By Alexandra Brewer | Arts & Life Writer
Baylor University’s graphic design students stood out on a national stage and brought home top awards from the National Student Show and Conference (NSSC), a long-running competition and conference hosted by the Dallas Society of Visual Communications.
The event brings together college design students from across the country to learn from industry professionals, tour agencies and compete for scholarships and national recognition.
Genaro Solis Rivero, assistant professor of art, has taken students to the conference for the past three years. In that time, interest from the art department has grown steadily.
“We began with seven students,” Solis Rivero said. “Last year was 12, and now there are 15. Interest has been growing.”
Baylor’s success at NSSC is especially notable given the size and structure of its program. Graphic design at Baylor is a concentration within the BFA in studio art, not a standalone BFA in graphic design, as it is at many larger schools.
“When we go and compete against these nationally recognized schools with a bigger program and our students are outperforming those, that’s a big achievement,” Solis Rivero said.
This year, four Baylor students had five design pieces selected as finalists. From that group, Baylor students earned two best in category awards: Austin senior CJ Kaltwasser was named best in branding and Tokyo senior Karen Koyama was named best in illustration.
All four finalists are pursuing their BFA in studio art with a concentration in graphic design, and each has taken classes with Solis Rivero.
“The branding piece came out of an identity design course, and the illustration came from a painting class,” Solis Rivero said. “It really speaks to the quality of our students and the competitive nature of what we are doing as a department.”
Although she is a graphic design major, Koyama earned the title for an oil painting, which she said opened her eyes to how her skills can overlap.
“Being recognized at NSSC allowed me to see new possibilities,” Koyama said. “This gave me confidence that I can use oil painting and illustration as skills and strengths in my future design work.”
Her winning piece features a horse to symbolize a deeper meaning.
“The central figure was a horse, representing memories shaped by labor,” Koyama said. “While horses often symbolize freedom and cooperation, I depicted a horse standing still, with time etched into its body. Rather than weakness, it’s about history and resilience.”
To enter the National Student Show, students submit their work to a jury of creative directors, who will review the submissions and select finalists. Those pieces are displayed in an exhibition during the three-day conference.
On the second night of the event, organizers announced the winners in each category, along with special awards such as judges’ choice and best of school.
Solis Rivero said that his students have their eyes on the best of school honor. To receive it, a program typically needs four to five best in category wins in a single year.
“Last year we began with one,” Solis Rivero said. “This year we have two. So next year, three, and we’ll see. We’re building.”
He expressed how the experience of hearing directly from professionals and walking through real studios helps students connect what they’re learning in the classroom with the realities of the field.
“When they visit the agencies and studios, it kind of clicks with what they hear here at the school,” Solis Rivero said. “It becomes real for them.”
That shift is easy to see when they return to campus. He notices students begin to take more creative risks and show a stronger sense of direction in their work. It also provides a sense of motivation to apply to future competitions.
“The confidence, their willingness to try new things – it just gives them a 180,” Solis Rivero said. “They actually become another student, another designer, another person.”
