Student’s graphic design project catches attention of UN ambassador

A Campbell University graphic design senior’s poster on the “rapid desertification of the Aral Sea” got the attention of the ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan at the United Nations this fall.

Simon Osbourne wrote Ambassador Ulugbek Lapasov on Oct. 1 and shared his poster, an assignment in his Typography II class under Professor Dejan Mravoic.

“We were given a list of historical topics, and we had to choose one to base an informational graphic on,” Osbourne wrote. “For my infographic, I chose the Aral Sea Disaster, as I wanted to raise awareness about the topic to people living in the United States.

Osbourne said he has interest in Soviet, Uzbek and Islamic history and culture.

The following day, Lapasov responded to the email and thanked Osbourne for his “thoughtful and visually engaging poster on the Aral Sea Disaster.”

“We deeply appreciate your creative efforts and the meaningful attention you have brought to an important environmental issue that continues to impact the region,” Lapasov wrote. “Your interest in Uzbek history and culture is truly valued, and we commend your initiative in raising awareness through design.”

The Aral Sea disaster was a large human-caused ecological collapse that occurred as the Soviet Union diverted rivers to irrigate farmland in the 1960s and caused the sea to shrink drastically. This led to a catastrophic loss of marine life, destruction of fisheries and local economies and caused severe health problems for nearby communities.

Mravoic called the correspondence “huge,” as “ambassadors do not usually correspond with students about their school projects, which proves a high quality of Simon‘s historic and visual research.”