Circuit board campus design wins Imagine RIT poster contest

Rochester, New York – Rochester Institute of Technology’s annual Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival has unveiled its official poster for this year’s event, and it’s a perfect representation of the school’s core values—where technology, art, and design intersect. The winning poster, a detailed circuit board-inspired illustration of the RIT campus, was created by third-year illustration major Ava Guarino, who channeled her passion for both creativity and engineering into the stunning design.

Guarino, from Limerick, Pa., began conceptualizing her submission shortly after last year’s festival wrapped up. A dedicated participant in Imagine RIT, she had been involved through the university’s Electric Vehicle Team and saw an opportunity to showcase her artistic talent on a larger scale.

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“I partake in Imagine every year on the Electric Vehicle Team, and I saw the ad about the poster contest, and said, ‘I can definitely do this.’ It was a great challenge for me to show how we can represent creativity and technology together,” she said.

Her design emerged as the top choice from nearly 40 submissions, accumulating thousands of votes before being handpicked by RIT President David Munson. As the winner, Guarino received $500 in Tiger Bucks, and her artwork will be distributed as the official poster during the festival on April 26, while supplies last.

Guarino’s concept was deeply rooted in her admiration for the university’s engineering students, who she felt had not been prominently featured in past festival posters. She designed an intricate printed circuit board, replacing electronic components with RIT’s recognizable buildings and landmarks, arranged in their actual locations on campus. The circuit’s ribbon cables creatively spell out “RIT” in the school’s signature orange color.

“I’m not an electrical engineer by any means, but I did get help from my engineering boyfriend, Daniel Zeznick (a fifth-year electrical engineering major from Pittsford, N.Y.), because I didn’t know any of the things on a circuit board. He definitely helped me compile all the research,” she explained.

The project was an extensive undertaking, requiring nearly 100 hours of work from initial sketches to the final digital rendering in Adobe Illustrator. One of the most challenging aspects was ensuring that the stylized ribbon cables forming the letters of “RIT” were both visually appealing and easy to read. To refine her design, she sought feedback from peers, adjusting elements to enhance clarity while remaining true to RIT’s branding.

Beyond her artistic accomplishments, Guarino maintains an impressive academic record, holding a 3.94 GPA and earning a spot on the dean’s list every semester. She also works as a classroom assistant for 2D design courses, helping first-year students develop their foundational skills, and as an assistant in the Office of Career Services. Outside of school, she enjoys cooking, reading, and staying active.

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“There’s always so many things going on at RIT,” she said. “Imagine RIT puts everything out to show what everybody has been working on. It’s a beautiful culmination of everything we’ve worked on while showing visitors what goes on here. It’s very rewarding.”

Guarino’s choice to attend RIT was influenced by the school’s unique blend of technical and creative disciplines. Unlike traditional art schools, RIT fosters an environment where technology and the arts coexist, providing a platform for students like Guarino to merge their passions.

“I didn’t want to go to just an art school. RIT was the perfect blend of creativity and technology. The arts aren’t forgotten about and taken along with technology. Both are valued. It’s interesting how technology and the arts merge on campus.”

In an unexpected twist of good fortune, Guarino’s winning streak continued beyond the contest. Just an hour after learning she had won, she received an offer for a prestigious 10-week summer internship at Fisher-Price.

“It was a great day,” she said with a smile.

As the festival approaches, attendees can look forward to seeing Guarino’s circuit board-inspired design showcased across campus, celebrating the essence of Imagine RIT—where creativity and innovation collide in extraordinary ways.