Before the judges started to place their votes, I went around thinking that almost every design was excellent. So it came as a surprise when they voted “no” on almost every one I thought deserved an award of excellence.
I learned more than before that you really do have to plan out and think about your design before executing it. It may look “good” and it may look organized, but there are other things you have to consider: Is the design original? How does it recycle old ideas and present them in a new way? These were two major questions that were answered during the medal discussions. Even though designs had potential, the judges looked for what hadn’t been done before. They also appreciated designs that made them emotional; you know a design is good when it elicits a response.
There were also many designs I hadn’t seen before, along with ones I have seen plenty of times. I was also impressed by my own critique of certain designs; the judges had helped out with that, but I also referred to previous knowledge. The competition helped me put what I learned to the test.
The competition basically reiterated that every word, photo, typeface, color, size, etc. matters. If one thing doesn’t look right, it alters the message.
Humor:
Most compelling photo:
Bad thinking:
Innovative thinking:
Judge who traveled more than 100 miles
Douglas from Dubai
Favorite thing I ate:
Best magazine cover:
Best A1
Photo illustration:
Foreign language paper:
Trend:
circles
Best headline:
Classmate whom I spent the most time with:
Lauren
Iconic SND scene:
Me surrounded by discarded papers:
