GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Amy Johnson wowed the advertising community with a book chronicling the letters exchanged between her grandfather, William Raubinger, and his youngest brother Freddy during World War II.
Johnson won the student Best of Show Addy award on Thursday, Feb. 20 for her book, "Letters, lost then found," which she designed around the correspondence she found in her grandfather's belongings after he died.
More than 400 professionals and students attended the awards program - the local industry's version of the Oscars - at the Grand Rapids Art Museum by the American Advertising Federation of West Michigan.
The competition is the first level of a three-tiered national competition conducted annually by the American Advertising Federation.
"My grandfather was the bigger winner," said Johnson, who dedicated the book to Raubinger, a circulation manager for The Grand Rapids Press for 30 years, and the Saginaw News for 20 years.
He kept all the letters he received from his brother, Lt. Frederick J. "Buzz Boy Pete" Raubinger, who fought in the CBI (China Burma India) Theater and died in a plane crash as he was returning home. Her grandfather also kept copies of the typed and written letters he sent. Johnson added context to the story by adding historical facts.
Next, she'll set her sights on the publishing industry in hopes of find a company willing to print the book, which she describes as a story about "a 19 year old boy that did not come home, and an older brother that cared so much."
Johnson is finishing up her BFA in graphic design at Kendall College of Art & Design, after a 17-year job working as a contract graphic artist with Steelcase ended in 2007, and her lack of formal education kept her from being considered for jobs in her field.
She spent last summer creating the 202-page book, under the tutelage of Suzanne Jonkman, her professor in her publication design class.
The professional Best of Show went to the firm Eskimo for its two-minute commercial "Brewed for Us" for Founders Brewing Co.
The award-winning commercial, which hasn't aired on television and likely won't, is on the Grand Rapids company's website.
For the third year in a row, Extra Credit Projects took home the most awards. It collected even more awards than last year for advertising campaigns for Zondervan, Mary Free Bed, Singapore Dunes, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and a public service campaign honoring South African leader Nelson Mandela after his death.
For the Nelson Mandela PSA, the firm had only 24 hours to prepare the Outdoor Advertising Association of America campaign, which was shown on digital screens across the country including in an L-train station in Chicago.
"We wanted it to be bold and colorful like his life," said Rob Jackson, the firm's creative director, of the Nelson Mandela PSA campaign. "We made an impact and people loved it."
This year, there were fewer awards given out than last year.
In total, 31 gold and 29 silver Addy awards were given out, along with 6 gold and 8 silver Addy awards in the student category. All the student winners study at Kendall College of Art & Design.
LIST OF WINNERS
2013 Best of Show Addy Award winners:
• The 2014 Best of Show ADDY Award winners was the agency Eskimo for the Founders "Brewed For Us" Video, and the student winner was Amy Johnson for "LETTERS lost then found"
2014 Judges' Choice Addy Award winners:
• Professional: Public Service Extra Credit Projects, "Nelson Mandela outdoor campaign"
• Professional: Experiential Extra Credit Projects, "Mary Free Bed Groundbreaking Shovel"
• Professional: Agency Promotion DO MORE GOOD @ Hanon McKendry, "Holiday card – Heart Mittens"
• Professional: Point of Sale Meijer, "Rocker Turkey"
• Professional: Photography Mitch Ranger Photography, "Founders Stacks Up"
• Professional: Client Courage Fairly Painless Advertising, "Fox Motors"
• Student: Creative Use of Media Nicholas Tisch, "Iditarod Campaign"
• Student: Best Integrated Campaign Drake Evans, "No Stadiums - Annual Dakar Race Campaign"
Who took home the most awards:
• Extra Credit Projects - 16 awards: 9 Gold and 7 Silver ADDY Awards
• Fairly Painless Advertising - 7 awards: 1 Gold and 6 Silver ADDY Awards
• DRIVEN - 5 awards: 1 Gold and 4 Silver ADDY Awards
Gregg Palazzolo, owner of Palazzolo Design Group, was recognized as the 2014 AAF West Michigan Silver Medal Award winner for his contributions to the West Michigan advertising industry.
A complete list of AAFWMI 2014 ADDY Award winners can be found at aafwmi.org.
Shandra Martinez covers business for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. Email her or follow her on Twitter @shandramartinez.