The downtown club, SoGo Live, was transformed into a chic venue for the 2006 ADDY Awards on Saturday night. Instead of a DJ and strobe lights, the entertainment was provided by local advertisers – their work was creatively displayed on the TV screens.
The evening’s theme, “Westminster ADDYs: Best in Show,” was carried from the video footage to the dog tags worn by the guests.
Throughout the event, guests learned the winners of innovative ads by Baton Rouge advertisers. The advertisers were required to not only properly execute an ad but to present creative flair that was unique to the specific advertisement.
Elizabeth Perry, District Student ADDY Coordinator, said it is not enough for an ad to be well executed – it must be creative as well.
“Creativity is the main adjective,” Perry said. “A piece simply won’t win if the creative element is not there.”
Such high standards have earned the ADDYs high prestige with advertising contemporaries and employers. The level of competition with the ADDYs grows after the local title has been earned. A district competition is held in a four- to five-state region, and the winner of this competition will advance to nationals in Washington, D.C.
“When an advertiser reaches the national level, clients like Budweiser and Sony will be represented,” Perry said.
Perry said that the student entry in the competition is great because it will help secure the upcoming designers with a good base upon which to build.
“The work we receive from LSU is very strong, especially the work from graphic designers,” Perry said. “I highly encourage the students to continue to contribute to the show, because an ADDY on a resume says a lot about a student’s capabilities.”
Gerald Bower, graphic design teacher at LSU, said the student will first complete an assignment in the curriculum and then enter that assignment in the competition.
“The students are working through their student careers and doing a great job,” Bower said.
The Graphic Design Student Office is the main student organization that contributes to the ADDYs. Isral Duke, junior studio art major and a designer with the GDSO, said he was surprised to be at the awards show.
“I’m really excited to be here. I didn’t even know that my work had been submitted to the ADDYs,” Duke said.
Duke worked with Alise Johnson, a studio art major, to create the LSU School of Art and Design pamphlet that highlighted the floor plan and building progress of a Habitat for Humanity home that was recently completed. The success of the publication was so great that 3,000 additional copies were made.
“We are indebted to our teachers that have this knowledge upon us and appreciative of the trust our clients have given to us,” Duke said.
The pamphlet received an ADDY award, and the GDSO brought home three ADDYs overall.
Winners in the student division of the ADDYs included Miranda Lemon, Lindsay Drude, Erin Olcsvary, Colleen Landry, Brandon Jantz and Grant Hulbert.
 
Contact Mary Helen Crumpler at mcrumpler@lsureveille.com