Sprung Formal Issue 19 Team to Receive Local American Advertising Award
01.23.2025
Sprung Formal Issue 19 collaborators will be recognized with a local American Advertising Award in the Integrated Brand Identity Campaign category.
The publication is a joint effort between KCAI's Liberal Arts and Graphic Design departments.
Sefira Robinson ('25 Graphic Design) partnered with the Joyce C. Hall Chair of Graphic Design tyler galloway to submit SF19 (shorthand for Sprung Formal Issue 19) to showcase the hard work and creativity of the team who put it together.
"It was such a wonderful experience working with this lovely group of people—everyone collaborated so well. We were able to align on a shared vision and work productively toward it. I am incredibly proud of what we created, and I felt that it truly deserved external recognition," said Robinson, who was part of the interior book design team.
"...everyone collaborated so well. We were able to align on a shared vision and work productively toward it. I am incredibly proud of what we created...
On February 22, 2025, the Kansas City Ad Club will host an award ceremony to honor winners across all categories. Meanwhile, the conversation surrounding Sprung Formal is already gaining momentum, fueled by a recent article in Paper Matters magazine, a publication produced by Domtar Paper.
The article, which you can read here in full, explores the origins of Sprung Formal. Established in 2005, it is a publication edited and produced by students, with guidance from Liberal Arts Associate Professor Jordan Stempleman and Graphic Design instructors. The magazine seamlessly blends professional content sourced from around the world with outstanding student work.
The literary magazine traces its origins to a History of the Literary Magazine elective class that Stempleman still teaches today. It was during a time when "modernist magazines began to explode across the United States and Europe," he said.
"And this class created their own little magazine," Stempleman said.
The Evolution of Sprung Formal
According to the article, the print run started small—about 50 issues—and today remains between 250 and 350 copies. But the limited quantity is enough for students to gain valuable experience that directly impacts their careers.
The Kansas City Art Institute's Liberal Arts Department began collaborating with the Graphic Design Department on Sprung Formal in 2007, and Stempleman became editor in 2011. This collaboration was similar to real-world partnerships between copywriters and designers.
"Some students, based on the experience they had on the graphic design side, become interested in coming over to the editorial side," Stempleman said.
Stempleman aimed to expand Sprung Formal’s reach online while preserving the tactile experience of holding the magazine, noting that literary magazines have always been about experiencing a beautifully crafted object.