Mt. Hope High School Alum Earns Prestigious Graphic Design Award

A graphic design major and a graduate, Christopher Azar, recently received the 2011 Edmund C. Arnold Award from the S.I.Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

The award is given to sophomores and juniors majoring in graphic design, magazine, newspaper, online journalism or photojournalism.

Azar, who is going into his senior year, said he was one of about 25 to 30 award recipients during commencement. He said he applied for the award and submitted a portfolio.

"I'm a web designer by nature," he said in a recent phone interview. "I'm really interested in innovative news design, which is why I love Patch."

Azar said he plans to spend his summer at a graphic design internship for the Washington Post Company's WaPo Labs.

"I just can't wait to get in there," he said. "It was really flexibile with what I wanted to do with my career."

Azar's portfolio and website can be found here.

The award is named after Edmund Arnold, considered by many to be the father of modern newspaper design. He designed more than a thousands newspapers, including The Boston Globe, Today, The Toronto Star and The Kansas City Star.