CI student wins national logo competition

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 2, 2026) — A student from the Department of Integrated Strategic Communication in the University of College of Communication and Information took the top prize at this year’s Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication conference logo competition.

Sophie Ecker, a recent ISC alum and current master's student in the graduate program in communication, originally created the design as part of an assignment in her ISC 339 class last semester. Once the logos were complete the class voted on their favorites, and Ecker’s was a top choice. Professor Adriane Grumbein then submitted the designs to the AEJMC competition.

“I was very surprised,” Ecker said. “Everyone else's logos in my class were amazing, so I didn't think I stood a chance when competing against them, let alone hundreds of other design students across the U.S.”

Within the past decade, UK College of Communication and Information students have won the competition six times, making Ecker the seventh since 2016.

“Sophie’s logo represents the strength of the ISC program, reminding the international audience at AEJMC of the great students that come through the University of Kentucky,” Grumbein said.

For this contest, the students’ AEJMC logo designs are judged solely on the design itself, with judges not seeing the student, advisor or university’s name.

Ecker’s design will be used as the official logo for the 2027 conference, meaning her work will be on display leading up to and during the conference, held in Chicago, Illinois, in early August of next year.