Michelle Winey is runner-up in poster design competition

Do you strive under the pressure of competition? Well, Millersville student Michelle Winey does. Winey, a junior at Millersville University, an Art major with a concentration in design, was the runner-up in the Society of Design Poster Competition for internationally renowned designer Chip Kidd. She competed against design professionals currently working in the industry and was the only student to win accolades. Winey said that she felt she had nothing to lose, and she did not even feel so much pressure going up against the pros.

This was Winey’s first design competition and she said, “It was very exciting and surprising to find out she was the runner-up in the Society of Design Poster Competition,” Winey said. Her design professor was the one who encouraged the students to do the competition, not only as a good learning experience but also as a good chance to see what to expect competing against professionals. “It felt very exciting to be the only student to win accolades and to be chosen as the runner-up, especially because the designer himself picked out the winning posters.”

Typically, when a noted designer has a speaking job, he or she designs a poster to promote the event. The newly formed Society of Design tried something different: Putting out a call for entries to its membership to create the poster, with the winner to be selected by the speaker, Kidd.

Newly founded Society of Design is a non-profit organization dedicated to multi-disciplinary design education and community service. The organization strives to elevate and expand the discourse on design while providing inspiration to its members and the general public through an annual speakers series of trips, exhibits, and other initiatives.

Additionally, a core element of the organization’s commitment to the Greater Central Pennsylvania community is a requirement where all members agree to volunteer their design skills for the benefit of other non-profits in the region. The Society of Design is a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Non-Profit Organizations (PANO).