Launching creative careers
We asked the final judges of the 2018 Adobe Design Achievement Awards to share their impressions with us, having just looked at two thousand of the very best student projects from around the world. What surprised them? What do they want to see more of in the 2019 competition? Read on for a few of their candid responses…
2017 Final Judges in the social impact segment, deep in discussion.
It’s the question on every student’s mind at this point on the competition calendar: who picks the winners of the Adobe Design Achievement Awards, and how, exactly, do they choose from thousands of entries?
We reached out to a slate of Adobe pros with all-star careers and asked them to choose their favorite entries from the ADAA 2017 Early Bird Semifinalists. Read on to find out who these superstars are, and who they’ll be cheering for in the next round of competition…
Colored Horse Studios co-founder Theresa Whitehill has a background (Mills College Book Arts Program) in the study of typography, book arts, poetics, and letterpress that sets her work apart from designers who are primarily visual or whose training began with the digital revolution. With dual studios located in northern California’s Ukiah and in Napa Valley, she has been a member of the Graphic Artists Guild since the founding of her business in 1993 and has served as a presenter for their popular webinar, The Pricing Game. With over 30 years’ experience in both graphic design and literary arts, her interrelated focus provides consistency and depth to projects ranging from websites and graphic identities to publications and packaging. Theresa was a finalist judge in the Fine Art and Commercial segments for ADAA 2016. The judging took place at Adobe’s offices in the Design District of San Francisco, California in August of this year.
A design session at Colored Horse Studios
Founding partner and creative director of Mucca Design,
President of the Type Directors Club
‘I became a graphic designer because i bought a laptop.’
‘Precision is what really makes the difference between good and bad design.‘
Born and raised in Milan, Italy, Matteo’s grounding in architecture, graphic design, illustration and typography facilitated his early business successes and inspired his decision to create a New York agency.
Bologna came to the U.S. from Italy in 1944 because he wanted to escape having to use innuendos and photos of sexy women in his designs. Although he started as an illustrator at age 18 and became a graphic designer because “he bought a laptop,” his company has made designs for grocery stores, restaurants and food packages.
Principal and Creative Director | Tolleson
“Good design is clear thinking and clear thinking is good for business.”
Tolleson Design is a creative agency located on San Francisco’s historic Jackson Square. Throughout their 31 years, they’ve delivered branded experiences at a range of marketing touchpoints for clients large and small around the world.
Designer + Director | GMUNK
‘As a creative professional, I want my work to connect with as many people as possible.’
Bradley G Munkowitz ( GMUNK ) is a Graphic Designer by foundation who has over a decade of experience functioning as a Design Director for the motion graphics industry. He’s also remained passionately involved in the global design community, giving lectures around the world about his Process and Experiences.
He’s collaborated with distinguished International Brands via his work at top tier outfits BUCK, Prologue Films, Transistorstudios and Bot&Dolly and has designed UI and Holographic sequences on the feature films TRON and Oblivion with Joseph Kosinski.. His work is characterized as a hybrid of Science Fiction themes informed by a Psychedelic visual palette.
“Good design is design that either helps people or delights people.”
Stefan Sagmeister (born August 6, 1962) is a New York-based graphic designer and typographer. Sagmeister co-founded a design firm called Sagmeister & Walsh Inc. with Jessica Walsh in New York City. He has designed album covers for Lou Reed, OK Go, The Rolling Stones, The Talking Heads, David Byrne, Aerosmith and Pat Metheny.
Sagmeister’s work have been mounted in New York, Philadelphia, Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Paris, Lausanne, Zurich, Vienna, Prague, Cologne & Berlin.
Sagmeister received a Grammy Award in 2005 in the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category for art directing Once in a Lifetime box set by Talking Heads. He received a second Grammy Award for his design of the David Byrne and Brian Eno album Everything That Happens Will Happen Today in the Grammy Award for Best Recording Package category on January 31, 2010.
Interaction Designer | Ralph Appelbaum Associates.
‘ To win the Adobe Design Achievement Award has given me an advantage in my professional career.’
Nina Boesch is a Manhattan-based artist and designer from Germany.
Janina was born in 1978 in Bremen, Germany. After completing an apprenticeship to become a digital media designer. In 2001 she moved to the U.S., where she did a one-year internship at 4 Corners, New York. In 2003, Janina began to study graphic design at Rhode Island School of Design. At RISD, she was not only taught the beauty of typography but also learned to combine her previous interest in interactive media with her new love for clean and thoughtful designs.
She started to work for the New York Pentagram office, where she became a full-time Interaction designer after she graduated.
Today Janina works as Senior Interaction Designer at Ralph Appelbaum Associates.
