June 6, 2004 -- Rochester Institute of Technology’s entry to this year’s Technical Association of the Graphic Arts Student Chapter Publication Competition had a retro theme.  How retro? Try early 16th century.    RIT’s TAGA chapter continued its winning tradition with an entry titled “Novo,” Latin for “to make new, or refresh.” The book took the top prize, judged as having “Best Overall Production Quality” during TAGA’s annual conference April 20 in San Antonio. Besting competitors from the United States and France, this year’s victory complements the titles won in 2001, 2002 and 2003. The contest calls for two undergraduate and two graduate research papers on technical aspects of the graphics arts.  These submissions are compiled into a finished volume, then judged for quality of the contents, appearance of the final publication and the involvement of students in the design and production of the finished product.    RIT’s winning entry had a driving theme of creating a link between the contemporary research conducted by the students with old aspects of the printing trade.  To create this connection, the 15 students involved in the project settled on a 16th century style layout, complete with the requisite ornamentation and old-world feel.   Using actual woodcut illustrations from works dating back as far as 1519, “Novo” is a unique publication that gives nod to the roots of printing while edifying new trends in the industry.  This theme was exactly what TAGA chapter president Kevin Fay was looking for. “It’s a perfect blend of the old and the new,” says Fay.  “We just started talking, and the project evolved from there.  People really dug it.” Perhaps the most satisfying part of winning is the industry recognition involved.  According to Fay, at the dinner accompanying the awards ceremony, the announcer referred to the RIT TAGA group as “the 800-pound gorilla of the competition.” “It was great to get that kind of recognition,” says Fay.  “Just winning was enough, but that sort of compliment really capped it off well.” Internationally recognized as a leader in computing, imaging technology, fine and applied arts, and education of the deaf, Rochester Institute of Technology enrolls 15,300 full- and part-time students in more than 340 career-oriented and professional programs. RIT’s School of Print Media, considered among the best in its field in the world, offers programs in graphic media, printing systems, and traditional and electronic publishing.