MSU student Young Sun Compton, a senior in the BFA in Graphic Design program, was one of the top ten finalists in a nationwide design competition hosted by Princeton University on February 28, 2009.

The competition – part of a larger conference focusing on environmentally green and sustainable design – The Better Design Conference – was open to students in both undergraduate and graduate programs and drew entries from prestigious schools such as Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia, Rhode Island School of Design, Penn State, and the School of Visual Arts in New York. Professor John Luttropp, MSU Graphic Design Program Director, accompanied Young Sun to Princeton, along with Assistant Professor Anthony Inciong and graphic design student Andrew Schaen.

The student attendees were asked to design a poster promoting the theme of sustainability. Young Sun’s submission was both subtle and lyrical in its dual expression of sky and water, and carried a positive message of hope. The poster generated praise from the judges, preeminent scholars and professionals in the field of graphic design, among them William Drentel, Jessica Helfand, and Abbot Miller. Young Sun’s poster also drew intense interest from the other students attending the conference.