Sur-Ryl Marketing has been named a winner in the 2021 GDUSA Graphic Design Awards for the website and social media campaign we created for BeSkooled. The recognition comes as part of the 58th Annual GDUSA Graphic Design Awards™, one of the most established competitions in the field.
What made this especially meaningful is that BeSkooled was never intended to be simply an apparel brand. It was created to celebrate Black American entrepreneurs, innovators, and pioneers whose contributions are too often left out of the stories we are taught.
BeSkooled was the vision of its founder, Solomon Steplight, who wanted to create something that would make people curious. Something they could wear, learn from, and use to begin conversations about the people who helped shape American history.
Sur-Ryl Marketing was engaged to help bring that vision to life through the brand’s website, product presentation, and social media presence.
Built around the idea of “Bold. Diligent. Self-Made.”, the website introduced visitors to the history behind the apparel. The Skools That Honor collection highlighted leaders such as O.W. Gurley, Lewis Latimer, and Madam C.J. Walker, transforming their stories into designs people could wear proudly while encouraging others to learn more.
The social media campaign carried that same spirit forward. Each design paired bold imagery with a simple invitation:
B Engaged. B Inspired. B Aware. B Informed.
The goal was not only to sell a product. It was to create a brand experience that honored the people behind each name and helped their stories reach new audiences.
That is what makes this recognition from GDUSA so meaningful to us. It celebrates the design, but it also affirms the power of using creativity to bring greater visibility to histories and contributions that deserve to be remembered.
We are grateful to Solomon for trusting Sur-Ryl Marketing with the vision and proud to see BeSkooled recognized among this year’s award-winning work.