< Home



10.27.2005

For Immediate Release 10/27/05
For more information, contact:
Jolene Keach : 217.351.6700

Spinlight Dominates American Graphic Design Awards

Champaign, Illinois, September 9, 2005 — They're not in L.A., New York or Chicago. They've only been in business for five years. And their largest client is a bank with operations in five states. And yet Spinlight (www.spinlight.com) walked away from the 2005 American Graphic Design Awards with 12 awards, the most won by a single agency in this year's competition. And for owners Matt Hutton and Debby Winter, it was confirmation of a belief they've held from the start - the mark you make has nothing to do with size.

"Big impact isn't about big names," says Hutton, co-founder of the small design company based in Champaign, Illinois, which came out of nowhere to sweep the lion's share of awards in one of the countries most prestigious design competitions. "Big impact comes from smart, solid design. We believe in the power of exceptional design. So that's what we strive to deliver."

That's been the case since the two industrious designers left the advertising agency where they first met, to start their own company. While some may spend years planning the leap from stable employment, Hutton and Winter simply leapt. In a story that's now part of the company's legend, they each contributed $400 to their new venture, spending $600 on the first month's rent. "Our first client was our land lord," explains Winter. "We did the sales pitch while we signed a three-year lease with no clients on the books. But we never looked back."

Both Hutton and Winter are thrilled with their showing in the American Graphic Design Awards. Only 10 percent of the entries in this national competition were awarded, with the winning selections being featured in a 300-page annual publication released by the show's sponsor, Graphic Design USA. SpinLight won AGD awards for poster, logo and website design for the Illinois Christian Teen Convention (www.ictc.org), a Fox TV Media Kit, the Refinery website (www.refineyourself.com), work for the United Way and various logo designs. They also picked up an award for their own website (www.spinlight.com), as well as the call for entries they designed for their local advertising club's design competition, where they received 13 awards this year.

As for the company, it continues to grow. Currently SpinLight has five employees, including its two founders; senior designer Chris Phillips, a vital member of SpinLight's tight design team; Candace Hutton, Matt's wife and the company's financial manager; and the newest member of the SpinLight team, Jolene Keach, production manager. It's a small staff. And SpinLight makes the most of it.

"We tend to travel in unnecessary packs," says Winter, who enjoys the intimate bond of a smaller agency and the influence it has on the company's unique design ethic. "We do a lot of stuff together that's not just work," adds Hutton. "Paint your own pottery, a company lunch at least once a week. And occasionally, we play video games on the big screen in the conference room," adds Matt. "Because inspiration can strike anywhere. So we play a lot of Nintendo. Just in case it strikes there."

About Spinlight

Since founding Spinlight in 2000, co-founders Debby Winter and Matt Hutton have won numerous awards for design excellence, including 22 American Graphic Design Awards. Located on South Staley Round in Champaign, the company offers a full range of print, broadcast and digital marketing services for a broad range of clients.