By Melissa Knific
The Cincinnati Enquirer

When Jessica Schultz was a child, she created artwork with her mom and sister.

"We would sit down as a family and paint," she recalls.

It seems as if that early start paid off.

Schultz, 21, has won the Summerfair 2003 poster competition. Hers is the 27th poster in the popular collection.

Schultz's design will be unveiled at 1 p.m. today at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Rookwood Pavilion. Until 3 p.m., she will sign her posters, which sell for $10.

She created the computer-generated image by using Illustrator 10.0. Sea foam green, yellow, red and purple flowers stand against an orange-red backdrop.

"At first glance you see objects," she says. "But when you look closer, you see more."

Schultz uses a technique that transforms text into an image. The words "beauty," "creativity" and "sculpture" can be found within the flower design.

Schultz, a senior from Cold Spring, is majoring in graphic design at Northern Kentucky University.

The competition began as a requirement for her graphic productions class. Schultz's professor assigned each student to create a Summerfair poster and submit the entry in the contest.

Schultz, who received a $2,000 prize, says she'll use it to buy a laptop computer when she graduates in December.

The first round of the competition was judged by four professionals in the graphic design and printing fields. The 55 entries were narrowed to three, and then about 70 members of the Summerfair committee voted.

Kevin Reynolds, Summerfair administrator, notes that Schultz's creation doesn't have the traditional arts and crafts icons seen in the collection's previous posters.

"Jessica's design is a different, sophisticated version of what the fair is," Reynolds says. "It's more subtle in how it catches your eye."

After today, posters will be available at the Summerfair office by calling 531-0050 or visiting www.summerfair.org. Regular versions, $10; signed, $20; and 100 limited-edition versions, $30.

Summerfair will take place May 30-31 and June 1 at Coney Island.

E-mail mknific@enquirer.com