itself, the recognition offers more than a showcase of their talent; it provides an opportunity to view work from peers at other institutions and connect with professionals from some of Birmingham’s top agencies.”
Samford’s graphic design program emphasizes hands on learning, industry engagement and real-world project experience, and all are central to Samford’s mission and culture. The Wall Street Journal ranked Samford 3rd in the nation for career preparation and 7th for learning opportunities, the highest rankings of any university in Alabama.
Samford’s nine winners remind us that a good design is not just polished. It is researched, iterated, hand- built and often deeply personal. Their work, created in classrooms and studios, now stands alongside some of Birmingham’s top talent, continuing a legacy years in the making.
2026 ADDY Student Winners
Gold Awards
Hope Presley, junior — Zeedog Pet Accessories
Category: Stationery Package — Single or Multiple Pieces
Erin Elliott, junior — Volume magazine, David Bowie feature
Category: Cover/Editorial Spread or Feature — Series
Silver Awards
Madeline Walters, junior — Papier Holiday Rebrand Packaging
Category: Packaging
Kendal Lane, junior — “The Porch” CD Design
Category: Packaging
Emily Coburn, junior — TrueHue Packaging Series
Category: Packaging
Anna Baldwin, senior — The Gift of More
Category: Book Design
Kathryn Lancaster, junior — PBS Library Support Poster
Category: Poster — Single
Kathryn Lancaster, junior — Kaleidoscope Branding
Category: Logo Design
Jorja Haddox, senior — Waitress Campaign
Category: Outdoor & Transit Advertising — Campaign
Seth Stalcup, sophomore — A Quiet Place poster
Category: Illustration — Single
