Orange Spotlight: Ashton Bisner named nation's best designer

By Eric Beeler on April 29, 2024

Oregon State University senior Ashton Bisner has been named the top collegiate graphic designer in the nation. 

Bisner, who is the creative lead for Orange Media Network, was named Best Designer this past Friday in the national College Media Business & Advertising Managers annual competition. 
CMBAM is a nonprofit membership organization for university student media groups and their sales, marketing, design and management groups. Awards were announced remotely during a virtual conference. 

Bisner was in class when the award was announced but said he received numerous texts from friends and well-wishers after the fact. "It was cool to feel all that support," he said.

A graphic design major with a minor in photography, Bisner was OMN's photo editor last year before being tapped as the creative lead. He now leads a team of designers who work on student magazines as well as rate cards, posters and other promotional material for OMN as an organization.

This is the second consecutive year that OMN has taken the national CMBAM top graphic design honors. Bisner's creative lead predecessor, Alan Nguyen, received the award last year.

After graduation, Bisner said he hopes to work for a design agency somewhere in the Portland area, travel and "get more life experience." 

Being a part of OMN has been particularly helpful, he said, because he was able to work with his peers to more freely explore creative ideas. "It provides an opportunity to engage with clients in a more open way," he said. "And the support has been overwhelmingly positive."

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A photo of Ashton Bisner smiling.