Earliest memories Do you remember the excitement you felt as a kid when you finally received the special toy you were hoping for?
The packaging probably displayed nice bold colors, fuzzy little animals or bright graphics.
The clear blister plastic enticed you by letting you view the precious treasure within the box.
Although we may not consciously know it, graphic design and packaging have been an influence in our lives since we were children and continues on through to adulthood.
Inspiration on store shelves Becoming a good graphic designer takes creative thinking, good visual acumen, and even a sense of humor. But every graphic designer needs some sort of inspiration in order to keep the creative juices flowing.
In this series we’ll explore the Internet to glean some of the most imaginative and inventive packaging produced by graphic designers.
If you are looking for creative inspiration, the lowly package is certainly a good place to start.
Tea bag container ……………………. Here is a concept design for a new way to package tea bags. Each individual bag is enclosed in a pyramid shaped box. The design was created by designer Gabriello Re.
It’s coffee; not a USB stick ….... Those who like tech will immediately see the resemblance of this packaging to a thumb drive or USB memory stick. But it is neither. It is actually a unique way to package fresh coffee. The designs were produced by Fizi Pao.
Let them eat (butter) cake … We’ve all seen cake boxes. Sometimes they are plain white or in some cases, they have simple decorations on them. But the butter cakes baked and packaged in Nanatsukahara, Japan, well, takes the cake.
The box design, by T-Square Design Associates, is elegant and simple on the outside. The inside liner is decorated with a printed scene of the outdoors. You get a treat for the eyes as well as your palette in one sitting.
It was a dark and stormy night… ………………………………………………. When cold weather sets in at home, one of the ways to warm up is to bundle up in a warm sweater and enjoy a good, hot bowl of soup.
Thirdperson Designs has taken this literally and created hot beverage sleeves to wrap around winter soup products. Feeling toasty yet?
Graphic design school and packaging courses If you are interested in designing graphics that virtually everyone will see, you may want to explore the realm of packaging design.
Graphic design colleges can provide you with the essential education you need to qualify for jobs in the industry. Speak to a graphic design school representative today to find out more about packaging and design courses.
You light up my life… In this particular case we are not referring to a song but how public lighting can be improved upon and used in more innovative ways.
“…give new meaning to public lighting and provoke the emergence of sensitivity to the need of mankind to benefit from the available light, to share and take ownership.
“The boundary between street lighting and the user can disappear to become the service point of luminous energy to the whole community. Public lighting is a response to the needs of human beings, and your solutions will be the answer.”
What’s your idea? If you have a concept that can transform the idea of what public lighting can mean and do then this contest is for you.
The contest theme is “Light for Humanity.” There are several key points that you should consider when designing your lighting creations.
According to the contest guidelines your entry should address how public lighting can serve as the following:
*A central gathering point * A source and connection accessible to the entire community * A realization that supports the vitality of social exchange * A viable alternative to the use of other fuels (gasoline, wood, etc.). * An economical design with regard to materials and components ….(3R), that is also aesthetically and culturally meaningful
General contest guidelines
* Anyone who is connected to or is interested in the industry of exterior ….lighting is eligible to enter * If you are entering as part of a design firm you must have less than 5 ….years experience * If you are entering as part of a team your firm must not have more ….than 5 employees
The rules state that your product/lighting submission may incorporate the following subject matter:
* Layout of public exterior spaces * Objects or luminous systems for these spaces * Advancement of the general knowledge concerning exterior lighting * Development of the collective consciousness pertaining to a quality exterior lighting
Judging and Prizes Entries will be judged according to the merits of each entry’s excellence in aesthetics, technology, environmental solutions, and theoretical application.
The following awards will be given to the winners:
* First Prize: $2,500 or a 12 weeks training course with the ….industrial design and engineering teams of Philips Lumec. * Second Prize: $1,500 * Third Prize: $1,000
Contest links and other information The following links provide additional contest details:
The deadline for entries is May 2, 2011. This contest is free to enter. Illuminate yourself with graphic design school classes Graphic design college can be the starting point of a career in interior and exterior design. You will learn the principles of using colors effectively, how to illustrate and make your ideas come to life, and the importance of artistic interpretation and technique.
If you are a graphic designer or involved in city planning, continued education classes are available at your graphic design school to help in the areas of design work.
If you are planning to attend a graphic design college, speak to your school counselor about the various career training options available to you.
“Raindrops keep falling on my head…” That was the title song to the popular 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The film is ranked #151 in the Top 250 movie list of IMDB.com by its members.
But raindrops are more than just lyrics in a song; raindrops are also crucial to the process of rainwater harvesting.
The IRHA (International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance) organization exists to educate and help the public to be aware of the benefits of harvesting rainwater by treating it as a sustainable resource.
In the words of the contest sponsor:
“The aim of this competition is to make the public, too often insufficiently informed, aware of the various advantages that rainwater harvesting offers by providing sustainable access to water.
“It is in this context that the IRHA invites photographers, professional and amateur, to present their vision on the benefits that this celestial resource can have for both humans and nature.”
Contest theme The full title of this competition is “The Best Photographs on the advantages of the use of rainwater, Raindrops Geneva Award 2011.”
According to the contest rules your photograph may include the following ideas:
* Water is life, the essential element that supports human, animal and ….plant life * Rain * Sacred or ritualized use of water or the celebration of rain in spiritual ….ceremonies * Thirst, scarcity and drought * Water distribution, including the politics of water distribution, water as ….a commodity. * The role of harvested rainwater for satisfying needs where ….water cannot be piped. * Rainwater harvesting, the best tool for adaptation to the climate changes (storms, floods, ….drought) * Rainwater collection, simple technologies at work, water purification
General submission guidelines
* Winners of the contest must provide a minimum 2000 pixel image in ….300dpi. * Files must be submitted in either JPG or TIF (unsharpened) * Photographs may be submitted in portrait or landscape mode * Entries may be in black and white or color * Photoshop or image touch-ups are limited to standard darkroom techniques * Over processing or use of digital effects on images will be grounds for ….disqualification * No images shot in a studio will be eligible for this contest
Upload your submissions to raindropsaward [at] irha-h2o.org (replace [at] with @)
Prizes
* First Place: 1000 Swiss Francs ($1,034) * Second Place: 600 Swiss Francs ($620) * Third Place: 400 Swiss Francs ($413)
Links and other contest information All submissions must be accompanied by a fact sheet. See the official rules for more details. This contest has no entry fees. The deadline for submissions is April 30, 2011. Follow these links for more contest information:
Official contest site Contest rules and guidelines . . Graphic design school and you If you are thinking about entering the Raindrops Geneva Award contest you probably have a good eye for images and composition.
But you can always improve your talents by taking classes at a graphic design school to learn more about photographic techniques, lighting methodology, and digital equipment.
Speak with agraphic design collegerepresentative and find out what sort of classes and educational opportunities are available to you.
Do You Know a Young Aspiring Artist? While most design contests are geared towards working professionals or those in college, the Shaping Your Community for a Greener Future Competition is for those between the ages of 13-18.
Perhaps someone in your family or a friend’s family has an up and coming artist in their house. If so, this contest is just for them.
What the Contest Is About Sister Cities International has served as a showcase for young artists and designers for over 20 years.
“Your artwork may highlight a problem, issue, or solution important to you, your community, or the world at-large.”
What to Submit There are specific rules and guidelines concerning submitted entries. According to the contest site some of them are:
“Only two-dimensional artwork, no larger than 24″ x 30″ (60cm x 75cm), including matting is accepted. Watercolor, oils, pastels, pen and ink, charcoal, photography, two-dimensional mixed media, as well as computer generated art, are all acceptable media.
* Entries that use copyrighted or trademarked images will not be accepted. * Entries must not be plagiarized, stolen, or copied from any other source. * Entries from previous years will not be accepted. * Entries must not defame or invade the rights of any person, living or ….dead. * Entries not adhering to these guidelines will not be considered. * Entries originating from a “sister cities” are eligible for this contest. * Only artists from the ages of 13-18 are eligible for this contest
Prizes Ten finalists will be selected from all entries. These final entries will be displayed at the 2011 Youth Conference in Eugene and/or continue on a traveling exposition to other sister city locales.
One national winner and one international winner will be selected from the finalists. Each winner will receive:
“…a complimentary registration for the 2011 Youth Leadership Conference in Eugene, OR, along with $1,000 toward airfare to the conference or as a cash prize.”
Other Information and Contest Links If you wish to have your entry returned to you, there is a $20 processing and shipping fee, however, there are no entry fees for this competition. This contest will end on April 29, 2011.
To find out if your city is part of the sister city program, contact Laura Giroux, Membership Manager at lgiroux [at] sister-cities.org for further details.
Do You Want to Space Out? Are you a part of a university or science community team or a graphic designer that has an eye on the future as far as renewable energy solutions? If you can answer “yes” to any of these questions, the International SunSat Design Competition may be for you.
Design a Satellite SunSat is an international competition that is seeking designs for the next generation of satellites that will be able to collect energy in space and transmit it to Earth for electricity production.
This competition is also an exercise to investigate the benefits and possible limitations of this sort of technology.
The sponsors state: “Winning designs will be high-impact digital art, supported by credible science, engineering and business plans.
“[They will] best promote media understanding and public acceptance of a path forward in using space satellites to deliver energy on-demand to any and all places on earth.”
Here is a video of the concept behind the development of these energy beaming satellites. . …………….
How to Submit Those who are in graphic design may need to contact the SunSat sponsors in order to get guidance and mentoring on the “hard science” and feasibility of their concepts. All submissions must be registered at the official website to enter the contest.
The contest administrators will alert entrants about the status of their submissions within seven working days.
Prizes The hope of the contest sponsors is to raise $100,000 in prize money for the winners of this event. The money will go to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners for research project purposes.
Please note that no entries will be accepted unless all pertinent required information is provided according to the registration guidelines.
Other Contest Information and Website Links For questions about this contest direct your queries to bwoods [at] gridab.ohio.edu. (Replace [at] with the symbol “@”.)
The deadline for this contest is January 19, 2010. Winners will be announce sometime during May 2011. This contest requires no entry fees.
For more contest details and info, follow these links:
Design a Resource Responsible Apartment In today’s modern society individuals use an immense amount of energy and resources to just live out their daily lives.
Some say that the wave of the future is to live more responsibly by curbing our overall impact on the environment.
The Jovoto Life Edited Product Design Contest wants designers to take up the challenge of creating the apartment of the future, which will substantially be more energy/resource efficient and present a smaller physical footprint. . The sponsor states: .
With some design and technology magic, even small space can allow for almost anything - so we’re asking you to redesign a small space thinking about these core ideas:
* Transforming space - use one space for work, play, sleep, guests * Digitize everything - photos, books, music * From ownership to access - think car-sharing instead of owning, pay-per-view instead of ….downloading, smart space-sharing and subletting * Only the essentials - cut down on extraneous stuff, leaving only what’s really necessary
Contest Details The apartment design must allow the apartment dweller to work, cook, and entertain. . According to the contest guidelines, other considerations for your design should include:
* Comfortable lounging option for 8 people * Space for 2 guests with some visual and ideally auditory ….privacy * Home office * Work area with space for a rolling tool chest * Hideable kitchen
Judging Criteria Entries will be critiqued according to the following standards by a jury panel and community feedback:
* Does the design meet the contest requirements? * Is the design feasible and can it be produced in with a ….reasonable budget? * Will the design be attractive enough for people to consider ….from an economic perspective? * Will the design look good in 25 years? Will it influence people to “leave large and love little?”
Prizes and Awards Winners in all the various categories win cash awards, products and prizes. The total value amount that will be distributed is $70,000.
Contest Links and Other Information Follow these links for important contest resources and details.
Earliest memories
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Do You Know a Young Aspiring Artist?
There are specific rules and guidelines concerning submitted entries. According to the contest site some of them are:
Other Information and Contest Links
Do You Want to Space Out?
How to Submit
Other Contest Information and Website Links
Design a Resource Responsible Apartment
Contest Details
Contest Links and Other Information