(CHICAGO – January 17, 2008) – "Turn it Around." That’s the message Adam Frommelt, a Communication Design student at Harrington College of Design, is telling presidential candidates before the Illinois primary elections on a series of T-shirts he designed for a class competition.

Frommelt won first place in a school-sponsored T-shirt contest, which allowed students to weigh in on five issues that presidential candidates are currently debating – global warming, terrorism, the Iraq war, stem cell research and affordable healthcare.

Frommelt, 36, of Moline, Ill., was the overall winner for his series of five designs. He also won individual awards for his statements on global warming and stem cell research.

Other winners included Terri Falvey, of Chicago, for her T-shirt on terrorism; Josh Brehn, of Joliet, Ill., for his Iraq war design; and Greg Dizzia, of Geneva, NY, for his affordable healthcare T-shirt.

The winning T-shirts are on sale at Harrington College of Design for $_____. All proceeds will go the Harrington College of Design AIGA Student Group.

The competition, open to all Harrington sophomores taking either Typography I or Typography II classes, asked the students to design one T-shirt for each issue. The submissions had to be 8.5 by 11 inches, in color, utilizing only one typeface. The final requirement was that the T-shirts had to stand on their own as well as work as a series.

The entries were judged for design statement and overall message. Judges for the competition included: Rick Valicenti, president of Thirst, a Chicago design firm; Kristen Schaeffer-Santoni, art director and Dana Delapi, editor of Create Magazine; Bill Roe, owner of Black Hole Press, a Chicago-based T-shirt design company, as well as Harrington faculty and administrators.

Valicenti was impressed with the students’ work, "They had to think in terms of both image and language, which most schools don’t introduce this early in the education process."

"This was a great real-world lesson for the students in creating a powerful message through the design of type," said Brad ¬¬¬Kisner, Communication Design department chair. "It’s about overall communication."

Communication Design at Harrington combines graphic design, illustration, art direction, writing, production and more to help prepare today’s natural problem-solvers to become tomorrow’s design leaders.

About Harrington College

Harrington College of Design is a four-year college that offers flexible scheduling for a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design, an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Interior Design or Digital Photography and a new Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Communication Design. Harrington is committed to creating the next generation of design professionals to lead and serve the global community.

Harrington has been a member of Chicago’s design and higher education communities since 1931. Located at 200 W. Madison St., Harrington seeks to foster an environment that maximizes students’ intellectual and artistic potential. The majority of the faculty is practicing interior designers, architects, photographers and fine art professionals.

Harrington is accredited by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools to award associate degrees and bachelor's degrees. Harrington is recognized as a private college by the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE), and is authorized by the IBHE to confer baccalaureate and associate degrees. The Interior Design Program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER).

For more information, call 312.939.4975 or visit www.harringtoncollege.com.