Recent High School Graduate Earns Chance to Work on Ad with DC Comics

TROY, Mich., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ — The International Academy of Design & Technology (the Academy) in Troy has welcomed a new student to its school who was recently named the winner of the “2009 Design Scholarship Challenge.” Shane McCallion was among the finalists who flew to San Diego to visit Comic-Con 2009 last month. While there, they presented their submissions to a panel of judges and McCallion was announced as the recipient of the national prize.

The contestants, who were a mix of young men and women, displayed their original designs to the judges. Some drew by hand and others produced computer-generated graphics, all inspired by the DC Comics graphic novel, “Absolute Justice.” DC Comics provided a library of assets for the contestants to use and they were free to develop their concepts based on their interpretation and research. The winner, McCallion, expressed his own intrigue in the dark side of the series by coming up with the caption: “Which side will you serve?” He combined elements of good vs. evil in his depiction of three classic heroes and their rivals.

The judging criterion was based on execution against the creative brief, creativity/originality, aesthetics, the design process and the presentation to the panel. The final round was conducted by a national panel including representatives from DC Comics.

“Shane showed ingenuity and creativity, as well as a unique approach to the challenge,” said Steve Rotterdam, senior vice president of sales & marketing for DC Comics.

Source: The International Academy of Design & Technology