Boom! The Countdown Starts

March 09, 2009 Filed Under: Contests , Events 0 Comments

So, the days are counting down until the unveiling of the winners of this year's BOOM! design competition. While I can understand the excruciating agony it must be to keep waiting to see if your work was selected, on the other hand I've appreciated the luxury of time it gave me to get around to penning some thoughts on judging the show.

First let me say that coming out to judge the BOOM! entries was a fabulous experience. The city of Charlotte is truly a crown jewel, and Carolyn and all of the hosts from AIGA Charlotte made us feel right at home. (Not to mention the support provided by Scott McClure and AIGA Raleigh.) Shane and his team ran an efficient and seamless judging weekend, and I have no doubt the exhibition will come off without a hitch.

It was an honor and a pleasure partnering with the lovely Kenna Kay and the suave Josh Silverman to judge the show. I think we worked really well as a team, and despite coming from different backgrounds and places, regularly found common ground in our estimation of pieces. Contrary to the urban legends you hear about design judges, there were no blow ups, no wrestling matches, and no one got hit with a folding chair. With few exceptions, we were on exactly the same page on which pieces should be selected as winners. The only conflict came when we had to fight over who got to have which piece as their Judge's Choice. (I do have a hazy recollection of Josh clutching his pick tightly while swinging wildly at anyone that came near him.) Luckily, there was plenty of great design work to choose from.
The most exciting part of the weekend was witnessing the quality level of the work produced in the region. It is clear there are a lot of talented designers in the area. We had a wealth of solid design from which to make selections, which always makes the process much more enjoyable. The only difficulties in judging were picking top honors, not because nothing was worthy, but quite the contrary: the top level of work was so good it was difficult to decide which might be deemed "best".

So, congratulations to all of the winners, and thanks to everyone for entering. As a note to everyone, just remember that winning design awards is only one small part of the measure of a particular piece, or your inherent talent as a designer. While it's exciting to win awards, there are many factors that add up determine great design: were you proud of the work, was it successful at achieving the client's goals, did you create a valuable return on the investment? I can tell you from experience that some of Oxide's most effective work has never won a single design award. For all the winners: use the award to motivate you, and gain exposure for your work. For everyone not selected: do not be discouraged, and remember that Josh, Kenna, and I are only three voices in the wide world of design.

Thank you to both entire chapters of Charlotte and Raleigh for allowing me the honor of judging BOOM! You can rest assured I will come back and visit your fair state as soon as possible.

Written by: Drew Davies: Principal, Oxide Design Co.