CREDIT: MELANIE ANDERSON
Kayla Watson, right, holds up her award she won for her design entitled “Young, Fresh, Profesh.”

Kayla Watson describes herself as a visual problem solver, and her hard work as a graphic designer for the Interrobang paid off. The graduate of Fanshawe's Graphic Design program was recognized at this year's John H. McDonald Gala in Toronto for her layout and design of an article entitled "Young, Fresh, Profesh." The award was presented during the Canadian University Press national conference in Toronto in January.

Watson was surprised to hear the news, "(I was) kind of shocked, but excited for the whole team, it's pretty awesome that we got nominated and actually won, so that's amazing; it's a pretty big deal."

The article was featured in Interrobang's March 2012 Job Hunt issue. It's an infographic that clearly and creatively details how students can dress to look fresh and professional for a job interview. In clean columns and sections, the design illustrates everything from what to wear to how much makeup to apply. Watson said her work is clean, minimal, and needs to have a purpose, and her aesthetic is clearly visible in this design.

"Kayla likes a challenge, and you can really tell that she took full range on this one to make sure it came across visually," said Fanhsawe Student Union creative director Darby Mousseau.

The spread won in the Layout/Design category, one of 14 awards announced at the Gala held at the Toronto Reference Library on January 12. Watson's entry was up against two other finalists who also demonstrated excellence in imaginative and informative design and illustration. Factors the judges used to determine a winner were use of colour, artistry, text positioning, fonts, typography, clarity and impact.

Watson is currently a digital designer for Arcane, a London-based digital marketing company.

Even with her current success, Watson is hoping to take another step in her education. "I want to take a marketing course and I want to be super, super good at everything, I want to learn more about how users experience something as opposed to just the design side of things."

The John H. McDonald Awards are the only awards in Canada recognizing excellence in student journalism from across the nation.