A Winning Illustration

The first place winner of the Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix 2014 official poster illustration contest is Sean Proakis (CVHS 2005). Sean is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh and expects to graduate in March 2014.  He is from Carnegie, and a graduate of Chartiers Valley High School.

Sean worked under the faculty direction of Mark Bender, member of faculty and also a graduate of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. Mark Bender has been recognized by Communication Arts Magazine, 3X3 Magazine, Archive 200 Best Illustrators, Creative Quarterly and the New York Society of Illustrators, Mark has been included in the society’s annual exhibitions and in Original Art, the best in children’s book illustration. A member of both the NY Society of Illustrators and the Pittsburgh Society of Illustrators, his clients include The Boston Globe, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC, Federated Investors, Heinz USA, NPR, Sony Music and Simon & Schuster.

The spring and fall Graphic Design classes of 2013 submitted over 25 designs for consideration.

According to the PVGP’s Dan DelBianco, “We have enjoyed working with Mark Bender on posters in the past and with Mark as the instructor this seemed like a great way to open up the opportunity to the tremendous young talent here in Pittsburgh. We provided the students with a history of the Grand Prix and showed them the range of posters created over the last 30 years."

The winning artwork and artist will receive a great amount of exposure and publicity. The poster art will serve as the brand of the 2014 Grand Prix on billboards, race programs, t-shirts, advertising and promotions.

The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix is a 10-day festival in July 2014 and is presented by Shop N Save. Details are available at the PVGP website http://www.pvgp.org.

--

Via Carrie Butler for The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

L to R

Rob Straw, Photography Faculty, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

Mark Bender, Graphic Design Faculty, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

Sean Proakis, Graphic Design student, The Art Institute of Pittsburgh

Doris Short (Adjunct Faculty AIP Graphic Design and AIGA President)
Greg Coll (Graphic Design Professional- AIGA sponsorship coordinator)