Twelve Hours Later, MKAD Students Have a Trophy

Marketing & Design students took home a first-place trophy after 12 hours of deadline-driven design and marketing.

Two SCTCC teams headed to Alexandria Technical & Community College for the 12-Hour Design Challenge hosted by AAF Central Minnesota. The teams of four started at 8:30 a.m. with a creative brief explaining a non-profit organization’s mission and unique marketing needs.

This year’s non-profit was Smokey Timbers, a camp in Miltona, MN, that offers youth, family, and school groups a place to learn about the environment. It’s a 21+-acre camp that contains nature trails throughout its woods, along with natural lake shore on Lake Miltona.

After the brief, the teams’ mission was to develop a mission-focused marketing strategy that included deliverables by 8:30 p.m., just 12 hours later. At that time, teams presented designs and working strategies to judges from the local industry.

“This opportunity helped me grow both creatively and professionally, and I feel even more prepared to step into the workforce with confidence. I'm grateful to AAF and Alexandria Technical & Community College for organizing and hosting this event!” stated Rachel Foos.

Foos, along with Grace Houston, Jackson Lietha, and Lexi McKay (Team CycoGraphix) created brand guidelines, a mascot (Timber the raccoon), a logo, and submark. Using this foundation, they created a handout and several social posts.

Ava Peters, Abbi Graves-Petron, Lily Chouinard, and Lana Edwards (Team TNG Leadership) created stickers, postcards, a tri-fold handout, and several social posts.

After the presentations, Team CycoGraphix’s strategy and designs were chosen for first place.

“This was the most challenging experience I’ve faced as a marketing and design student,” said Lietha. “It was nerve-wracking and intense at times, but in the end, we were all incredibly proud of the final result (yay first place). This project has boosted my confidence tremendously, and I highly recommend that everyone push themselves beyond their comfort zones. It was 100% worth the time and effort.”

The competition is an effort to show students the real-life aspects of the marketing and design industry, which include deadlines, budget changes, strong client opinions, and creative challenges.