FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Football season may be drawing to a close, but there’s still time to help the University of Arkansas beat Alabama and Auburn, as well as Florida State, Tennessee and West Virginia.

That’s because the U of A is going head to head against these schools in a friendly competition – known as the Student Design League – to see which university can create the best T-shirt designs and win the most votes at http://www.sdlproject.com/vote from Nov. 14-20.

Participation in the Student Design League, sponsored by Robin-Ruth, an international casual lifestyle brand for travelers worldwide, will also showcase the talent of students from the graphic design program in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and its Department of Art.

“I’ve never been given an opportunity to compete nationally with something like this,” said Katy Powell, a senior graphic design student. “So that’s just really encouraging me to step up my game and explore more in my creative process.”

Powell and her colleagues in associate professor David Charles Chioffi’s identity design course have been creating their T-shirt mock-ups all semester. Chioffi said each student created about 20 designs, and the class worked together to whittle those initial prototypes down to the strongest contenders from each designer.

From there, the class picked the top four designs to submit to Robin-Ruth. These designs are now posted to the Student Design League website, where all can vote on the top design from Monday, Nov 14, through  11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20.

"This is an opportunity for talented student designers to have their work come to life and be worn by others while gaining strong real world experience in design and raising funds for their programs," said Ben Jablonski, CEO of Robin Ruth North America.

Graphic design students from University of Arkansas work on their submissions for the Student Design League competition. Vote for your favorite design  at sdlproject.com/vote Nov. 14 through 20.

Jablonski said the student who creates the top design from each school will be nationally recognized when the winners are announced on Dec. 1. These university-level winners will then compete for one of two paid internships in New York City with Robin-Ruth. Voters can help make sure University of Arkansas’ winning designer secures one of the coveted spots, since a design’s appeal and number of votes received will be some of the factors considered.

The top design for each university will then be produced and sold in university bookstores in fall 2017, helping to raise money for each the participating apparel or graphic design programs.

“We’re really working hand in hand [with Robin-Ruth] to try to create the best design that fits with the university, but that also lets us as students show our design and our skills as we created the shirts,” said Joe Burns, senior graphic design student.

Burns said he was excited to be a part of the Student Design League, which launched last year at Auburn University before expanding to include six universities this year.

“The most interesting aspect has been condensing what I think of my university experience into a single graphic or a single idea,” said Libby Pierce, senior graphic design student.

Pierce said she enjoyed the way Chioffi’s class worked with experts from across campus, like Michael Harris, director of licensing and revenue generation, to capture the spirit of the competition and ensure compliance with existing University of Arkansas and Razorback Athletics branding.

Senior graphic design student Jacob Meisenbacher agreed.

“This is something that represents the community and our design program,” he said. “I’m proud to be part of this and hope we win!”

For more information about graphic design at the University of Arkansas, please visit graphicdesign.uark.edu.

For more information about the Student Design League and to cast your vote, please visit sdlproject.com.

About the Student Design League: Created as a way to uplift student designers and give back to universities, the Student Design League, created by international casual lifestyle brand Robin-Ruth, gives student designers from high-ranking apparel and graphic design programs the opportunity to showcase their talent. The competition is all about empowering up-and-coming designers one campus at a time, giving students a forum to share their school spirit with everyone. Designers have a chance at great prizes all while supporting their programs and colleges.

About the Department of Art: The mission of the Department of Art in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is to offer the highest quality educational, research, and service programs in the visual arts. These goals encompass the department’s professional and liberal arts programs, at both graduate and undergraduate levels, in art education, art history, graphic design, and studio art to prepare students for graduate study and meaningful employment in the art and design fields and allied professions.

About the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences: The J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences is the largest and most academically diverse unit on campus with 19 departments and 43 academic programs and research centers. The college provides the core curriculum for all University of Arkansas students and is named for J. William Fulbright, former university president and longtime U.S. senator.