Lycoming College student named winner of international advertising competition

Lycoming College commercial design major, Nam Do ’18, won the 2018 Young Globals Student Competition, an international student advertising competition sponsored by New York Festivals International. Do will be honored at the annual Global Awards Ceremony in New York City in November 2018.

The Global Awards invites students from the world's top portfolio, design and technology schools to build a career in the advertising industry and help agencies transform healthcare advertising. In conjunction with The Partnership for Drug-Free Kids, "Pushing Back on Opioids” was chosen as the theme for this year’s challenge. The prize is a Global Award and a summer internship at one of the sponsoring agencies, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness, and CALCIUM advertising agencies.

Do’s winning design, “The Opioid Gang,” caught the attention of the judges for its originality and appeal to the target audience. He also impressed judges with “demonstrated nuances” in his approach and an open mind for potentials.

Fran Pollaro of The New York Festivals said this was the “toughest competition in our four-year existence,” pointing out that Do is the first single-person team win, giving him a choice of internships. Do has opted for a summer internship as a creative intern at Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness in New York City.

Lycoming College commercial design students all complete a professional internship to gain real world experience, and design students are encouraged to enter local, national and international design contests. In addition to the Global Awards, Do recently won first place in a national contest to design the 2018 logo and poster for the annual film festival Tech Doc Fest, based in Seattle.

A Vietnamese international student, Do came to the United States in 2014 to pursue an education that would allow him to explore passions and broaden his horizon. His love for arts and culture has brought him places, from a semester abroad in Berlin to an upcoming art history course in Barcelona. This passion, together with inspirations from his family, friends and the community at Lycoming College, has motivated him to pursue visual communications and declare a second major in art in his senior year. Nam hopes to work in advertising and use his creativity to support meaningful causes in the future.

“I was already at a loss for words when finding out I was a finalist, let alone the winner of this prestigious competition. It was astonishing. [And it was] Hard to believe that only one year ago, I was telling myself, ‘Nam, học vẽ đi mày, không thì làm giám đốc sáng tạo bằng niềm đấy!’ (‘Nam, you really need to start learning graphic design!’),” said Do. “It has been an eventful year, and now I feel so much more confident in my abilities.

“I have been working hard, but all of this would not have been possible were it not for the inspirations, feedback and unconditional support that I have received from others. A big part of this is thanks to Lynn (Estomin), who has been there for me since the first day I learned to use Photoshop, through the countless journeys, and who introduced me to this competition; to the faculty, staff and students of the art department at Lycoming, who welcomed me like a lost child having just found his way home and who constantly inspire me to pursue excellence; to my roommates, friends, and to the staff at ITS who root for me wherever I go. This win is not mine. This win is ours.”