“As stewards of the embracing outdoors, we are urged to venture beyond the familiar, for in the heart of nature, we discover the splendor of God’s creation.”
These are the opening words of “Made for This!”, a magazine designed by recent graduate Claire Phegley ’25. A Nolensville, Tennessee, native and graphic design alumna, Phegley was honored on regional and national levels of the American Advertising Federation’s Addy Awards. The piece, subtitled “a celebration of the wild and an invitation to explore,” won gold in District 7 of the AAF. It became only the second student submission to win an Addy on the national stage, receiving a silver award.
“Getting to create this piece about everything the Lord has made in nature was such a cool thing,” Phegley said. “I get to enjoy His creation and then make something that lifts praise back up to Him.”
The inspiration for the piece came from a love of the outdoors cultivated during Phegley’s work as a camp counselor in western North Carolina. The piece offers advice on best practices alongside reflections on community, accessibility and the friendliness of black bears. Phegley experimented with creative designs, such as a translucent page that overlaps to add layering and a fold-out that gives the effect of looking through a window. Her Christian faith subtly saturates the pages of the piece, and the back cover closes the magazine with words from 1 Chronicles.
“Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord reigns!’ Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall the trees of the forest sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!”
Click here to view “Made for This!” on the AAF’s website.
The photos featured in the magazine are drawn mainly from her summers in North Carolina. Crafting the project served as an ode to the outdoors and also to the years that shaped Phegley’s faith. Phegley thanks her professors, including Geoff Sciacca, for helping to craft all her projects during her time at Samford through teaching design principles and promoting creative expression.
When she sees the success her work has achieved, Phegley is most excited by how the piece serves as a way to discuss Jesus with secular audiences. The American Advertising Awards receives over 25,000 submissions yearly from across the nation, and “Made for This!” ranks among the best from colleges and universities.
“I think it shows quiet reminders of who the Lord is and what He’s done,” Phegley said. “If someone who doesn’t know the Lord reads this and is impacted by it, that would be really meaningful to me.”
