Two COM students receive top international honor for advertising portfolios
"Hatewatch the Oscars," from Alicia Chiang's advertising portfolio.
Portfolios showcasing the advertising work of COM students Ian Katan (COM’26) and Alicia Chiang (COM’27) each won D&AD Young Blood Awards last month, one of the most prestigious honors for students and emerging creatives in the field.
The international awards recognize portfolio websites across disciplines including advertising, marketing, PR, animation, illustration, and graphic design, and are chosen by a panel of more than two dozen judges of creative directors, copywriters and designers.
Chiang’s portfolio showcases her work as an art director on, among others, projects for Letterboxd and Twix. Katan’s portfolio focuses on his work as a copywriter on projects for the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and National Geographic.
This is the second year in a row that COM students were honored in what Professor of the Practice Doug Gould called “one of the most challenging competitions in the world.”
“Ian was a member of my Portfolio I and II classes and distinguished himself with hard work and willingness to help others during his time here,” Gould said. “Ian is already a COM Blue Chip and Young Ones winner, and this further burnishes his credibility as a young creative to watch.”
Professor of the Practice Pegeen Ryan, who taught Chiang in her Portfolio I class last year, found her work “an impressive mix of strong advertising campaigns and beautiful art direction.”
“She is only a rising senior and has taken just one semester of Portfolio Development, so to be recognized on a global stage already is beyond impressive,” Ryan said. “I’m thrilled for her and can only imagine where she will go from here.”
Video from Ian Katan’s portfolio.
