Advertising and graphic design students will come together for the Yardsticks annual student advertising competition tonight from 7 to 9 p.m.

Michigan advertising and graphic design professionals will critique student work from all around Michigan. This year the judges include Bill McKendry from Hanon McKendry, Tom Crimp from Auxiliary and Yang Kim from Peopledesign. All three are local Grand Rapids professionals.

The competition will take place at 38 Weston St. SW in Grand Rapids. Admission is free and open to all members of the community. The event provides the opportunity for students to network with professional advertising and design companies.

Twenty students from each category entered the competition and the judges will choose the three winners, one from each category: advertisting, design and mock up, which is a new addition this year.

The Yardsticks is sponsored by the Polishing Center, a 15-week workshop founded by Frank Blossom that gives students the opportunity to be taught by creative professionals.

“Grand Valley State University has had the most participants and general attendees for the last two years,” said Kendra Lokker, Yardsticks Event Coordinator.

Last year, 80 students submitted work from Grand Valley State University; 120 attended the competition. This year, the competition is preparing to host more attendees.

The mock up category, which features designs created without computer programs in an attempt to broaden the number of competitors, encourages students to design anything.

“Mock up is for students that don’t have a lot of experience with graphic design programs,” Lokker said. “Mock up allows them to do a rough sketch of an ad just like how they would want it to look in a design program.”

Those who entered the competition turned their work in at the beginning of October with applications on a first-come, first-serve basis. Next year, Yardsticks will accept applications around the same time.

“Most of the students who attend are advertising and graphic design majors,” Lokker said. “It’s just a really laid-back and casual environment where students can network and talk to design professionals about anything from internships and hiring or about their own experiences.”

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