I chose “Happy Brew Year” for it's creativity, humor, and design. This beer label calendar is a great way to show illustration and design skills – and keep it on the desk of potential clients. It’s overall a great idea and execution. I would personally be delighted if I received this in the mail!
Graver's Brilliant Adventure
Gold
category: Miscellaneous
firm: Elements, LLC
client: The Graver Family
creative director: Amy Graver
designer: Kathryn Erb
illustrator: Don Carter
Pigeon characters created to introduce daily activities throughout surprise family vacation.
The use of what I assume to be carrier pigeons is indeed brilliant as they were often used for message delivery. Each card includes a prompt based on a travel itinerary specific to two destinations: London and Paris. The layout of the various components of this entry is systemized, which ties the work together well while also hinting at travel system graphics, such as subway maps. The pigeon characters are indeed characters, and are personalized for family members. This is a lot of work designed and displayed so that it is easily understood and fun. This is a family event that could only be better if the designer did use actual carrier pigeons for delivery.
DERMAFLASH Brand Book
Gold
category: Books
firm: Julia Balfour, LLC
client: DERMAFLASH
creative director: Julia Balfour
art director: Julia Balfour
designer: Holly Johnson
copywriter: Caitlin Monahan, Kristen Stanise, Kristen Peterson
This book is complete guide to everything DERMAFLASH from visual elements, to company vision, voice and messaging. This is a tool for the whole team to reference and maintain a unified understanding of the brand.
Style guides are often referred to as a brand’s bible. The hours put into these are tedious, detailed, thoughtful and yet … few people ever actually use or refer to them after the fact. This style guide however, caught my eye right away. Style guides with a lot of content can seem daunting, but upon first glancing at the Dermaflash guide, the simple application of a shiny finish on the lettering invited me in, peaking my interest. I never read a single page, but just by flipping through it, I felt instantly I understood what was important to the brand, how it was supposed to make me feel, their voice, the audience and the quality of whatever it is they do (I understood this more once we got to judging Dermaflash marketing pieces later). The thoughtful and considerate design applied to this work told a larger story through pure visual engagement. Clever advertising is born from strategy, personality and values, and style guides can help set the stage for great work. There were quite a few pieces in the show I adored, but my appreciation for the craftsmanship and under appreciated beauty of a solid brand style guide did not go unnoticed. Thanks for making me feel embarrassed of all the style guides I’ve ever created in the past.
I chose Brazil Stamp as my Judge’s Award because it is :50 of beautiful, simple, thoughtful storytelling. There’s a clear narrative backstory that creates a sense of intrigue. It made me sit back and smile, and think “now that is beautiful.”
78/52 Campaign
Gold
category: Online Campaign
firm: Real Pie Digital
client: IFC Films
creative director: Kirk Skodis
art director: Mike Barnes
Social Creative campaign promoting the theatrical and VOD release of the documentary, 78/52, about Alfred Hitchcock's pivotal shower scene in the classic horror film, PSYCHO.
My pick for Judge’s Award was the 78/52 campaign, #356. My rationale: Simply chilling social. Uneasy looping videos draw out that eerie Hitchcock vibe for something of a living movie poster. This is a dynamite example of a straightforward, well-produced Instagram campaign that stops you mid-scroll and leaves you wanting more. Very cool.
