Juried by nine leading creative directors, art directors and writers, the Communication Arts (CA) Advertising Annual displays 250 pages of the best in consumer and institutional print ads along with posters, television and radio commercials. Everything is reproduced in full color. You can actually read the fine print. The full television and radio commercial scripts and a complete index are included for reference. All work must have been printed, published or aired for the first time between June 3, 2006 and June 1, 2007. Publication means an ad appeared in a form of mass media exposed to a substantial audience. Entries may originate from any country, but CA needs an English translation for the jurors. Submission of entries acknowledges the right of Communication Arts to use them for publication and exhibition. Visit the site for details.

Juried by nine top design professionals and attracting entries from 20 countries, each year’s Communcation Arts (CA) Design Annual features 250 pages of the best work in posters, brochures, packaging, trademarks, corporate identity, annual reports, catalogs, letterheads and signage, and is fully indexed for reference. All work must have been printed, published or aired for the first time between June 3, 2006 and June 2, 2007. Publication means an ad appeared in a form of mass media exposed to a substantial audience. Entries may originate from any country, but they need an English translation for the jurors. Submission of entries acknowledges the right of Communication Arts to use them for publication and exhibition. Visit the site for details.

It is a testament to the growing global reputation of D&AD that they have been able to secure this list of speakers from around the world. This spring you can hear out some of the biggest international influences in product design, advertising, interactive design, typography, branding and graphics:

• Vince Frost: 21 March in London
• The Branding and Environmental Issues Forum: SOLD OUT - WAITING LIST ONLY (28 March London)
• Wim Crouwel: 3 May in London
• Dan Wieden + David Kennedy: 21 May in London
• Pentagram: 22 May in London
• Hillman Curtis: 5 June in Manchester

D&AD is a not-for-profit organization donating all of its generated funds back into the creative community through education and enterprise programs. Visit the site for further information about the lectures and on how to book tickets (early is a good idea - they tend to sell out early).

NOTE: Deadline Extended to 16 April.

Looking for fame? Enter your great web designs in STEP’s Best of Web competition, sponsored by JupiterImages Unlimited, and get the recognition you deserve. As a winner, you will be interviewed and prominently featured in STEP’s 2007 Best of Web Annual.

In addition, the Grand Prize winner will receive a one-year subscription of multimedia resolution images to JupiterImages Unlimited-a $2500 value! Enter your Entire Website, Advertising (web banners, pop-ups, etc.) or Motion Graphics works in any of these categories: Consumer, Business, Self-Promotion, Nonprofit/Public Service. Visit the site for vitals.

UPDATE: If you plan to enter the “Envisioning Gateway” competition, the following information might help you to refine your competition entry:

The National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), Van Alen Institute (VAI) and Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (GSAPP) today announce the launch of an international public design competition to create a new vision for Gateway National Recreation Area, a 26,600-acre national park located in New York. “Envisioning Gateway: A Public Design Competition for Gateway National Park” is being underwritten by The Tiffany & Co. Foundation.

“The public design competition is a dynamic forum for civic engagement,” said VAI Executive Director Adi Shamir. “With the announcement of Envisioning Gateway, architects, landscape architects, ecologists, planners, and urban designers worldwide are invited to generate innovative and compelling proposals that reflect the transformative power of public participation and celebrate the unique potential of this urban national park.”
Read the rest of this entry »

Individuals and groups, regardless of age, nationality, or occupation, and regardless of whether someone is a student, are invited to enter a rather complicated yet challenging design competition that is sponsored by SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. and supported by DESIGNTOPE, Inc.

The focus is on the “everyday-life product ideas and the freshness of the image designs,” the Grand Prix and the Awards for Excellence will be decided in final judging using the mockups and panel displays of the submitted data. Awards are substantial.

Everyday-life product = “A product that people come into contact with on an everyday basis and that is part of an everyday living environment such as that of homes, offices, commercial facilities, etc. There are no particular limitations on the actual size or economical efficiency of the product, but SANYO will verify the technical aspects.”

Date noted above is the deadline for the initial phase for this contest, the entry application period. Visit the site to view the details, the categories, and all the deadline dates for this competition.