Carrie Ritchie, editor-in-chief for the Indiana Daily Student

Mark has gained national recognition as one of the top (if not the top) college designers in the country. Other schools envy us for having him. People ask us about Mark at every conference we attend, and his designs always take top honors.

His designs aren't just designs; they are art. He has a very unique ability to use everyday objects in designs to symbolically portray a message or tell a story. One can look at his designs multiple times and discover new messages and symbolism each time.

His level of talent is rare, and he uses it in all the right ways. He's truly in an echelon by himself.

Ruth Witmer, adviser for the Indiana Daily Student

Mark Koenig knocked on the window of the Indiana Daily Student office a couple of years ago. It was 2 a.m. and he wanted to discuss a design he was working on. He had come a long way from the quiet kid designing simple pages -- this design was outstanding and would be award-winning. Mark's come farther still: He will graduate from Indiana University as one of the finest, most accomplished college news designers in the country -- he has won more than a dozen individual design awards this semester alone.

Mark has been the Society for News Design's Student Designer of the Year. He's been recognized twice by sportsdesigner.com as the top college designer. In his time at IU Student Media, Mark has built an amazing portfolio of work and has been a mentor and an inspiration for young designers and graphic artists at IU Student Media.

Mark has served as Art Director and Design Editor of the IDS. He was also Design Editor of the Weekend Magazine -- and, in the past year, Mark completely redesigned that publication. This year, he had an internship at the Indianapolis Star and continues to work there in his spare time.

Mark is among the most heavily courted young journalists to come through IU Student Media. It's been a running joke at the IDS: If people here had a nickel for every time an editor or recruiter somewhere in the country asked about Mark, we'd all be rich. (He'll be spending this summer at the Columbus Dispatch after he graduates -- and then...). It's not by chance or luck that Mark's earned all the accolades and attention -- he's also one of the hardest working designers to come through Student Media. He has worked and willed himself to be a great, young designer. Mark has been -- and will be -- great fun to watch.

Just a sampling of his many award-winning designs