2026 ABRA World Show Program: Behind the Design and Production
- Karri Owens
- 12 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Every year, one of the most comprehensive projects I take on is designing and producing the official ABRA World Show Program for the American Buckskin Registry Association.
For the past nine years, I've had the privilege of creating this publication from start to finish. It combines publication design, print production, organization, and attention to detail into a finished piece that represents the association's premier event of the year.
This year's program is especially exciting. The 2026 ABRA World Championship Show is on track to be the biggest in ABRA history, with online pre-entries already up approximately 30% over last year. That excitement is reflected throughout the program, which serves as the official guide to the event while becoming a keepsake that celebrates the exhibitors, horses, sponsors, and memories that make the World Championship Show so special.
Inside the 2026 ABRA World Show Program
The 2026 ABRA World Show Program brings together everything exhibitors, families, sponsors, and spectators need before and during the World Championship Show.
Inside the program, you'll find:
Schedule of Events
Show Bill and Class Schedule
Messages from the ABRA President and Show Manager
Judge biographies
World Show Rules and Regulations
Youth contests and special events
Stallion Showcase
Hall of Fame and Lifetime Achievement honorees
Sponsor recognition
More than 50 pages of World Show pre-entries
Advertisements from businesses supporting the buckskin horse industry
Every section is thoughtfully organized to create a publication that's easy to navigate while showcasing everything that makes this year's World Championship Show unique.
The Art of Designing a Print Publication
While much of today's marketing is focused on digital platforms, I still enjoy creating professionally printed publications like this.
As marketing has shifted toward digital, print publication design has become a specialized skill that many marketers simply don't practice anymore. Designing a printed publication requires much more than arranging text and photos on a page. Every technical detail matters, from bleeds, safe (live) areas, gutters, and margins to image resolution, color accuracy, and preparing press-ready files that ensure the finished piece prints exactly as intended.
Most readers never notice those technical details, and that's exactly the point. When print production is done well, everything feels polished and effortless. Behind the scenes, it's those details that separate a professionally produced publication from one that's simply been designed for a screen.
It's a craft I've developed over many years, and one I'm proud to continue using on projects like the ABRA World Show Program.
Print and Digital Working Together
The 2026 ABRA World Show Program is produced as a professionally printed booklet that's also published as a digital flipbook, making it easy for exhibitors, families, sponsors, and spectators to access wherever they are.
The printed program becomes a keepsake that many people take home after the World Championship Show, while the digital version allows anyone to browse the publication before arriving in Tulsa, follow along during the event, or revisit it long after the show has ended.
One Publication. Hundreds of Moving Pieces.
Producing a publication like this requires much more than good design.
Every sponsor advertisement, pre-entry listing, schedule update, biography, page layout, and revision has to come together into one cohesive publication. It's a process that takes weeks of planning, organization, proofreading, collaboration, and production before the final files are sent to print.
Readers see the finished publication. What they don't see are the hundreds of decisions, countless revisions, and careful attention to detail that bring every page together.
A Project I'm Proud to Put My Name On
Every edition of the ABRA World Show Program represents weeks of planning, collaboration, design, revisions, and production. It's also a reflection of the trust the American Buckskin Registry Association has placed in me over the past nine years.
As both the designer and producer of the publication, I'm proud to help showcase one of the association's most important events while preserving the memories, accomplishments, and people who make each World Championship Show unique.
With the 2026 ABRA World Championship Show on track to be the biggest yet, I'm excited to see this year's program in the hands of exhibitors and available online for the entire buckskin community to enjoy.