Three Montana State University seniors have received national recognition for their graphic design work, placing among the top 10% of more than 6,000 applicants in the 2025 American Graphic Design Awards. The students—Sasha Maguire, Shelby Thompson, and Cassidy Ward—are all part of MSU’s College of Arts and Architecture.
The Graphic Design USA competition is now in its 62nd year and includes both established agencies and individual designers. This marks the second time that three MSU students from the college have been recognized with awards.
“We are extremely proud of these students and our graphic design program,” said School of Art director Josh DeWeese. “Once again, they are being recognized nationally for their excellent work.”
Maguire was honored for her series titled “Women Who Design: Bozeman, MT.” The project compiles interviews, photographs, and samples from female designers in Bozeman to highlight their experiences entering the industry. “I love supporting women. I want to build them up, show their work, show their talent and inspire other women to design,” Maguire said. She is originally from Fryeburg, Maine.
Her project has expanded to include women in architecture, apparel, and interior design. Maguire plans further interviews as part of an independent study with assistant professor William Culpepper. She received $3,000 in grant funding from MSU’s Undergraduate Scholars Program (USP) and shared her research at the university’s Student Research Celebration last year. Her work also appeared in Curiositas, MSU’s undergraduate research journal.
Maguire intends to host a spring open house connecting local designers with each other and MSU students. She envisions expanding her book series to new locations where she may live in the future.
Shelby Thompson earned her second American Graphic Design Award this year by proposing a collaboration between Duolingo and Delta Airlines aimed at integrating language learning into air travel. In Culpepper’s professional studio course at MSU, Thompson designed digital advertisements using Duolingo’s mascot and suggested travelers could earn Delta SkyMiles through language achievements on Duolingo while accessing lessons during flights.
“I’ll tell the class, ‘Rip me to shreds. Tell me it looks bad, so I can make it better,’” Thompson said about receiving feedback from classmates during critiques. “Getting feedback from people is super important, and I know them so well, so they’re not afraid to give constructive criticism. Everybody wants to see you succeed.”
Last year Thompson rebranded Gallatin Valley Land Trust for GDUSA; she credits switching majors from STEM fields after a friend introduced her to graphic design as key to finding her path.
Cassidy Ward created an award-winning campaign imagining a partnership between Clif Bar company and the National Park Service with branding under the tagline “Fueling the adventure.” Ward developed packaging designs featuring Smokey Bear wearing a ranger hat marked with “CLIF,” along with park signage and patches.
“It was very rewarding to see this project come together in a believable fashion, and I enjoyed working with two existing visual systems to design something new,” Ward said.
Assistant professor William Culpepper commented on his students’ success: “Our students create professional quality work that stands alongside work from peer design programs across the country, from Shelby and Cassidy’s collaborative branding project to Sasha’s research elevating awareness of women designers,” he said. “This showcases both their talent and the strength of our program.”