UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Third-year graphic design student Taylor Kuszyk has earned national recognition for her work, collecting two honorable mentions in the 2021 University and College Designers Association (UCDA) Design Awards and another in Graphex 52, the 52nd annual Regional Design Award Exhibition sponsored by the Art Directors Club of Tulsa.

1. CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Visit Penn State's virus information website to keep up with the
latest from the University on the global coronavirus outbreak.
Graphic design student earns
honorable mentions in national
design competitions
Taylor Kuszyk's book cover design for "Black Swan," which earned an
honorable mention in the 2021 University and College Designers Association
Design Awards in the student classroom work category.
Image: Penn State
September 16, 2021
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Third-year graphic design student Taylor Kuszyk has earned
national recognition for her work, collecting two honorable mentions in the 2021
University and College Designers Association (UCDA) Design Awards and another in

2. Graphex 52, the 52nd annual Regional Design Award Exhibition sponsored by the Art
Directors Club of Tulsa.
Her “Black Swan” book cover and vinyl cover for a Taylor Swift album earned the UCDA
honors in the student classroom work category.
“[The book cover] represents the main ballerina's internal conflict between the black and
white swan. This cover shows the pure white swan's metamorphosis into the twisted,
encroaching black swan that consumes her whole,” Kuszyk said.
She completed the book cover in her "Design Foundation 2" course with Emily Burns,
assistant professor of graphic design, during the spring of 2020 as a first-year student.
For the vinyl cover design, which was for Burns' "Experimental Type in Package Design"
course in fall 2020, Kuszyk incorporates her interpretation of Taylor Swift’s songs and
the emotions that the songs convey.
“I loved playing around with a kaleidoscope pattern that included typography from
stamps, color and shapes (from paper) to represent the multidimensionality of Taylor
Swift's songs,” she said. “I used these elements to convey all of the colorful emotions
and lyrics one can feel when they are listening to this collection of songs.”
Kuszyk’s designed a Beach Boys concert poster for Burns' "Brand Systems with Analog
Tools" course in fall 2020 as part of a larger brand identity system with multiple
deliverables. For her efforts, Kuszyk earned an honorable mention in the print category
Kuszyk's design for a Taylor Swift
vinyl cover incorporates her
interpretation of Swift’s songs and
the emotions that the songs
convey.
IMAGE: PENN STATE

3. of the Graphex 52 awards. She used moon sand to create lettering and was able to
create the entire piece using 3D imagery.
“I wanted to mold sand and create a set to capture the persona and energy a Beach
Boys concert would exude. This taught me that I do not need to solely rely on digital
designs to create something successful,” Kuszyk said.
According to Kuszyk, her work reflects creativity and thought, and incorporates a variety
of imagery and patterns.
Kuszyk used moon sand to create
lettering in her Beach Boys concert
poster design and was able to
create the entire piece using 3D
imagery.
IMAGE: PENN STATE

4. Katherine Dietrich, Communications Assistant, kpd5321@psu.edu
Pamela Krewson Wertz, pmk128@psu.edu
“I am very honored to have received these awards because I feel that they reflect all of
the hard work I put into them. I feel that each project pushed me in a different way to
become a stronger designer,” Kuszyk said. “I am very proud to be a part of the Penn
State graphic design program. It is an amazing program and a perfect fit for me.”
The UCDA Design Awards honor the best work in educational design — print, digital,
illustration, photography and student competitions — over the past year. The awards are
selected by a handful of designers, photographers and illustrators.
The Art Directors Club Tulsa is a nonprofit organization that inspires creativity in
advertising and art communities. Each year, the organization hosts the Graphex Awards,
a creative awards competition that honors the work of students and professionals.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Third-year graphic design student
Taylor Kuszyk
IMAGE: PROVIDED

5. Work Phone: 814-865-9512
Twitter Handle: @StuckemanNews
Last Updated September 17, 2021