Lanny Sommese, AIGA Philadelphia 2010 Fellow

by Peter Camburn

Thursday, June 10th, marked AIGA Philadelphia's seventh presentation of its prestigious Fellow Award. AIGA Philadelphia's President, Maribeth Kradel-Wietzel, presented Lanny Sommese with the 2010 Fellow Award at the World Cafe Live venue in West Philadelphia. The Fellow Award Program recognizes mature designers who have made a significant contribution to raising the standards of excellence in practice and conduct within their local or regional design community, as well as in their local AIGA chapter. Sommese was presented the award in front of friends, family, admirers, former students and colleagues
 
An AIGA member for over 20 years, Sommese is best known for his award-winning poster designs. Since 1970, Sommese has served as a distinguished faculty member at Penn State Unversity where he was responsible for the creation of the university’s graphic design program and is currently the head of the graphic design department. Sommese is a fellow of Penn State’s Institute for Arts and Humanities, an honorary member of The University and College Designers Association and a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale.

Before being presented the 2010 Fellow Award, Sommese was treated to a roast by an entertaining group of colleagues and former students. David Franek, a letter from Joe Scorsone (delivered by Kelly Holohan), Carl Mill, Leo Mullen, and Chip Kidd delivered hilarious stories and shared insightful photographs of Sommese. The speeches honoring Sommese made it clear that his impact on the design community reaches beyond his renowned posters, as he has left an indelible mark on some of the country's most recognized designers.

The Fellow Award ceremony featured light hors d’oeuvres, an open bar and DJ Shawn Ryan, AIGA Philadelphia's favorite disc jockey, who set the tone for an enjoyable evening. A silent auction for some of Sommese's Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts posters was held in conjunction with the ceremony.

This year also marked the first presentation of the Fresh Award, which was presented to Brian Jacobson. The Fresh Award recognizes up-and-coming designers who are breaking boundaries in design.