Students Take Honors in EDPA International Student Design Competition

Two interior architecture and product design students from K-State were among the top five winners at the 2007 Exhibit Designers and Producers Association (EDPA) International Student Design Competition.

Judges chose the entry by Heather Wise, a third-year student from Bucyrus, KS, as the second-place winner. She received a $2,500 tuition scholarship. Kathryn Steib, a third-year student from St. Louis, placed fourth in the competition. Both students received a complete design software package from Autodesk and opportunities for paid internships with sponsoring companies.

Professors Allan Hastings and Steve Davidson were studio instructors for the projects. According to Hastings, there were several exciting solutions in the combined class of approximately 28 students. Hastings said, “Heather’s entry was most unique, employing the use of a visual connection to the proposed new games that gave the user a feeling of immersion within the game elements. The exhibit had a professional quality using very well designed graphics.”

“Katy’s entry had a very architectural quality,” Hastings noted. “It used a modular building system that allowed the exhibit to be fabricated completely in an exhibit facility, then shipped ready for set up on site by joining the modules. The judges were impressed with this solution, as it addressed the high cost of on-site labor,” he said.

This year’s competition challenged the student competitors to design a 60’ x 80’ booth launching a fictional company and five of its video games at the 2007 Gaming and Electronic Expo. Judging was based on effectiveness of the design on the trade show floor, audience experience and engagement and creative ingenuity. “The entries were very impressive, had great overall architectural feel and were very creative,” according to the panel of three jurors.

The EDPA is an international organization providing a unified voice for member companies that design, build, install, service and transport portable, modular and custom exhibits for the trade show industry. The competition’s primary purpose is to generate awareness among university students about exhibit design as a career.

For more information, contact:
Allan Hastings, 785.532.2485
Steve Davidson, 785.532.5992
Diane Potts, 785/532-1090