CGC Connects with Ringling College of Art and Design for a First-Ever Custom Label Contest

Many CGC collectors are aware of the fun custom labels CGC Comics designs every year to enhance encapsulated comic books. Now collectors will have another option to select when choosing a custom label. This label is part of an art contest in which CGC worked with neighboring renowned art school Ringling College of Art and Design, where CGC teamed up with Ringling’s Collaboratory department. The Collaboratory department connects Ringling students with real-world businesses and corporations, so students can experience real-life projects to learn from and help enhance their portfolios.

For this first-ever Ringling contest, the CGC marketing team decided on a SciFi and/or Horror themed label to be designed by Ringling students. Students were tasked to create an original design using the SciFi and/or Horror theme, using their desired medium of choice (I.e., computer art, photography, painting, etc.). To kick off the competition, the CGC marketing team presented the contest and its guidelines to over 50 Ringling students via a Zoom meeting. CGC shared the creative parameters, answered any questions and sent the artists off to design.

The students had roughly one month to design their label concepts before the CGC marketing team met to determine the top three winners. First place, a $500 cash prize and bragging rights went to Computer Animation major Elena Serenko, whose design features a woman being captured by an alien in an extraterrestrial landscape. DeAnna Boyer took home second place and a $250 cash prize, and Christopher Arce won third place and a $100 cash prize.

“Having to pick the top three designs was extremely difficult,” shared Ashley Habedank, CGC’s Marketing Coordinator. “I believe we started with our top ten and then tried to whittle our way to three. We could have picked so many of them! But it was truly so rewarding to see these art students' minds work creatively for a CGC project. I know I share everyone's sentiments that we are really looking forward to doing this again with the super talented group of students at Ringling.”

CGC will offer the first-place winning label design for a limited time to CGC collectors to add to their graded comic books.

“We hope CGC collectors will see the passion that went into creating these limited-edition Ringling labels,” shared Mike Browne CGC’s Chief Operating Officer. “But also, this was a way for us to further connect with our local budding artists and let them know CGC is here to support them.”

CGC has plans to continue this contest with the Collaboratory team with Ringling students in years to come.

Interested in custom labels for your next submission? You can view all of the available custom CGC labels here.

Want to know more about the winning Ringling art students?

First place winner

Elena Serenko
Major: Computer Animation
Graduation Year: 2024
Portfolio: https://ekserenko.wixsite.com/portfolio

Second place winner

DeAnna Boyer
Major: Illustration with emphasis in Visual Development
Grad Year: 2022
Portfolio: https://dboyerillest.wixsite.com/website

Third place winner

Christopher Arce
Major: Illustration
Graduation Year: 2023
Portfolio: https://www.artstation.com/zeerc1

About Ringling College of Art and Design
Since 1931, creatives from every corner of the world come to Ringling College of Art and Design
to deepen, transform, and explore their passions. Our nearly 1,700 students are fueled by a
need to create and we deliver the tools to turn passion into profession: an award-winning
faculty, cutting-edge technology, and a supportive, creative community.

We offer the BFA in eleven disciplines and the BA in two. Beyond our rigorous
curriculum—pairing studio and liberal arts—we excel in propelling students outside of the
classroom through client projects, substantive internships, and national competitions, stopping
at nothing to shape our students into tomorrow’s leaders of art and design. www.ringling.edu