Hunter Young’s design video illustrating the words of a poem won the CA typography award. This is his second award from Communications Arts.
Hunter Young has made history as the first BYU Graphic Design student to win entry into the prestigious Communication Arts (CA) Design Annual twice while still being an undergrad. Most recently he won the magazine’s typography competition for his video titled “Strike.” “To be chosen at all for a CA award is a huge honor, let alone to be selected twice in a row. I did not think that would happen, and I am really grateful. It has motivated me to keep pushing myself and to not be shy of applying for more awards,” Young said. “Strike” is based on a video Young saw of a homeless man reciting a poem while sitting alone on a bench in New York City during a snowstorm. “I really loved the contrast between the powerful message and the harsh environment and knew that I wanted to create something with it. I wanted to shed some light on this man and his words,” Young said. Young said that he’s grateful for the help he’s had as he has worked on this and other projects. BYU professor Brent Barson mentored Young and helped him figure out design decisions as well as some of the animation in the video. Young also wanted to thank his wife, Myra Young, who he said patiently watched his video nearly a hundred times and gave him helpful feedback throughout the process. “Design is hard and frustrating, but it brings me a lot of joy, and I love it,” Young said. Young’s first Communication Arts win was for a rebranding project for the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry involving an interchangeable logo system. The project was named, “OMSI,” after the museum. Young, who is from Portland, Oregon, said the museum had a big influence on him when he was growing up, and he wanted to rebrand it because it was due for a change. Young received the award for his “OMSI” project earlier this year.