Two local graphic design students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) have won a design competition aimed at creating an effective logo for an upcoming youth literary festival to be held in Port Macquarie next year.Mr Michael Jurss and Ms Kseah Cowan are currently completing a Bachelor of Creative Arts & Design (Graphic Design) at CSU in Port Macquarie , and were given the opportunity to participate in a real-life brief for LitFest2444. As a result, they secured a $200 gift voucher and a certificate of acknowledgement.LitFest2444 is the brainchild of St Agnes Parish Schools' teacher librarians, Karen Bale (St Joseph's Regional College) and Suzanne Penson (MacKillop College), who wanted to increase literacy skills, as an employable skill into the future, whilst celebrating up and coming Australian authors of youth literature."The winning design from Michael and Kseah features a lighthouse with a pen nib at the top, radiating light beams in the dark. To us this symbolises the way in which the festival aims to guide local youth towards a future full of hope and prospect, through literature," said Karen Bale.The CSU students teamed up after discovering how their preferred skill areas, in fine arts and digital design, complemented each other. They also credited their study in being able to meet the brief.Mr Jurss said, "Our lecturer was really supportive and opened up the opportunity for us to engage with the competition, to learn about collaborating in a real world situation. This also gave us the chance to strengthen our negotiation skills; important to remember when working for others, as opposed to just expressing yourself creatively. We are certainly excited about seeing the logo on promotional material."The festival has also received funding through the CSU Community-University Partnership (CUP) Program and has assisted in securing high quality speakers and presenters to share their ideas and experiences with local youth.LitFest2444 will be held in May 2017 at MacKillop College and will be open to all secondary students across the Port Macquarie Hastings local government area.