Contest for Nevada high school students to design new welcome signs

New "Welcome to Nevada" signs designed by high school students will start appearing on the state's roads this summer.

In a contest presented by the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Governor Brian Sandoval’s office, the Department of Education and the Department of Transportation, high school student designers have been called upon to create the new signs.

Time is running out and all entries need to be submitted by March 25, 2016.

The contest is designed to showcase high school graphic design students and their instructors through creating exciting and appealing signs. At present, travelers entering Nevada from the major freeways, state highways and other entry points are greeted with non-descript signs that do not incorporate imagery and verbiage consistent with the New Nevada through branding, graphics or language.

To achieve brand consistency, participants will be provided with a brand tool kit to ensure essential elements are included in each proposed design. Ensuring travelers are greeted with an appealing welcome will help boost the Nevada brand and create a warm welcome for travelers and residents returning home. Engaging young Nevadans enrolled in Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs focusing on Graphic Design in creating the design for the welcome signs provides a tremendous opportunity to showcase the CTE program, highlight the creativity of these young people and jump start careers. This contest is targeted to the advanced graphic design students enrolled in programs that offer a multi-course sequence. Graphic designers understand the unique requirements of the signage platform to provide information through simple, bold images that convey information to an audience who must digest a message within one to five seconds.

Up to 50 entry points exist on Nevada’s major interstate freeways, state highways and small roadways into the state. Because of the tremendous diversity of Nevada’s regions, the signs should depict the specific appeals of the entry region. The state is divided into four regions (please see the associated map) and a winner will be selected for each region. We will have select four different, but cohesive, sign designs. This means multiple winners, creating greater opportunities for recognizing the student designers. Once the winning design is selected for each region, the student designer and his/her instructor will work with the Department of Transportation to finalize the design and produce the sign.

Information packet for artists.