Happy Accidents & Hawt Salmon: T-Birds Accept IDA in Norway
Published: July 23, 2025 | Author: Kol Gibson | Read Time: 4 minutes
According to the late, great Bob Ross, “There are no mistakes, just happy accidents.” That sentiment couldn’t be more fitting for the student-led design team behind Kolob Canyon Review (KCR), Southern Utah University’s literary and arts journal. What started as a mistaken checkbox on an award entry form led to an unforgettable journey to Oslo, Norway, where the 2024 edition of KCR received a Bronze International Design Award (IDA) in the professional category.
As it turns out, when submitting the application, faculty advisor Professor Brock Landrum accidentally entered the journal into the professional division instead of the student category. But the jury didn’t mind–KCR’s bold design held its own against global industry leaders. In May, Brock and two of his recent graduates, DJ Wilson (‘24) and Aimee Barton (‘25), traveled to Norway to accept the award in person.
“Traveling to Oslo to receive the award was surreal,” said DJ, who served as Art Director for Volume 32. “But winning a professional award while still a student felt very validating. We had a vision for KCR. We stuck with it, and it paid off.”
Under Brock’s mentorship, DJ and Aimee led a team of 20 fellow Graphic Design students through long nights and big creative risks. They even designed their own custom typefaces to create what they affectionately call the “Hawt Salmon Edition.” Their efforts didn’t go unnoticed. In addition to the IDA, Volume 32 earned a University & College Design Association (UCDA) Silver Award and an Applied Arts Design Award.
“Sometimes I’m not very confident in my work,” Aimee admitted, “so hearing that our designs held up against professionals was a really cool experience. I’m proud of our team. It wasn’t just one person who made it happen. It was all of us, working together.”
Now the Art Director for Kolob Canyon Review Volume 33, Aimee’s confidence has grown, and so has her ambition. This year’s issue has already been entered into several professional competitions, on purpose this time. “Mistakes happen, and I learned this past year that that’s okay,” she said. “What matters is that you keep going.”
Brock is quick to emphasize that while the awards are exciting, they’re not the end goal. “My favorite part of teaching is watching students develop into confident professionals,” he said. “If they ever doubt their ability to find work in this industry, all they have to do is reflect on the fact that their work is already being celebrated by professionals, alongside professionals.”
He’s also grateful to SUU for investing in its students and supporting their growth on such a global stage. “Having a university and a dean that backs students with opportunities like this is priceless,” he said.
For DJ, the experience was transformative. “KCR kickstarted a shift in how I see myself as both a designer and a creative director. Since then, I’ve worked on everything from branding small businesses to larger campaigns. I focus now on storytelling, adding personality and purpose to each project.”
Both DJ and Aimee credit the Kolob Canyon Review and SUU’s design faculty with setting them up for success. “SUU’s Graphic Design program gave me the freedom to explore and figure out what kind of designer I want to be,” DJ said. “The faculty genuinely cares. They believed in me, pushed me, gave honest feedback, and let me try weird ideas. That’s where my best work came from.”
To learn more about the Kolob Canyon Review, please visit www.kolobcanyonreview.com.
About the College of Performing and Visual Arts
The College of Performing and Visual Arts (CPVA) at Southern Utah University comprises 41 academic programs including liberal arts (BA/BS) and professional (BFA, BM, BMEd) degrees in art, design, dance, filmmaking, music, and theatre. It includes graduate programs in the fields of arts administration (MFA, MA), music education (MME), and music technology (MM). More than 60 full-time faculty and staff are engaged in teaching and mentoring over 900 majors in the College. CPVA presents over 100 performances, lectures, presentations, and exhibitions each year which are complemented by the Southern Utah Museum of Art (SUMA) and Shakespeare Studies at SUU, and is affiliated with the Tony award-winning Utah Shakespeare Festival (USF). Southern Utah University is an accredited member of the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), National Association of Schools of Dance (NASD), National Association of Schools of Music (NASM), and the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) making SUU the first public university in the state of Utah to be accredited by all four associations. For more information about the College of Performing and Visual Arts, visit www.suu.edu/pva.Tags: Graphic Design Art and Design Alumni Art Faculty Filmmaking Art and Design Kolob Canyon Review College of Performing and Visual Arts
Contact Information:
Kol Gibson
435-865-8667
kolgibson@suu.edu