{"id":235230,"date":"2026-05-29T08:32:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:32:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=235230"},"modified":"2026-05-29T08:32:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T18:32:10","slug":"uh-manoa-design-graduates-pele-awards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/29\/uh-manoa-design-graduates-pele-awards\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa design graduates win top honors at Pele Awards"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>

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\"Synergy
Lavigne and Wong\u2019s Synergy BFA<\/abbr> Showcase Invitation won bronze.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Recent University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa graphic design<\/a> graduates Chloe Lavigne and Rachel Wong earned multiple honors at the 2026 Pele Awards, one of Â鶹´«Ã½\u2019s<\/span> top advertising and design competitions.<\/p>\n

\"graphic
Lavigne\u2019s Deconstruct Exhibition Campaign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lavigne\u2019s “Deconstruct Exhibition Campaign” received Best of Show\u2013College and a Gold Pele in the integrated advertising campaign category. Her “Deconstruct App” also earned a Gold Pele. Lavigne and Wong additionally received a Bronze Pele for their “Synergy BFA<\/abbr> Showcase Invitation.”<\/p>\n

“My time in the BFA<\/abbr> program taught me to think and produce like a designer through design history, concept development, and hands-on technical skills, pushing me to make research-driven, intentional decisions rather than choices based purely on aesthetics,” Lavigne said.<\/p>\n

Visual storytelling<\/h2>\n
\"Lavigne
Chloe Lavigne<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lavigne grew up in Vermont, where she was surrounded by small local businesses and first became interested in visual storytelling through scrapbooking in middle school.<\/p>\n

“I was instantly drawn to documenting lived experiences and experimenting with how different photos, materials, colors and compositions could shape a story,” Lavigne said.<\/p>\n

Her award-winning “Deconstruct” project imagined a fictional exhibition for street artist Shepard Fairey at the Honolulu Museum of Art. The campaign included posters, invitations, exhibition materials, a mobile app and even a branded skateboard.<\/p>\n

The project encouraged viewers to think critically about media, persuasion and power while creating a more interactive museum experience.<\/p>\n

Industry success<\/h2>\n
\"Wong
Rachel Wong<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chae Ho Lee, a design professor in UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Department of Art and Art History<\/a>, said the students\u2019 commitment and openness to feedback helped make the projects successful.<\/p>\n

“Both students worked tirelessly on several design drafts and were very open to constructive feedback,” Lee said.<\/p>\n

Lee said UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students continue to perform strongly in the highly competitive Pele Awards.<\/p>\n

“With an 86% career placement rate, the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa graphic design program prepares students for the competitive design industry,” Lee said. “The curriculum merges historical and theoretical foundations with hands-on, industry-aligned training.”<\/p>\n

The Department of Art and Art History is housed in the College of Arts, Languages & Letters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa graph design graduates Chloe Lavigne and Rachel Wong earned multiple honors at the 2026 Pele Awards.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[679,1507,1471,1646,9],"class_list":["post-235230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-alumni-recognition","tag-art-and-art-history","tag-college-of-arts-languages-and-letters","tag-graphic-design","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t