Gabriella Ferraro O’Brien of Catholic Review is MDDC’s  Designer of the Year for 2024. This award is based on  a designer’s work through the contest cycle.  Each designer is required to submit 8-10 pieces, showing creativity and the ability to  design across platforms and a letter of recommendation from his or her manager.   

In his nomination letter, Chris Gunty, Associate Publisher, shared that “Gabriella is intimately involved in every step of planning for each issue, from story budgeting to sending the pages to the printer. Her keen eye for graphics and design continually bring new ways of looking at layouts – from typography to photo selection to infographics. She puts significant time and effort into each page and story spread. She advocates for more space for photos and graphic elements to make the magazine more attractive to a wide range of demographics.” 

The judges, of Loyola University of Maryland, agreed, commenting on her “beautiful editorial spreads, which include good use of portraits and action shots.  Her designs are organized well for reading but also highlight visual elements, with sophisticated use of negative space.  The hierarchy is easy to read and creates user-friendly navigation.” 

Gunty went on to say, “I welcome Gabriella’s contributions to the regular newsroom discussions with story suggestions – and ways to present those stories in an attractive manner with breakout boxes, call-outs and more.”