Aaron Mann, a senior majoring in art with a graphic design emphasis, aced an interview to earn a summer internship with Osborn Barr. Osborn Barr is the leading agricultural communications firm in North America. (Photo by August Jennewein)
Aaron Mann will spend the summer getting valuable job experience as a result of showing he had the right stuff at the 2014 St. Louis ADDY Awards.
Mann will be doing a graphic design internship with Osborn Barr, the leading agricultural marketing and communications firm in North America. Mann won the internship after an interview at this year’s ADDY Awards, an advertising competition for students and professionals in the advertising field. In addition to creating artwork for the competition, Mann also had to submit his portfolio and ace an interview.
Mann is a senior at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, majoring in art with a graphic design emphasis. He was confident and excited about the interview experience. The position with Osborn Barr is his first major internship.
“That was the first time I showed my artwork to people who weren’t in my class,” said Mann, a graduate of Bishop DuBourg High School in St. Louis. “That was a little intimidating, but going in there, I thought ‘I can do this.’”
The artwork Mann created for the competition, promotional materials for a fictional Ted Talk, won a silver prize at the ADDYs as well. Mann created his submission as part of UMSL’s graphic design program for a class led by Assistant Professor Jennifer McKnight.
Osborn Barr is a marketing and communications agency with offices in St. Louis and Kansas City. The agency specializes in agricultural and rural topics, despite its downtown digs.
Kristy Tucciarone, associate teaching professor of advertising at UMSL, said that Mann is a diligent and creative student.
“Aaron continuously has his creative wheels turning, as one can see him mentally concepting in his head,” Tucciarone said. “Not only can Aaron mentally create, but he can make the concept come to life graphically and gain one’s attention.”
