“This past October, the design community gathered in Denver for the 2007 AIGA Design Conference to talk about the future of design. What could be more ‘Next’ than the bright young talent of tomorrow? By now most everyone has heard about the wildly successful Command X, graphic design’s first ‘reality show,’ in which seven designers under 26 competed in daily design challenges, presenting their solutions on the conference main stage to be judged by an esteemed panel. All were impressive but one especially talented designer emerged: 24-year-old Nichelle Narcisi, whose youth-targeted voter awareness campaign, with the tagline ‘Except You,’ garnered a standing ovation and even tears from one of the jurors. Here, we spoke with this up-and-comer about her rise to AIGA stardom and why there’s no more room in her life for voter apathy.”